Senior Grants Officer

Suffolk Wildlife Trust; Ashbocking; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Leave entitlement up to 38 days

9% employer pension contribution

Salary sacrifice benefits

Employee Assistance Programme

Flu vaccinations

Life assurance and GP/wellness

Discounts at high street retailers

Discounts in visitor centre

Logo clothing

Job summary

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is seeking a Senior Grants Officer to lead our trust and grant fundraising efforts, developing high-quality funding proposals and ensuring robust reporting.

You will identify funding opportunities, manage a strong funder pipeline, prepare compelling applications and impact reports, and mentor the Grants Officer while fostering excellent relationships with funders to secure income for our conservation work.

Qualifications

• Experience in trusts and foundations fundraising.
• Ability to develop compelling funding proposals and cases for support.
• Strong written and verbal communication, with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Identify and research funding opportunities and funders.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of prospective funders and lead applications and impact reports.
• Provide leadership and line-manage the Grants Officer and team.
• Build relationships with trusts and grant-makers and ensure timely reporting.

Skills

Grants fundraising

Fundraising strategy

Stakeholder management

Proposal writing

Grant reporting

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Salary: The starting salary will be up to £33,000 per annum depending on skills, knowledge and experience.

Senior Grants Officer

Closing date: Monday 2 November 2026 Salary: The starting salary will be up to £33,000 per annum depending on skills, knowledge and experience. Contract type: Permanent / Working hours: Full time Location: Brooke House, The Green, Ashbocking, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP6 9JY

This is an exciting opportunity for a suitably-qualified and experienced grants and trusts practitioner to join Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Fundraising & Philanthropy Team at a pivotal time for nature recovery across Suffolk.

Working closely with the Head of Philanthropy & Fundraising, you will provide technical leadership and operational expertise across our trust and grant fundraising. You will play a leading role in developing high-quality funding proposals, strengthening relationships with funders and improving our approach to identifying, securing and managing both restricted and unrestricted income.

You will identify and research funding opportunities, develop and manage a strong pipeline of prospective funders and lead the preparation of compelling applications, cases for support and impact reports. Working collaboratively with colleagues across the Trust, you will help shape fundable projects, provide specialist advice on major applications and ensure we continue to improve the quality of our applications, stewardship and reporting.

You will build productive relationships with charitable trusts and grant‑making organisations, keep abreast of emerging funding priorities and ensure our funding pipeline, applications and reporting commitments are accurately managed. You will also line manage and develop our Grants Officer, sharing your expertise and helping to create a positive, collaborative and high‑performing team.

To succeed in this role, you will have experience of trust and grant fundraising with a strong track record of securing and growing income from charitable trusts and grant‑making organisations. You will be confident leading complex applications and reporting processes, developing positive relationships with funders and influencing colleagues to develop strong, fundable projects.

You will be an excellent written communicator, able to turn complex projects, evidence and ideas into clear and persuasive proposals. Highly organised and comfortable managing competing priorities and deadlines, you will bring sound professional judgement, attention to detail and a proactive approach to identifying opportunities and improving fundraising practice.

This is a fantastic opportunity to use your fundraising expertise to make a tangible difference for nature, helping Suffolk Wildlife Trust secure the investment needed to deliver ambitious projects, strengthen our impact and create a wilder Suffolk.

This is a permanent, full‑time position working 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We operate flexible homeworking arrangements where colleagues spend more time working together than homeworking. The base of work will be Brooke House in Ashbocking and the starting salary will be up to £33,000 per annum depending on skills, knowledge and experience.

The interviews are planned for Tuesday 10 November 2026.

Our Employee Perks & Benefits

• leave entitlement increasing with service up to 38 days annually plus an extra day off for your birthday
• a 9% employer pension contribution with no employee contribution required
• salary sacrifice benefits
• an Employee Assistance Programme
• flu vaccinations
• life assurance and access to a GP and wellness services
• discounts at high street retailers
• discounts in our visitor centre
• if you’re in a public-facing role, you’ll get logo clothing

Suffolk Wildlife Trust is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we recognise the importance of diversity in both nature and our workforce of staff and volunteers. We strive to ensure that everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute to our vision of “A Wilder Suffolk where nature is thriving and abundant because everyone is doing more to help”.