Executive Head of Partnerships and Gaming

Job Summary

We are working with an external recruitment agency to recruit for this vacancy. Interested candidates should visit the link above for further information and details on how to apply.

We are sector leading with our heritage, connections, and relationships. Our friends are superbly connected and ready to use their networks to help us. With a talented, hard-working team, we deliver amazing, creative and innovative fundraising that has a huge capacity to inspire people.

We’re now looking for a highly skilled Executive Head of Partnerships & Gaming to lead two innovative income streams. This is a unique opportunity to drive forward War Child’s gaming and corporate partnerships portfolio – both critical to our long-term income growth and global reach.

You’ll lead a passionate team to deliver exceptional partnerships and partner-led campaigns across varied sectors, championing innovation and impact. By harnessing the power of brands, businesses, content creators and gaming communities, you’ll help War Child transform the lives of children affected by conflict.

The ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of securing high-value partnerships, of at least £250,000, and influencing at senior levels across corporate and gaming sectors. A strategic thinker and natural collaborator, you’ll combine commercial acumen with a superb relationship-led approach to drive lasting, meaningful impact.

Your Role

As Executive Head of Partnerships & Gaming, you will be responsible for the strategic growth, leadership, and day-to-day delivery of two of War Child’s high-opportunity income streams.
In this unique role, you’ll bring together the Partnerships and Gaming functions to work side by side. This presents an exciting opportunity to foster greater cohesion, spark new ideas, and unlock untapped potential by harnessing the complementary strengths of both areas. You will be instrumental in creating inspiring conditions for collaboration and innovation, ensuring the teams learn from each other, share insights, and collectively deliver greater impact than the sum of their parts.
You will lead the evolution and implementation of both strategies, ensuring they are aligned with organisational priorities and positioned for long-term growth. Drawing on data and insight, you’ll identify new opportunities, refine existing activity, and ensure we remain sector leading. Central to your role will be building and stewarding transformational relationships with partners – from global gaming studios and platforms to corporate brands and philanthropic corporate funders – to maximise income, engagement, and impact.
A natural relationship builder and strategic thinker, you’ll also play a key leadership role within War Child UK – contributing to cross-organisational initiatives, senior decision-making, and the development of War Child’s broader income and engagement strategy. Your leadership will ensure that powerful partnerships and gaming activations continue to transform the lives of children affected by conflict.

Your Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and lead the strategic direction and delivery of both the Gaming and Partnerships functions, building in clear success indicators (e.g. pipeline development, collaboration between teams, delivery against income targets, and developing the strategy and budget for the next 5 years).
• Drive long-term income growth across commercial, philanthropic and strategic partnerships and partner-led campaigns, ensuring sustainable and diversified revenue streams
• As required, lead or contribute to cross-organisational project groups, helping shape the future direction of strategic income generation.
• Provide insight, inspiration and direction to embed a culture of high-value partnerships fundraising across the organisation.
• Work closely with the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorship and the Gaming Partnerships Lead to develop and deliver a cohesive strategy to drive growth.
• Be accountable for growing Partnerships and Gaming into a multi-million income generating function, with a sustainable pipeline to support continued growth.

Business Development and Relationship Management

• Support the Head of Strategic Partnerships and Sponsorship, Partnerships Manager and Gaming Partnerships Lead on the highest-value and most strategic partnerships, including commercial gaming partners, cause-related marketing campaigns, strategic corporate relationships, and charity of the year agreements.
• Lead and enable the Partnerships and Gaming teams to identify, pitch and secure new partnership opportunities across both portfolios, tailoring approaches to maximise strategic and financial outcomes.
• Build and maintain a dynamic, insight-led pipeline, identifying and prioritising potential partners with the greatest capacity and alignment.
• Lead stewardship strategies that deepen engagement and drive long-term value, ensuring partners feel connected to War Child’s mission.
• Oversee the Partnerships and Gaming teams in managing the external Gaming Advisory Board and Business Leaders Committee, leveraging its members to unlock opportunities, insights, and income.
• Represent War Child with credibility and authority in partner interactions, gaming industry events and external opportunities.
• Ensure partnerships align with War Child’s ethical fundraising standards and vetting protocols, brand values and safeguarding considerations.

Team Leadership & Management

• Line manage and support individuals in both the Gaming and Partnerships teams, fostering a collaborative, high-performance and inclusive culture.
• Ensure strong individual and team performance management and development through coaching, clear objectives, and opportunities for learning and growth.
• Represent the voice of both teams at senior leadership level and across the organisation.
• Collaboration & Influence
• Collaborate with internal teams including Philanthropy Creative Industries, Communications and Campaigns, and Music to deliver impactful partnerships and gaming campaigns and identify crossover opportunities.
• Help shape and refine compelling partnership propositions in collaboration with programmatic colleagues.
• Support War Child’s high-profile engagement by advising on the strategic use of Ambassadors and high profile supporters within the partnerships and gaming space.
• Work closely with War Child Alliance fundraising members to establish global partnership approaches, standards and ways of working, and oversee the development of global partnership opportunities with the Partnerships team and Alliance colleagues as relevant.
• Act as a spokesperson for War Child at industry events, pitches and conferences, representing our work with credibility, passion and authority.

Performance, Evaluation & Reporting

• Develop and manage robust annual plans, KPIs and budgets for both teams, delivering high ROI and clear impact.
• Provide timely and strategic reporting to the Philanthropy & Partner Engagement Director and wider leadership, offering insight on progress, learnings and areas for growth.
• Use data and feedback to continuously refine and improve the partnerships and gaming strategies and partner experience.
• Responsible for creating a culture committed to the safeguarding of children and adults and compliant to War Child’s Safeguarding and PSEAH (Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse & Harassment) Policies.
• We are committed to building an inclusive and equitable workforce. All staff are expected to actively contribute to this by embedding principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into their day-to-day work, decision-making, and interactions with colleagues, partners and supporters.

These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.

You Are

• A highly experienced partnerships fundraising, business development or commercial leader with proven expertise in leading high-performing income generating teams, and developing successful strategies at a senior level.
• A proven track record of securing high-value partnerships worth at least £250,000, ideally within an international NGO context, or within the gaming industry.
• Expert in building trusted, strategic relationships with influential individuals, senior stakeholders and partners, with the credibility and confidence to inspire transformational partnerships.
• An excellent communicator with a strong understanding of CSR and ESG motivations and trends, and the ability to craft compelling cases for support, deliver persuasive presentations, and lead fundraising discussions at the highest level.
• Knowledgeable about the gaming industry and commercial opportunities within it, especially where it intersects with streaming, creators and charitable giving. Experience working with developers, publishers, platforms, or gaming communities would be a benefit.
• A confident collaborator with strong influencing skills, able to work across senior leadership, programmes teams, trustees, and high profile ambassadors to develop and deliver partnership strategies.
• Skilled in pipeline development, income forecasting, and performance monitoring, using insight, analysis, and tools (such as Salesforce) to inform decisions and track results.
• A creative, ambitious thinker with a solutions-focused approach and the ability to drive innovation in partnerships and engagement.
• Highly organised, with experience of planning, budgeting, and leading complex projects at a strategic level.
• Experience engaging and influencing senior external stakeholders, boards, or advisory groups.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience negotiating complex partnership agreements that deliver mutual value.
• Experience growing or scaling income streams through strategic partnerships and long-term relationship development.
• Self-motivated, entrepreneurial and adaptable.
• An experienced leader with a commitment to developing people and fostering a culture of collaboration and wellbeing.
• Deeply committed to ethical fundraising practices, with up-to-date knowledge of GDPR and fundraising regulation.
• Passionate about delivering meaningful, lasting impact for children affected by conflict.

About Us

At War Child we are driven by a single goal – ensuring a safe future for every child affected by war.

Using our 30 years of experience and proven methodologies, we aim to reach children as quickly as possible when conflict breaks out and stay long after the cameras have gone to support them through their recovery. We work with local communities and governments to help protect and educate children, and support them to heal and learn, for a safer, brighter future.

We understand children’s needs, respect and stand up for their rights, and put them at the centre of everything we do – because one child caught up in conflict is one child too many.

Every day, our local teams are in communities and in refugee camps creating safe spaces for children to play, learn and access psychological support, and we specialise in responding rapidly to emergency crisis situations to deliver immediate and critical care impartially to help to those who need us most, when they need us most.

Because no child should be part of war. Ever.

Our Values

• Bold:We use our passion and creativity to deliver high quality evidence-based work designed to maximise our beneficial impact for children in conflict.
• Accountable to children:Children can rely on us to respond to their voices and to treat them with respect and dignity.
• Anti-racism:Anti-racism is not merely a belief. It includes actions that we mainstream throughout our work to change and challenge policies and behaviours that perpetuate racism.
• Transparent:We expect to be held to account by our supporters and participants and we respond with openness and honesty.
• Supportive of each other:We support each other to achieve ambitious goals and be the best we can be. We are honest and open, sharing our successes & confronting our challenges.

Our Benefits

• Flexible working- we recognise the considerable benefits that flexible working can bring and are happy to discuss any possible flexible working options with our employees from hiring. For most roles, the following types of flexibility are usually possible: flexible hours, occasional working from home and compressed hours.
• Annual leave– 28 days per year (full-time) rising to 33 days with service, plus bank holidays
• Pension- all eligible employees automatically enrolled into a Group Personal Pension Plan with a 5% employer contribution, with minimum employee contribution on a salary sacrifice basis. This increases to 6% after one year's service.
• Family leave– we offer enhanced Maternity, Partner/Co-Parent/Paternity Leave, Adoption & Shared Parental Leave
• Health & wellbeing- employees may take advantage of a healthcare cash plan and a range of wellbeing initiatives and training. In addition, all employees have access to free, confidential one-to-one wellbeing consultations with trained counsellors.
• Learning & development- dedicated to the investment in learning and continuing professional development for all our employees
• Workplace Nursery Benefit– employees make tax and NI savings on nursery costs for children up to the age of 5
• Flexible public holidays- up to two standard UK public holidays can be exchanged for those that have cultural or religious significance.
• Voluntary contributions can be made through payroll allowing employees to claim back on a range of cancer treatments.Cancer Cover:
• GP 24/7 Helpline:A GP helpline is be available to all UK employees providing access to a qualified GP, 24/7 via a telephone or webcam consultation, and offers diagnosis, advice and reassurance on a range of medical matters, as well as authorisation of private electronic prescriptions.
• Welcome Bag for new starters:A War Child Tote bag, War Child T-shirt and some other practical things to welcome new colleagues to War Child.
• Discounts on War Child Merchandise: 25% discount on full price War Child merchandise, available to all employees, sold through Everpress.
• Range of flexible benefits such a Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loans.

Flexible Working

We positively support flexible working arrangements. These currently include: office working, homeworking, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexi-time, flexi-place (hybrid working) and job shares. We would be happy to discuss individual flexible working requests during the interview process.

Safeguarding

Our work with children and at-risk adults to ensure their safety is our top priority. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in all aspects of our work. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior or practices that put children and/or vulnerable adults at risk of abuse or harm.

Successful applicants will be required to comply with and sign our Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and PSEAH Policy. You can find the Safeguarding and Integrity policies here:https://warchild.sharepoint.com/sites/Integrity

Diversity and Inclusion

We value diversity and inclusion and are committed to ensuring that all our people and job applicants are treated fairly, irrespective of where, what or whom they were born, or of other characteristics. We want to offer a safe and inclusive workplace where all our people, especially those who are currently marginalised or underrepresented, can be themselves at work. You can read our Diversity and Inclusion policy on our website, and if you have any questions about our commitment to diversity and inclusion do get in touch: https://www.warchild.org.uk/our-work/policies-and-reports/diversity-and-inclusion

Pre-employment Checks

Employment with War Child will be subject to the following checks prior to your start date:

• a satisfactory police record check to include a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and/or an International/National Criminal Record Check
• a clear vetting and Due Diligence check
• receipt of two professional satisfactory references