Senior Philanthropy Manager. Job in United Kingdom Education & Training Jobs

Kings College London; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious university in the UK is seeking a Senior Philanthropy Manager to lead fundraising efforts for The Dickson Poon School of Law. You will manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, secure significant philanthropic contributions, and support senior fundraising stakeholders. This full-time position offers an indefinite contract and requires collaboration across departments to enrich student outcomes and research initiatives. Join an award-winning team dedicated to impactful philanthropy.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of securing gifts in the range of £50k to £5 million.
• Experience in developing philanthropic relationships.
• Ability to negotiate in complex environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of major gift prospects.
• Secure and steward significant philanthropic gifts.
• Support senior stakeholders in fundraising efforts.

Skills

Cultivating and stewarding major gifts

Building relationships with stakeholders

Strategic planning

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Project management

Understanding philanthropic landscape

Job description

Senior Philanthropy Manager

Grade and Salary: £53,947 - £63,350 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance
Department: Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Exec
Job ID: 128285

About Us

Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement (P&A) provides a fundraising and alumni engagement function in support of King s College London. We are proud to work with colleagues across the university and its health partners to help them serve society through world-leading education, research and healthcare. Our work also includes a partnership with the Maudsley Charity in support of children s mental health initiatives between the university s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience and the South London & Maudsley NHS Trust.

We are a committed team that brings together fundraisers working across different channels, alongside colleagues who promote King s College London s engagement with its worldwide alumni community. Our work is underpinned and enhanced by a range of dedicated professionals in supporting areas covering proposition development, supporter engagement, supporter operations and business operations.

We have an impressive, well-established track record of success in securing support that allows the university and partners to deliver on their missions. This includes our global, award-winning World Questions: King s Answers campaign, which set the standard in the sector and enabled us to raise substantial funds to help tackle some of the world s biggest challenges. Ambitious and innovative, the team has won awards such as a CASE Platinum Award for Fundraising and a CASE Gold Award for Donor Relations and Stewardship. We are strongly values-driven with a focus on sustaining an excellent and supportive culture, which we see as key to creating a successful team that can support the university and its partners in making a real and positive difference to the world we live in.

More on King s College London

King s College London is an internationally renowned university delivering exceptional education and world-leading research. The university is dedicated to driving positive and sustainable change in society and realising our vision of making the world a better place. Through its commitment to exceptional education, impactful research and genuine service to society, King s College London is creating positive change in its communities, both in London and on the world stage. The Strategic Vision 2029 looks forward to King s College London s 200th anniversary in 2029 and sets out ambitious plans in five key areas:

• Educating the next generation of change-makers
• Challenging ideas and driving change through research
• Giving back to society through meaningful service
• Working with our local communities in London
• Fostering global citizens with an international perspective

About the role

We are looking for an exceptional individual fundraiser to join the Philanthropy team at King s College London, leading on fundraising for The Dickson Poon School of Law.

This role will be responsible for managing a portfolio of major gift prospects, securing and stewarding significant philanthropic gifts at the £50k to £5 million gift level, supporting senior stakeholders with their fundraising efforts, and championing the work and priorities of King s and the Dickson Poon School of Law.

The team will play a crucial role in the delivery of the University s ambition to significantly scale philanthropic income for faculties, as we prepare to launch our next major fundraising campaign in 2027 and mark the university s bicentenary in 2029.

We will build on our already successful fundraising to achieve ambitious new goals for philanthropy creating strong partnerships across campus and with donors, to realise shared priorities and deliver strategic impact.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively with academic and professional service colleagues across King s to secure significant philanthropic income to support student outcomes and drive world-leading teaching and research.

We are strongly values-driven with a focus on sustaining an excellent and supportive culture, which we see as key to creating a successful team that can support the university and its partners in making a real and positive difference to the world we live in.

The Dickson Poon School of Law, King s College London is one of the oldest law schools in England. The School s research and teaching address some of the most pressing questions of our time relating to equality and human rights, the legal implications of climate change, globalisation, international relations, trade, competition and global finance, to name but a few. Members of The Dickson Poon School of Law advise governments, serve on commissions and public bodies and are seconded to national and international organisations, helping to shape policy and practice nationally and internationally.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract. P&A has a hybrid working approach, with a minimum of 40% of time in the office. Typically, this equates to two days per week, but we re very happy for colleagues to be in more frequently if they so wish.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. A proven track‑record of cultivating, securing, and stewarding five-, six-, and seven‑figure gifts
2. Experience of qualifying and cultivating new philanthropic relationships
3. Ability to develop and maintain key relationships with senior internal stakeholders
4. Proven interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal)
5. Ability to plan strategically and implement those plans
6. The ability to negotiate throughout a large, complex environment with multi-dimensional points of view
7. Ability to manage multiple projects, identifying conflicting demands and establishing clear priorities in order to meet agreed objectives and income
8. An understanding of the philanthropic landscape and what would motivate a prospect to give to King s

Desirable criteria

1. Major gifts fundraising experience in law

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King s. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements, including part-time, compressed hours and/or job shares, as appropriate and in the context of the business needs associated with the role.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

Closing Date: 19th November 2025

This role will have two interview stages, a standard skills-based interview followed (for up to two appointable candidates) by a Core Values interview.

First stage interviews are due to be held on Monday 1st December. Core Values interviews are due to be held w/c 8th December.