Salary: £58,177 per annum  

Location:  Office-based/hybrid working with the expectation to work in the London office 2 to 3 days per week.

Contract: Permanent and full-time 35 hours per week  

Report to: Director of Business Development 

Closing date: 9 AM on 26 March 2026

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications. 

Shape the Future of Climate Solutions Through Transformational Philanthropy 

Ashden is seeking a dynamic and entrepreneurial Major Donor Lead to build and drive a high-impact major giving programme at a pivotal moment in Ashden’s journey. This is a rare opportunity to  unlock transformational funding and connect visionary philanthropists with pioneering climate solutions.

You will lead a major donor strategy that significantly grows both unrestricted and programmatic income - powering the scale-up of climate innovations that change lives and protect our planet.

This is not simply a relationship management role. It is a leadership opportunity to build a thriving major giving ecosystem read more here. 

Core areas of responsibility:

• Strategic leadership of major giving

• High value relationship cultivation and stewardship

• Income growth through network activation

• Cross-organisational collaboration and storytelling

A detailed job description can be found here.  

About You 

You will have a proven track record securing five-, six-, and seven-figure gifts from high-net-worth individuals and running sophisticated donor stewardship programmes. With strong financial monitoring and reporting capability, you will have had experience collaborating across programme and communications teams to develop compelling cases for support and ensuring donor compliance and impact reporting.

You will be an Exceptional relationship builder and natural networker with Strong strategic thinking and pipeline management skills and Excellent communication skills

Highly organised and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment you will be Entrepreneurial and self-directed and comfortable representing the organisation at high-level events.

Application and Timeline 

Closing Date: Thursday 26th March at 9am

Interview stages:

• First stage interview (online) on Wednesday 8 April 2026.

• Second stage interview (in person at our office in Victoria) on Tuesday 14 April 2026. We will reimburse candidates for their travel.  

Equal Opportunities statement

Our recruitment platform anonymises your responses and focuses on your actual skills that are relevant to this role. This benefits you by giving you a greater chance of expressing your skills in this objective selection process.

We want everyone who works for us to feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued. We believe everyone should be treated with equity, and that diversity of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences helps us achieve better things in our work.

Invitation to discuss reasonable adjustments

If you need any further information about our recruitment process or to discuss any support or reasonable adjustments that you may require to make an application, please contact the People team at people@sfct.org.uk.

Adjustments could include (but are not limited to)

• extra time during tasks or video applications

• assistance if the test or assessment is on a computer, such as closed captions

• option to interview remotely or without the camera on

• holding the interview at a specific time of day

• a British Sign Language interpreter

• offering alternative or less formal methods of assessment, such as allowing candidates to prepare a verbal essay in which they can explain their strengths and suitability for the role.

Disability Confident Scheme

SFCT participates in the Disability Confident scheme which includes a commitment to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for an advertised role.

As part of the application process, all candidates will be asked “Would you like for your application to be considered under our Disability Confident scheme commitment?”. If you answer “yes” to this statement we will proceed to consider your application under this scheme.

Please note that there may be occasions where it is not practical or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job. In these circumstances, the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job will be offered an interview.

AI Statement

Throughout your application we want to hear from you, in your own voice, about your skills and experience, and how you share our values. Applications are reviewed by members of our team, and the use of AI-generated content in recruitment can sometimes lack depth, authenticity, and creativity, and may result in applications not being progressed. Therefore, whilst AI may be a supplemental tool you choose to use to enhance your application (for example by researching or formatting your application) we encourage you to showcase your skills and experience in an authentic, honest, and personal way.

Questions 

• Can people outside of the UK apply for this role? 

No. We are unable to apply for visas and can only accept applications from candidates who have the right to live and work in the UK. 

• Can I ask for feedback on my application? 

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we can only provide individual feedback to candidates who are invited to interview. 

Key benefits

Core benefits include a generous pensions scheme (12% employer contribution), life assurance, income protection, private health and dental care, annual health checks and Employee Assistance Programme, along with a range of benefits designed to promote your work/life balance and make your time with us enjoyable and rewarding.

You can find a list of our benefits here.