Senior Philanthropy Manager – Wealth Advisors & Intermediaries

Senior Philanthropy Manager – Wealth Advisors & Intermediaries

£54,000 - £59,000 plus benefits

Directorate: Strategy & Philanthropy
Contract: 18-month Fixed-Term Contract
Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
Location: Stratford, London Office-based with high flexibility (1-2 days per week in the office)
Closing date: Tuesday 1st September 23:55pm
Recruitment process:  Initial screening call via Microsoft Teams followed by a 2nd stage in person interview with a task, at our head office in Stratford.
Interview date: approximately w/c 7th or 14th September (TBC)

Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are looking for an ambitious and proactive Senior Philanthropy Manager to implement the next phase of our Wealth Adviser & Intermediary engagement strategy. Our ambition is to become the sector‑leading charity in how we approach, inspire, and engage with these professionals, in order to maximise their role in delivering our vision of a world free from the fear of cancer. 

In 2024 Cancer Research UK launched the most ambitious philanthropy campaign in UK charity history, seeking to raise £400m by 2028.  Reaching that target depends on building successful relationships with Ultra High Net Worth individuals and families. Introductions from the professionals who work with them play a vital and growing part in our efforts to start conversations with these potential supporters. 

Cancer Research UK is investing across our Legacy, Philanthropy and Marketing teams to deliver an 18-month pilot project focused on raising our profile and increasing our engagement with wealth advisory professionals at all levels.  

This Senior Manager role will be a key member of the cross-organisation team delivering this initiative, working closely with colleagues in Legacy Programme Management and our Marketing team within philanthropy you will drive this strategy forward. 

The role will focus particularly on wealth advisors and private bankers who work with Ultra High Net Worth individuals and families.  Your primary aim is to secure more warm, qualified introductions, to leverage potential major donors whose support could help us to beat cancer. 

What will you be doing?

• Become Philanthropy’s specialist on Wealth Advisors & Intermediaries (WA&Is), learning about the sector and what will motivate them to engage with a charity. 
• Proactively engage with WA&Is to build relationships with them, increase their knowledge of CRUK and its activities, their confidence to speak about the charity and their propensity to make introductions among their client base. 
• Build a portfolio of WA&I relationships; applying supporter relationship management principles to make those relationships as rich and productive as possible. 
• Develop initiatives that engage this audience and their clients including but not limited to; regional initiatives, professional development opportunities, co-owned events, CRUK participation in their events and making use of our owned events. 
• Secure introductions to their clients and networks to build a pipeline of potential donors for yourself and fellow philanthropy canvassers. 
• Champion the WA&I strategy and related initiatives within Philanthropy and support and encourage fundraising colleagues to successfully engage with this audience. 
• Work with colleagues in the Partnerships and Relationship Management teams who engage with Wealth Advisors, Intermediary and Finance professionals at national and regional level to maximise opportunities.
• Convene and chair the monthly meeting of philanthropy canvassers and colleagues from Relationship Management to share Wealth Advisor initiatives, coordinate activities and look for opportunities. 
• Play an active role in the cross organisational group driving the WA&I strategy forward, representing philanthropy and seeking impactful collaboration opportunities. 

What are we looking for?

• Proven experience of building effective long-term relationships with high level individual stakeholders and/or senior volunteers; including successfully representing an organisation in an external facing role to audiences of senior professionals.
• Exceptional listening, writing and communication skills with an engaging and inspiring communication style, with the ability to influence and negotiate.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills and ability to work with and communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of individuals e.g. internal colleagues, institutional leaders, external collaborators, stakeholders and donors.
• Evidence of previous innovation and proactive approaches in driving forward initiatives and securing new business. 
• Proven track record of major gift fundraising in the voluntary sector, including having secured gifts from both warm and cold prospects at the five, six and seven figure level or similar transferable experience gained in the commercial sector.
• Working knowledge of the principals of major gift fundraising to include identification, research, solicitation and stewardship. 
• Experience of raising funds for medical research would be desirable.
• Experience of working across complex organisations, navigating ambiguity.
• A focus on performance and targets; having met/exceeded KPIs and financial targets over a sustained period,
• Commitment to our vision of delivering a world free from the fear of cancer and the values that underpin our efforts to deliver it; Bold, Human, Together & Credible. 

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination  

Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism   

Human: Act to have a positive impact on people  

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We’re looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

If you’re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience we’d still love to hear from you.

What will I gain?

We create a working environment that supports your wellbeing and provide a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools. Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.

You can explore our benefits by visiting our careers web page.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you fairly and objectively.

For more information on this career opportunity please visit our website or contact us at [email protected].  

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