Senior Trusts & Foundations Manager

Senior  Trusts & Foundations Manager

Reporting to:  Head of Development

Liaison with:  All members of staff,  Development  Board,  Members,  Supporters  and wider
community

Contract  Period:  Full-time , permanent

Salary Range : £37,000 -£45,000  depending  on experience

Usual working hours

: 9.30am  – 5.30pm

Location:  The normal place of work is South Kensington, London. The post
need to attend the office in person for at least 2 days a week including our all
which is currently Tuesday each week.

-holder will

-staff day,

Start Date:  Immediate

We will be assessing applications on a rolling basis.
applications is  9am,  Friday 27 th February  2026 . We reserve the right to close applications
prior to the closing date if we receive elevated levels of interest and/or secure a
successful applicant for the role.

The closing date and time for

Full details on  how to apply  can be found on page 6 of this document.

Overview

O ur  Senior  Trusts  & Foundations Manager
generating income from our Trusts & Foundations p
Foundations).  They  identify new prospects,  write compelling and persuasive proposals to
secure  significant gift s, actively  develop  relationship s with  key internal and external
stakeholders  and provide brilliant stewardship.

is primarily responsible for  managing and

ortfolio  (including Corporate

We  are looking for someone wh
have a  strong  track record of nurturing relationships
figure+ gifts, and a genuine passion for youth development
solver with the ability
 to work
they run smoothly and effectively.

o has a sound understanding of T&F fundraising.

You’ll

, securing multi -year and five -

 You  are a creative problem

independently and  take ownership of projects

 - ensuring

We welcome applications from Individuals returning to work, looking to change sectors
or to apply their skills in a new context. British Exploring Society is committed to equal
opportunity and to building a team that represents a diverse variety of backgro
skills and perspectives. The more inclusive we are, the better we think we’ll be at
delivering our charitable aims.  We are an equal opportunities employer and do not
discriminate on the grounds of gender identity, sexual orientation, martial or civi
partnership status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief,
disability, or age.

unds,

l

About Us

British Exploring Society is a
heritage, founded on the belief that challenging experiences can define lives,
empowering and equipping young people with the

 world class youth development charity

 with a unique

 courage, integrity, skills, resilience, and

Page  1 of  6

motivation to make the most of their future. We prepare young people for adventures
and expeditions virtually, and to remote locations in the UK and overseas where they
face  challenges, gain skills, and learn about themselves
relevant to their lives and to the environments that they explore.

- as well as acquiring knowledge

The Role  - main responsibilities & accountabilities

Prospecting

•  Develop a robust and sustainable T&F pipeline
•  Research, identify and qualify prospective

Exploring Society’s

.

.

T&F’s  whose priorities align with

British

Income Generation

•  Support  the Head of Development

in set ting  annual and multi

-year income

•  Work closely with

targets and KPI’s for T&F’

s.
internal teams
outcomes frameworks and budgets
Lead on the preparation and submission of high
.
expressions of interest and concept note

.

•

to develop compelling cases for support,

-quality funding proposals,

•  Actively manage the existing T&F pipeline, building relationships with funders and

secure significant funding to support our Wild Pathways (unrestricted and
restricted) .

•  Manage all aspects of funder stewardship, including reports, event invitations,

updates, relationship  building and re tention  strategies.

Stakeholder Management

•  Act as the primary relationship manager for
proactive and responsive engagement

.

all T& F’s, ensuring professional,

•  Build strong internal relationships to ensure proposals are accurate, impactful and

aligned with  our Wild Pathways

.

•  Manage relationships with trustee and Development Board members to support

their fundraising and network management
•  Support  the CEO , SLT , and Development Board

.

meetings and strategic conversations

.

, where appropriate, in funder

•  Work collaboratively  with  colleagues to ensure consistent messaging, brand

guidelines are followed and effective use of impact data.

Governance, compliance and reporting

•  Ensure all applications and grants comply with funder requirements, charity law

and  British Exploring Society

policies .

•  Maintain excellent record keeping, updating our CRM system (Podio) with

 all

funder interactions, applications, donations and outcomes

.

•  Maintain up -to-date knowledge of charitable funding trends, compliance
.

requirements and best practice

•  Support audit and evaluation processes related to restricted funding alongside

the Finance team .

•  Oversee the dedicated Development inbox and promptly respond to ad hoc

queries.

Page  2 of  6

Other  Duties

•  Provide planning and delivery support for virtual/in

-person events  – including

pre/post event briefings.

•  Represent the charity at external events in a professional manner.
•  Adhere to the charity’s policies, procedures and working practices.
•  Undertake other tasks as delegated by the Head of Development as necessary

for the post.

•  Following full induction, the post holder will participate in the team rota as a Duty

Officer during periods when the charity is running a 24

-hour support service .

The  responsibilities  listed are not exhaustive and this job description may be subject to
change as the role evolves over time.

This role is dependent on satisfactory receipt of references and an enhanced
DBS check. British Exploring Society is unable to sponsor work visas.

Person Specification

Skills, Knowledge,
Competencies and
Understanding

Proven ability in  T&F
proposal and report writing

Experience in setting and
achieving financial goals
and meeting deadlines

Involvement in co -
ordinating and managing
virtual and in -person events

Excellent interpersonal and
communication skills;
written and verbal

Ability to
identify/profile/analyse
the interests and
motivations of
stakeholder groups

Why we need these

T&F’s. You’ll need to

to donate. Your report writing

that move people

 your creativity, excellent written and

As  a  Trust fundraiser
verbal communications skills will ensure consistency in tone and
strategic messaging.  You’ll have experience of crating
applications
style will be factual but engaging in tone.
Fundraising targets will be attached to the role, and you’ll be
responsible for generating income from
understand audience motivations and use these insights to help
inform future fundraising targets.
Events are key to our supporter journey strategy and give
members of our community the opportunity to hear directly
from us, and us from them. You’ll be involved, to varying
degrees, in the design, planning and delivery of these events.
The role involves communication with a wide and varied
audience through different mediums, from taking calls
factual reporting, writing informative and engaging copy,
presenting, making the ‘ask’ and securing additional funds from
supporters.
Developing our relationship with our diverse
stakeholder community to engage them more actively and
support more donations will require insight and
communications

targeted

.

to

T&F’s  and wider

Page  3 of  6

and tailor activity with
them accordingly
Skilled in building positive
relationships across a
diverse group of people

Ability to work well and
with good humour under
pressure

Ability to adapt and
effectively manage a
challenging and varied
workload

Accuracy and attention to
detail

Strong administration and
organisational skills

IT proficiency including
office suites

English and Maths to at least
GCSE or equivalent level

Knowledge of the Code of
Fundraising Practise and the
General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR)

Understanding of youth
development and a belief in
the opportunities for
positive change that
expeditions & outdoor
education provide for all
young people

You will manage relationships with a varied community, often
acting as first point of contact and responding to any questions
or queries. A significant part of the role is communicating and
building relationships with staff, our Development Board,
our Trustees. Being able to communicate effectively is pivotal to
the role to ensure positive outcomes to what we do.
As a team we work to several, sometimes tight, deadlines and
with conflicting priorities.  You’ll be agile enough to adapt
quickly and positively to changes.

and

W e’re a small team and occasionally we have to respond and
flex quickly to  a broad and fluctuating range of different tasks
throughout the year

, all with ever changing priorities

T&F  records, writing

.

-reading

This is critical for tasks such as managing
communications, briefs & prospect profiles, proof
material etc .
A significant part of the role is administrative and working
across databases and platforms on multiple tasks requires solid
organisational skills, and much of the tasks will be
administrative in nature
Much of the planning and information sharing methods we
utilise consist of a combination of MS Office and Google
programs, so a proficiency of these programs or a quick ability
to learn them is essential
You’ll be numerate and able to interpret
trends that will then inform future
knowledge to write effective communications
You’ll be managing data
events; it is imperative that all our activity is compliant with
current legislation.

a sks . You’ll also use this

 and  collaborating  on  appeals and

 budgets,  data and

.

.

We are a youth development charity whose objective is to
enable young people to move beyond the limits of what they
and society  – thought possible. You will be working with people
who have experienced our programmes and must be able to
empathise with the ir journeys with us.

–

Core Values   How Core Values are demonstrated in this role

Courage

•  High levels of integrity and sound judgement

.

Page  4 of  6

Self -belief

•  Creative  - able to propose  ask’s  and tactics to support your work

without fear of rejection.

•  Fundraising and cultivation are tough. You deal with setbacks well and

are buoyant in the face of ongoing difficulties.

•  Your job will require you to instigate engagement to many people. You
can do this with pleasure and can cope when your invitation to engage
isn’t received as you wish.

•  To achieve your goals, you will need the help of others, so you will be
and  at

good at asking for assistance, continuing to press for it,
acknowledging potentially competing priorities.

•  Working with stakeholders at every level

– you will be confident to

communicate with them all.

•  You will be good at staying focused on work which delivers the goals

you have agreed, and at politely deflecting tasks
- which could distract you.

- however enjoyable

Challenge

•  Open, honest & hard working. Flexible & adaptable and able to

respond to a dynamically changing situation

.

•  You  will  have  a  focus  on  confidentiality  and  accuracy  –  on  high  quality

data  management.

•  You’ll work effectively and with good humour under pressure and be

motivated by your targets.

•  You will be comfortable and confident enough to cope with very

varied responses from
backs.

funders  and able to cope well with knock

-

•  You will be happy to adapt your working practices
outside normal office hours and in other locations

– including working
– to meet your goals.

Community

•  Approachable and supportive
•  You will be confident communicating with a wide range of
stakeholders in person, in writing, and via phone and on

-screen.
•  You will enjoy cultivating and caring for relationships with a wide range

.

of supporters, often as their main point of contact.

•  You will be adept at enlisting the support of others, with sensitivity, in

order to engage potential new supporters

.

•  You will act as a champion for

funders  within the charity .

Working Practices

•  Normal working hours are Monday to Friday 09.30

– 17.30. Additional, occasional

evening and weekend working is expected as part of this role, including ‘on call’
duties.

•  Full-time staff are entitled to 23 days’ paid holiday per holiday year in addition to

normal English Bank and Public holidays.

•  Birthdays are given as leave days following completion of probation. Additional

leave days are awarded for long service.

•  Staff have access to R
oyal Geographical
•  Staff and their families are offered a range of confidential pastoral support

Society  events as corporate members.

Page  5 of  6

services.

•  We run a cycle -to-work scheme. There are showers on

-site at our offices.

How to Apply

We will be assessing applications on a rolling basis.

The closing date and time for applications is

 9am , Friday 27 th February  2026 .

We reserve the right to close applications prior to the closing date if we receive elevated
levels of interest and/or secure a successful applicant for the role.

•  Please send  a n up -to-date CV including

 your contact details
  In addition to your CV, please select

to

rebeccam@britishexploring.org
Values (see below) and  write how  you have demonstrated those Values in your
professional life  in no more than  300 word
use AI tools  – we are most interested in hearing from you in your own voice

s in total. We  request that you do not

 two of our

.

C ore Values   How Core Values appear as characteristic, behaviour or competency

Courage

Self -belief

Challenge

Community

Tackles new tasks, can embrace difficult decision
and supports others to do the same.
Is resilient, responds well to knock
mistakes.
Has a can -do attitude, gets hands
small team.
Is an authentic, mature communicator who values a wide range of
stakeholders equally

-backs, likes opportunities to learn from

-on as needed, thrives in an entrepreneurial

-making and conversations,

•  We will contact suitable candidates to arrange a

10 min  call with  our  Head of

Development

.

•  Some candidates will then be invited for interview in person at our offices in

South Kensington  on  Thursday 1 6th March .

If you are interested in applying and require any accessibility adjustments to the
application process, please do let us know when you apply. Thank you.

If you are not invited for
Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer feedback to candidates not invited to in
interview.

an  interview, we will contact you by email to let you know.

-person

Thank you for your interest in this role and in British Exploring Societ

y.

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