Jobs at NCTJ

The NCTJ has a friendly working environment with a team-working and goal-orientated culture. Find out more about working at the NCTJ.

The NCTJ has a dedicated team of staff based in a converted granary in the lovely North Essex village of Newport, near Saffron Walden. We have a friendly working environment with a team-working and goal-orientated culture.

Everyone is very committed to the organisation’s values, achieving high standards and implementing new ways of working. All staff are flexible in their approach and adaptable to change. As a charity, we are cost conscious and efficient. We take great care over recruitment and training as we regard our staff as vital to our success.

The NCTJ is an equal opportunities employer and believes in investing in staff.

We also employ examiners and rely on volunteers who are committed to professional journalism and our charitable activities.

Fundraising Manager

NCTJ – National Council for the Training of Journalists

£40,000| Office / hybrid / flexible | Full or part time

We are looking for a fundraising manager whose core strengths are trusts and foundations fundraising, major donor cultivation, and excellent proposal writing.

The NCTJ is the guardian of the gold standard in journalism training. Through charitable initiatives including the Community Reporting Fund and Journalism Diversity Fund, we widen access to journalism careers, strengthen community reporting, and champion trusted journalism at a time when misinformation and public scepticism make high professional standards more important than ever.

Diversifying and growing charitable income is a strategic priority for NCTJ. Following the development of our fundraising strategy, this role will focus on building and growing income from UK trusts, foundations and high net worth supporters. You will have the autonomy to shape the grants and major donor pipeline.

Corporate partnerships are led primarily by our Head of Business Development. This role focuses on grants, major donors and stewardship.

About the role

You will:

· Research and manage a strong pipeline of trusts and foundation prospects

· Write and submit high-quality, tailored grant applications and expressions of interest

· Develop compelling cases for support, budgets, outcomes and proposal templates

· Build and manage major donor/high net worth pipeline through warm networks

· Lead on donor cultivation and follow-up

· Strengthen stewardship and reporting so funders feel valued and close to the impact

· Use HubSpot CRM to track pipeline, deadlines, reporting and performance

About you

You will have:

· A strong track record in trusts and foundations fundraising

· Experience securing substantial grants (five-figure and above)

· Excellent proposal and case for support writing skills

· Experience working with major donors/high net worth supporters (or strong transferable relationship-led fundraising experience)

· Strong organisation and CRM discipline

· Confidence working with senior leaders

Experience in journalism, media, education, social mobility or EDI is welcome but not essential. It is vital that you support the critical role professional journalists play in our democracy.

Benefits

· Salary c £40,000 (£37,000-£43,000) depending on experience

· Pension: 5% employer and 5% employee contribution

· Annual leave of 25 days plus bank holidays

· Discretionary bonus based on company performance

· Life cover

· Training and career development

How to apply

Please apply with your CV and a supporting statement (maximum 1,000 words total) addressing the following to [email protected]:

1. Trusts and foundations track record (300 words) Describe one trust or foundation grant of £30,000+ that you personally led. Include who the funder was, what the project was, how you shaped the proposal to meet their criteria, and the outcome.

2. Proposal writing approach (250 words) When starting a new funding application, what are the first five things you do before you begin writing? Please be specific.

3. Working with senior stakeholders and impact information (250 words) Give an example of how you worked with colleagues, senior leaders or contacts to gather the information needed for a funding proposal or donor meeting. What did you do and what was the result?

4. Interest in journalism and the NCTJ mission (200 words) What is it about the NCTJ’s work, values and mission that interests you, and why do you think it is important at this point in time for journalism and society?

Your supporting statement is an important part of the assessment for this role. We are looking for evidence of your own proposal-writing style, experience and judgement. Generic or highly templated responses are unlikely to score well.

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to complete a short writing exercise as part of the interview process.