Senior Philanthropy Manager (Leadership Giving)

Senior Philanthropy Manager (with 2 line reports) – £54,000 - £59,000 plus benefits

Reports to: Leadership Gift Lead

Directorate: Strategy & Philanthropy

Contract: Permanent

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: 2 November 2025 23:55

This vacancy may close earlier if a high volume of applications is received or once a suitable candidate is found; we strongly recommend that you apply early. Please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 with any recruitment process adjustments you would like to discuss.

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

Recruitment process: 2 stage process, 1st stage via Microsoft Teams, 2nd stage in person at our head office in Stratford.

Interview date: First round; Week commencing 17 November 2025

About the role: Cancer Research UK exists to beat cancer. The Senior Philanthropy Manager will inspire a portfolio of current and prospective major donors to make financial gifts of £100,000 – £1,000,000 and beyond. The role also line manages two Philanthropy Managers, supporting their fundraising activity and personal development. The team raised approximately £40 million last year, with ambitions to grow further. The role involves leveraging expertise in influencing, negotiation and relationship-building to engage a diverse network of high-value supporters and achieve fundraising targets.

What you will be doing:

• Manage a portfolio of prospects, donors and senior volunteers with a primary focus on gifts of £100,000 and beyond, with opportunity to lead on £1m+ capacity relationships
• Line manage two Philanthropy Managers; support their fundraising activity and personal development
• Build robust, collaborative relationships to manage the supporter pipeline and deliver first-class donor experiences
• Qualify prospects and use senior volunteer insight to develop engagement and stewardship across the full giving cycle
• Maximise the CRUK engagement offer, including high-value events and compelling research content to cultivate prospects and steward donors to an exceptional standard
• Provide regular reporting and track metrics against goals to support portfolio reviews and ensure targets are met
• Partner with leadership, including scientific leadership and Philanthropy colleagues to develop strategies for gifts of £100,000 - £1m+ and advise senior leadership on prospect strategies
• Contribute to fundraising strategies for Leadership Giving objectives with support from senior colleagues
• Develop strong knowledge of CRUK priorities and campaigns (Future Leaders, the Francis Crick Institute, Cancer Grand Challenges and Translation & Innovation)

What are you looking for?

• Extensive knowledge of soliciting gifts from warm and cold prospects at five, six and seven-figure levels, or transferable experience from a commercial environment
• Experience in line management, matrix management, mentoring or coaching junior team members
• Experience working across complex organisations and navigating ambiguity
• Proven track record of major gift fundraising in the voluntary sector or comparable experience in the commercial sector, with a history of meeting/exceeding KPIs
• Proven ability to build long-term relationships with high-level stakeholders and/or senior volunteers
• Strong stakeholder management and professional communication with a wide range of internal and external contacts
• Working knowledge of major gift fundraising principles (identification, research, solicitation, stewardship)
• Experience of raising funds for medical research is desirable
• Focus on performance and targets
• Excellent listening, writing and communication skills with emotional intelligence to influence and negotiate

What you gain We offer a supportive working environment, a generous benefits package, opportunities for career and personal development, and tools to support work-life balance. Benefits details can be found on our careers page.

How to apply We operate an anonymised shortlisting process to support equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; however, we will only view them after inviting you for an interview. Please complete the work history section of the online application form to enable fair assessment. For more information, please visit our website or contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk.

We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, and from underrepresented groups. If you require adjustments to enable your application or interview, please contact recruitment@cancer.org.uk or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Note: Our vision is to create a charity where everyone belongs, benefits from and participates in our work.

It is not possible to recruit anyone under the age of 18 due to health and safeguarding considerations.