Development Director
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (Hybrid)
Salary commensurate with experience in excess of £62,000 per year
Main Purpose and Scope of the Role
The Development Director will be a key part of the Action4Youth Senior Management Team, contributing to strategic development of the whole organisation and taking responsibility for the leadership and management of all aspects of business development, sales, fundraising, marketing and communications.
The Development Director will ensure development to support the Strategic and Operational Plans in order to achieve growth, sustainability and stability and to support the Action4Youth core offer i.e. programme delivery and outdoor education.
Because Action4Youth is a relatively small organisation, teams are small and this means that even senior members of the team like Directors may have to cover for a team member when on leave or generally help out as necessary to achieve targets. In this particular role, that could mean undertaking basic tasks like completing a funding bid to meet a deadline, updating a webpage, writing blog posts or handling sales calls. This job is unusual in genuinely being both strategic and hands on.
Networking is an important part of this role so the post holder will often be expected to attend out of hours events to represent Action4Youth and to develop valuable relationships and connections.
This role is key to the growth and successful development of Action4Youth.
Position in the Organisation
Reports To: Chief Executive Officer
Responsible For:
- Developing and implementing ambitious strategies for fundraising, marketing and sales to increase income, support and growth
- The line management of the Marketing, Fundraising and Sales teams, ensuring achievable but stretching targets are set and met
- Creating captivating marketing campaigns and activity to promote all areas of Action4Youth's work and to support sales and fundraising activity
- Managing external supply contracts for design, print, website and all communications
- Developing and managing the fundraising, marketing and sales budgets
- Achieving income targets
- Creating a positive culture within teams so all members can thrive
- Contributing to the charity's strategic development
- Working With: The Senior Management Team
Duties and Key Responsibilities
Development/Sales
- To identify opportunities for the growth of Action4Youth through sales, contracts or fundraising
- To increase sales of The Caldecotte Xperience
- To increase awareness and sales of The Inspiration Programme, The Breakout Programme and other A4Y programmes and offerings
- To identify and secure appropriate new contracts in line with the strategy and business plan
- To monitor and evaluate business development success
Fundraising
- Develop and implement a fundraising strategy to take account of economic conditions and to meet the needs of Action4Youth.
- To meet fundraising targets for both the fundraising team and personally
- To be responsible for building strong relationships with fundraising bodies and partner agencies.
- To ensure reports to funders meet requirements
- Monitor and evaluate the fundraising mix
- Achieve targets as set out in KPIs
Marketing and Communication
- To be Action4Youth's brand guardian, protecting and extending the organisation's reputation and profile
- To initiate and manage a communications and marketing strategy which supports and enhances Action4Youth's profile, sales and fundraising
- Oversee the development of all communications in line with the strategy including the website, PR, social and print media
- To lead on Action4Youth's aim to be a voice for and of young people, developing a significant platform in a wide variety of fora.
Leadership
- To be a key part of Action4Youth's leadership team
- To be responsible for the recruitment, training and appraisal of the development, fundraising and marketing teams
General Responsibilities
- To attend, where appropriate, local, regional and national meetings
- Support the continued development of quality standards as specified by Action4Youth.
- To have regard for the vision of Action4Youth and to display a commitment to equal opportunities and to the protection and safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
- Report any behaviour, conversations or comments which are inappropriate within a setting for children and young people.
- Administering own workload which includes meeting tarrs.gets and deadlines in line with the Action4Youth Performance Management System.
- Attending relevant CPD training events in line with Performance Management appraisal.
- Undertaking responsibility, as part of the team, for all H&S matters.
Skills, Experience and Knowledge
- Business development experience to include bid writing, fundraising and contract management
- Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle
- Proven experience of managing a staff team and motivating and developing the team over at least 5 years
- Proven record of achievement in a senior position
- Demonstrable financial management skills including budgeting and delivery of cost and income targets
- Highly organised, hard working and personally effective
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
- Extensive, demonstrable knowledge of marketing and communications channels
- Excellent IT skills and experience of using a CRM system ideally Salesforce
- Knowledge of the voluntary sector
- Educated to degree level or have relevant business related qualifications
- Focused, hardworking and effective
- Fundraising skills and experience in all areas of fundraising, especially in corporate and individual giving.
- Strategic and creative thinker
- An excellent negotiator who can create and build long lasting partnerships with agencies/organisations
- Entrepreneurial, with the ability to identify and develop opportunities for growth.
- Confidence to present to, and coordinate large/small, formal/informal meetings.
- The ability to understand and deliver effective communications to diverse audiences.
- Ability to share information with other agencies and stakeholders