Senior Development Officer

The Sutton Trust is a foundation committed to improving social mobility in the UK. Our work is focused on improving social mobility through education opportunities. We want to level the playing field for young people from low and middle income backgrounds so that they have a fair chance of accessing leading universities, apprenticeships and jobs.

We do this through: 

• Evidence based programmes: Our programmes support 5,000 young people each year, boosting their aspirations and helping them to make informed decisions about their next steps.
• Research: Our research identifies the root causes of education inequality and promotes effective solutions to combat them.
• Policy advocacy: Our advocacy work makes sure social mobility stays at the top of the political agenda and is reflected in national policy debates.

Over the last five years the Trust has successfully diversified its income to reach 120 donors, including individuals, corporates, trusts and foundations. In this time, it has secured more than £30m in new commitments.

The Senior Development Officer, reporting to the Director of Development, will contribute to a fastpaced, focused team, which is committed to excellent stewardship and to growing external support over the coming years. This role leads on account management of our trust and foundation supporters, and works closely with the Director of Development to support stewardship of our individual donors, including the Sutton Trust Board and Fellows.

The role is an opportunity for a talented fundraiser to develop their experience of working with high value individuals and foundations, for an entrepreneurial and high-impact organization.

Main duties

• Be the lead member of the team for proposal writing and reporting across for individuals and trusts/foundations.
• Provide proposal writing and reporting support to the corporate account management team
• Support the Director of Development with the stewardship of Board and Fellows, attending one to one and group meetings as required
• Be the lead for a small, but growing, portfolio of new individual prospects.
• Develop, manage and grow the Trust’s legacy programme.
• Ensure gifts are logged appropriately on Salesforce and that donors are thanked in a timely fashion.
• To deal effectively, efficiently and appropriately with donors, prospects and other stakeholders; in written correspondence, face to face and over the telephone.
• Represent the Trust externally at events and internally at meetings.
• Other duties as necessary from time to time.

Person Specification

We welcome applications from individuals who have three years of experience in a fundraising environment, specifically in:

• Writing reports and proposals for high value funders
• Working with and stewarding high-value funders
• Using databases to track and record information

We are also looking for an individual who:

• Is sympathetic to the aims of the Trust and its mission to address educational disadvantage;
• Has knowledge and experience of the higher education and/or education sectors;
• Has an interest in or experience of working within or the not for profit sector;
• Has excellent verbal and written communication and strong analytical skills
• Has a high degree of initiative
• Is personable, flexible and discreet; able to fit in to a small team
• Has excellent attention to detail;
• Has first-class interpersonal skills - a natural ambassador able to represent the Sutton Trust in a range of settings;
• Has outstanding written and verbal communication
• Is eligible to work in the UK*

Terms of Appointment

• Salary: £29,000 - £31,000 per annum (depending on experience)
• Contract: Full time permanent
• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Our Home Working Policy gives staff the option to work from home for up to 50% of the time, with approval from their line manager.
• Hours: The standard working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday and may also be required to attend events / meetings outside of their normal working hours during weekday evenings and occasionally at weekends
• Annual leave: 27 days per annum plus bank holidays
• DBS check may be required
• Additional: The successful candidate will be invited to join the Sutton Trust’s contributory pension scheme (subject to the conditions of the scheme) which includes a 6% employer pension contribution
• Benefits include a Cycle to Work scheme, season ticket loans, and an employee discount scheme.

Safeguarding statement

The Sutton Trust believes that a child, young person or vulnerable adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to keep them safe. Therefore all posts undergo a safer recruitment process, including but not limited to, disclosure of criminal records where necessary and eligibility to work in the UK. We have procedures in place to promote safeguarding and a safe culture at the Trust.

To apply

Please download the candidate application pack from our website, complete the application form, and submit it to jobs@suttontrust.com.

The applicant pack includes: - Job description and person specification - Application form - Equal Opportunities Monitoring form

Applications should reach us by 5pm on Thursday 30th September, with first round interviews held on Friday 8th October, and second round interviews on the afternoon of Thursday 14th October.

Please note that first round interviews will be held on Zoom, and second round interviews will be held in person at our London offices.

Please state your name and the role you are applying for in the subject line of the email, and it would also be greatly appreciated if you could note where you saw this job advertised.

If you require any materials in an alternative format, or have any questions, please get in contact with us on jobs@suttontrust.com.

Any information you provide as part of your application will be treated as confidential and managed in accordance with relevant data protection legislation and guidance. Our privacy statement can be found here.

*Please note that we are unfortunately not a licensed visa sponsor.