Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships

Posted Monday 12 January 2026 at 01:00 Expires Monday 9 February 2026 at 00:59

About the Trust

We're one of the UK's biggest charities and we care for 2,000 miles of canals, rivers, docks and reservoirs because we believe life is better by water. We're looking for people who support our cause and want to make a difference for future generations. Could this be you?

Along with our waterways we also manage museums, archives and the country's third largest collection of historic buildings, as well as the nature and wildlife that calls our canals home. All of this enables us to provide wellbeing opportunities for millions of people each year.

Join Our Team: Head of Philanthropy & Partnerships

We're excited to welcome a new strategic leader to shape and deliver transformational income growth and strategic partnerships for the Trust.

Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.

This role follows a 37 hours, Monday to Friday working pattern. This is a home-based role, requiring regular travel to meetings with donors, events and to our main hubs for collaborative meetings and team activities.

Role Overview

In this pivotal role, you will lead the refinement and delivery of the Trust's high value giving strategy, building and sustaining relationships with philanthropists, statutory funders, trusts and foundations, and corporates. You'll inspire, lead, and manage a diverse team to achieve ambitious income targets and strengthen strategic partnerships that support the Trust's vision. You will actively demonstrate desired behaviours - enthusiastically engaging with external partners, taking initiative to strengthen the team, and fostering a culture within the Trust that supports high level giving.

Key responsibilities

• Implement and refine the Fundraising Strategy to deliversignificant and sustainableincome growth and impact.
• Lead, inspire and develop a diverse team, fostering a culture of delivery,collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Personally lead on cultivating and stewarding transformational relationships with corporates, trusts, foundations, high-net-worth donorsand some statutory sourceswhile empowering your team to buildprofitable, multi-year relationships,a robust pipelineand secured income.
• Prepare,monitor, and deliver the annual business plan and income budget (currently £5m with significant growth planned).
• Represent the Trust externally at a senior level and maintainawareness of sector trends.
• Maintainbest practice in fundraising compliance, risk management, and reporting,maintainingthe highest standards of integrity.
• Embed diversity, inclusion, and safety responsibilities in all activities.

About You

As an accomplished fundraising leader with a proven track record of delivering high-value income and building strategic partnerships, you thrive in complex stakeholder environments and bring a blend of vision, resilience, and hands-on expertise. You'll be confident influencing at Board level, adept at navigating ambiguity, and passionate about making a lasting impact.

Skills & Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading a team - skilled at building, inspiring, and motivating teams to achieve fundraising goals.
• Comprehensiveexpertisein major donor fundraising, corporate partnerships, and trust and foundation giving, alongside a working knowledge of statutory giving.
• Demonstrated expertisein high-value fundraising and partnership development, with a proven ability tocreate,cultivate and steward long-term relationships while influencing internal stakeholders to secure and sustain transformational support.
• Proven success in securing transformational gifts and multi-year partnerships.
• Demonstrableproblem-solving skills,able toinfluenceinside and outside the organisation.
• A proven ability to develop and write persuasive and successful funding applications and partnership proposals for major donors, trusts and foundations, and corporates.
• Exceptional communication and networking skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.
• Experience managing significant budgets and delivering income growth.
• Knowledge of fundraising compliance and sector trends.
• A collaborative and innovative approach, able to lead and motivate a diverse team while working cross-functionally.
• Personal resilience and adaptability, with the ability to deliver results in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Contact & Application

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at . We encourage early applications as we may close the vacancy once we receive enough suitable candidates.

What We Offer

We offer an annual salary of £78,000, plus £520 cash car allowance per month. Enjoy a competitive pension scheme, increasing holiday entitlement, and a range of employee benefits. For a full breakdown of our benefits, check out our brochure here: EVP - 1 .

We care passionately for our waterways, and as importantly, for those who look after and use them. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone can thrive. We are striving to represent the diverse communities that we are a part of and welcome applicants from across all sectors of the community.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments - whether for a disability, neurodiversity, or health condition - please let us know what you need and how we can support you. We'll work with you to make any necessary changes.

All of our jobs can be considered on a part time flexible or job share basis.

We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. You are considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. We recognise not everyone who is classified as disabled under the Equality Act personally identifies this way, or with this definition of disability. Please do not let this discourage you from applying under the scheme.

Navigate your future and lock in your career as we keep our canals open and alive.