Trusts & Grants Lead

Hampshire-; Southampton; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contributory pension

Life assurance

Learning & development support

Employee assistance programme

Staff travel discounts

Job summary

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is seeking a Trusts & Grants Lead to drive our grants and trusts work across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. You will secure funding by developing compelling proposals, manage relationships with trusts and foundations, and report on impact to funders.

The role supports ambitious income targets while promoting wildlife recovery. You will work with Directors and managers, coordinating proposals, reports and donor communications in a hybrid setting from

Qualifications

• Experience developing projects and cases for support.
• Proven track record of income growth and funder relationships.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to engage funders.

Responsibilities

• Lead all operational aspects of grants and trusts work.
• Identify funding opportunities and develop funding propositions.
• Prepare high-quality proposals and impact reports for funders.
• Act as main contact for internal/external enquiries about grant-makers.
• Collaborate with Directors to align fundraising with strategy.

Skills

Grant funding

Proposal writing

Fundraiser relationships

Communications

Job description

Salary Up to £37,500 per annum, depending on skills and experience

Salary: Up to £37,500 gross per annum depending on skills and experience

Permanent Contract

Location: Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, Southampton, Hampshire, SO32 2DP (with hybrid working available)

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is shaping a wilder future for our counties – protecting special places, restoring habitats and inspiring people to act for nature. As part of the UK’s fastest-growing movement for nature’s recovery, we lead with passion, integrity and bold thinking. Join a team where your work has purpose, your ideas matter, and you can help create lasting change for wildlife and people.

We are seeking a Trusts & Grants Lead to join our cause.

This exciting new role will take the lead on our work with grant‑making organisations including charitable trusts & foundations to help us achieve ambitious income targets to support nature’s recovery across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

What you’ll be doing:
Leading on all operational aspects of our grants and trusts work, and inputting into strategy with the Senior Philanthropy & Partnerships Manager, you’ll have responsibility for identifying funding opportunities, bringing our story to life for funders through high-quality written proposals and impact reports, and acting as the main point of contact for internal and external enquiries about grant‑makers and charitable trusts & foundations.

Liaising closely with Directors and managers, you’ll help bring the Trust’s work to life for an existing portfolio of funders, develop funding propositions for new and existing funders, and act as a champion for this crucial area of work across the organisation.

About you:
You will be an outstanding communicator with strong experience – from developing projects and cases for support to submitting successful applications and providing impact reports. You’ll have a proven track record of developing income growth and high-quality funder relationships. You’ll be a proactive, positive and confident fundraiser with great attention to detail and the knowledge and experience to take the lead on our trusts and grants work.

Wild About Inclusion!
As an inclusive employer we recognise that our workforce needs to better reflect the communities in which we live and work. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, particularly those underrepresented within our sector, including people from black, Asian, minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with disabilities. We are committed to creating a Movement that recognises and truly values individual differences and identities.

Disability Confident. We are proudly a Disability Confident Committed employer. The scheme is helping us recruit and retain great people to meet our workforce needs. As a member of the scheme, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this position will be offered an interview. You can request adjustments including accessible formats of this vacancy by emailing [e-mail] .

To be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme you must:

• Identify as being disabled which under the Equality Act 2010 means a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial*, long term** adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities; or a long-term health condition; and;

(*Substantial is more than minor or trivial **Long-term means 12 months or more)

• Set out how you meet all the minimum qualifying criteria set out in the person specification for the post at the application and testing stages. This is a requirement for all candidates, not just those applying under the scheme.

We are happy to discuss the possibilities of hybrid and flexible working
This role will be based at our office in Curdridge, however, we are happy to accommodate a hybrid working routine, and discuss a pattern of work which mutually suits the candidate and the Trust. Traditionally, office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm with an hour lunch break. We value spending time working in-person to develop strong connections with each other and with our mission, so we although we offer hybrid working, we do not offer full home working within our roles.

We offer a wide range of benefits including a competitive salary, generous annual leave allowance, a contributory pension scheme, life assurance, learning and development support, 24-hour access to our employee assistance programme, discounted staff travel with our corporate partners Wightlink (subject to T&Cs), free parking at our sites and more.

Interviews: 29 October 2026

So what do we offer to our employees?

Well most importantly you get to work in one of the most magnificent parts of the UK!Here in Hampshire we have globally important wetlands around the coastline of the Solent and medievalheathland landscapes in the New Forest.

Our thriving cities and suburbs are surrounded by exceptional places for wildlife, including gin-clear chalk rivers, flower-rich grasslands, and ancient woodlands. Our jewel in the crown is the Isle of Wight where you can walk all day across downland turf and along spectacular cliffs.

That’s our working environment and you could share it with us!

Our values are at the heart of who we are and what we do – they propel our culture and shape our priorities, beliefs, and actions. They underpin the decisions we make and are fundamental to how we treat one another and our stakeholders.