Development Manager

Job Title: Development Manager

Location: London

Contract: Permanent

Reporting to: Head of Development

Responsible for: Occasional consultants or volunteers

Salary: £50,758.50 Gross per annum

Deadline: 8th January 2025

Conciliation Resources

Conflict is difficult, complex and political. The world urgently needs to find different ways to respond. Conciliation Resources is an international organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies. We work with people impacted by war and violence, bringing diverse voices together to make change that lasts. For 30 years, we have been making peace possible. We currently have over 70 full and part-time staff members, working mainly out of the London and Australian offices. We work with over 70 locally-based and international partners worldwide. Conciliation Resources is deeply committed to keeping people safe from harm, whether they are personnel or those who come into contact with our work.

Communications and Development Team

The Development Team sits within a wider Communications and Development Team, which consists of four members of staff at different levels, who work across a range of activities. The wider Team has two dedicated staff members currently focused on donor relationship management and fundraising, and two on communications.

The Development function is responsible for management of Conciliation Resources’ strategic funders, the generation of unrestricted income and providing fundraising support to the wider organisation. The majority of funding currently comes from government grants and this will remain a key focus, with some time also spent on reacting to opportunities for new funding streams which present themselves – such as trusts and foundations, and to a lesser extent, high-value individual donors and corporations.

The Communications function has oversight over all areas of organisational communications including the website and digital communications, branding, media relations and production of content.

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to help generate funding for CR as an organisation, and its component teams. The job-holder will need to work with the Head of Development to support the development of existing and new unrestricted funding relationships, collaborate with staff in other teams to help achieve more restricted income, and at all times champion good organisational communication and information management around funding and donors.

With guidance from the Head of Development, the postholder will lead on building and maintaining strategic relationships with new donors and partners, which might involve some grant management, including budget monitoring, as well as providing technical advice to programmes and policy teams’ fundraising efforts. This may involve writing proposals, working on project budgets, coordinating submissions and providing other guidance, help and advice. The postholder will need to engage, train and support colleagues, as well as gather learning and introduce new tools in response.

They will use Conciliation Resource’s data management system (currently Podio) to support the development of clear grant and donor management processes, and maintain aspects of the system which relate to fundraising.

As a member of the Development Team, the postholder will also feed into wider fundraising activities and strategy, supporting the Head of Development Team as needed.

Person specification

Essential experience, knowledge and skills

• Significant experience of developing and drafting successful funding proposals and budgets to secure income
• Experience of working with grant management or customer relationship management (CRM) IT systems
• Knowledge of basic fundraising practices, approaches and environment
• Excellent English verbal and writing skills, with the ability to write for different purposes, communicate persuasively and summarise complex information
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively, listen to and influence others, both internal and external to Conciliation Resources
• Excellent numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to present information in an accessible way
• Common sense approach, with a positive attitude and the ability to adapt to an evolving business and working environment, and take initiative
• Cross-cultural sensitivity and appreciation
• Understanding of and commitment to Conciliation Resources’ goals, values, work and approach

Preferable

• Experience or knowledge of commercial contracting
• Experience or knowledge of trusts and foundations
• Experience or knowledge of major donor fundraising
• Significant experience of building relationships with donor contacts, in particular with institutional donors (including UK, USA, UN, EU or other european governments) to support the increase of funding for an organisation
• Experience of donor-funded grants/contracts, including narrative and financial reporting, due diligence and contract processes, basic monitoring and evaluation
• Project management experience, including experience coordinating and gaining support from a wide range of stakeholders
• Experience of working in an international non-governmental organisation or related organisation
• Administration experience, including a proven track record of maintaining databases and office records
• Knowledge of international development, peacebuilding or humanitarian work
• Good coaching skills with the ability to pass knowledge onto, train and motivate others
• Exceptional organisational and planning skills with the ability to coordinate information and processes involving multiple people/teams
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong computer and IT skills, with good command of Excel and awareness of artificial intelligence tools

Desirable

• Relevant university degree, or local equivalent, or qualification by experience in a relevant subject area