Senior Philanthropy Manager

About the Role

Reports to:

Head of Fundraising

Location:

West London (Hybrid working with core office days: Tuesday & Thursday)

Contract:

Permanent, Full-Time (9:00am – 5:30pm)

Salary: £55,000 - £57,000 per annum

First round interviews will be on Monday, 26 January 2026

We are seeking a strategic and relationship-driven Senior Philanthropy Manager to lead our trust and foundations fundraising and grow our portfolio of high-net-worth individual (HNWI) supporters. This is a pivotal role in Ark’s fundraising team, responsible for securing six- and seven-figure gifts to support our mission to transform education and improve life opportunities for children.

• Lead on the development and delivery of trusts and foundations strategy to secure multi-year grants.
• Manage a portfolio of high-value trusts and foundations, cultivating relationships, and submitting tailored proposals and reports.
• Develop and implement a strategy to engage, cultivate, and steward HNWIs.
• Build strong, personalised relationships with donors and prospects, including through one-to-one meetings, events, and bespoke communications.
• Lead on the strategy for our Ark Elevate enrichment programmes (sport, culture, music, mental health and destinations).

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive cases for support.
• Strong relationship-building skills and emotional intelligence.
• Strategic thinker with a proactive, solution-focused mindset.
• Proven track record of securing five- and six-figure gifts from trusts, foundations, or HNWIs.
• Experience in managing and implementing a fundraising strategy for trusts, foundations or HNWI’s.

• Right to work in the UK.
• Familiarity with the education or youth development sectors (desirable).
• Commitment to Ark’s mission and values.

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days.
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad.
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform.
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest‑free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole.

Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Rece…