Trust Manager - Strategic Relationships

Trust Manager - Strategic Relationships

Contract type: Permanent, Full time

Salary: £41,196 - £43,256 with excellent benefits.

Location: UK

Hybrid Working: A minimum of 40% of working time is spent face to face, either in the London office, or as a result of external engagement or travel for WaterAid. WaterAid is located at Canary Wharf, London and this will be your location and contract base. In order to apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK.

About WaterAid:
Want to use your skills in fundraising to play a vital role in making clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere?

We need passionate, creative and dedicated people. In return, you will be encouraged and empowered to be yourself at your very best. Together, we will make a bigger difference.

Join WaterAid as Trust Manager - Strategic Partnerships to change normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good. On top of that you'll be joining a 2020 Great Place to Work® award-winning organisation.

About the Team:
The WaterAid Philanthropy and Trusts team is an ambitious, creative and dedicated team, using their excellent skills in relationship management to work with individual philanthropists, trusts and foundations in support of our mission.

This is an exciting time to be joining the Philanthropy at Trusts team, as we have been earmarked as an area for growth under WaterAid UK's new Fundraising Strategy recently launched this year. We are currently developing a new Philanthropy and Trusts strategy which will look to increase our potential, elevate our fundraising, and help us make greater impact for the communities WaterAid serves.

About the Role:
As our Trust Manager - Strategic Partnerships you will cultivate high level, long-term relationships with trusts and foundations with a capacity of up to seven figures. This role will be based in the Philanthropy and Trusts team, which manages partnerships with individual philanthropists, trusts and foundations, and has team members supporting on events and prospect research.

In this role, you will build strategic relationships with trusts new to WaterAid as well as provide first-class stewardship to develop existing partnerships.

You'll also:
Proactive cultivation of new Trust relationships (60%)

• Cultivate and manage high profile/value or risk partnerships to deliver on target, in line with the P&T teams strategy and deliver mutual benefit.


• Support to Senior Trust Manager to build a sustainable pipeline of new business prospects across the Trusts sub team for current and future financial years to achieve team and organisational objectives, working across the Strategic Partnerships department, the International Programmes Department and across the WaterAid Federation as appropriate.


• Develop ambitious and detailed solicitation plans for all prospects and monitor on a monthly basis, taking into account opportunities for strategic or shared value.


• Attend networking events and conferences to build a network of contacts and actively cultivate this network.

Existing Partnerships (30%)

• Provide first-class relationship management to a portfolio of high value (>£500k+) trust and foundation partnerships, including significant support to the Senior Trusts Manager to manage People's Postcode Lottery, contributing to a Trusts sub team target of £5.5m+.


• Support the Senior Trusts Manager to ensure all trusts and foundations receive first-class relationship management, capitalising on events, communications and senior influencers within WaterAid in order to retain and uplift support over the long-term.


• Manage and proactively develop the assigned relationships to reach their full potential through detailed engagement plans, demonstrating ambition and innovation in your approach and a talent for spotting potential opportunities and influencing your contacts to create high quality relationships.

Strategy support and general duties: (10%)

• Contribute to the implementation of the Trust team's fundraising acquisition strategy, objectives, and budget setting, as well as the wider Philanthropy and Trust Team's strategy.


• Support the Senior Trust Manager to streamline, align and integrate stewardship activities across P&T and more widely across the Communications and Fundraising Directorate in order to strengthen brand love amongst partners and free up capacity for new business approaches.


• Collaborate with colleagues across WaterAid globally to prepare and deliver high-quality funding propositions, including complex restricted projects, in line with donor requirements.

About You:

• Proven ability to manage a successful trust and foundation portfolio, achieving targets as part of a strategic plan and maximising income from existing supporters (£500k+).


• Demonstrable track record of securing five, six and seven figure grants from new and existing trusts.


• Demonstrable track record in managing complex restricted income partnerships (>£500k+) from trusts and foundations including budgets, log frames and KPIs.


• Experience of leading, managing and motivating others and driving change.


• Confidence in leading work with senior level stakeholders, both internally and externally, in order to secure significant grants and manage strategic partnerships, using tact and diplomacy.


• Confidence in networking to represent WaterAid at events and conferences to engage new prospects.


• Experience conducting, qualifying and actioning research on trusts and foundations opportunities.


• Excellent organisational and time management skills.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with specific experience in handling objections and negotiating successful, mutually beneficial outcomes for internal and external relationships.


• Experience of proposal writing, with the ability to write accurately and persuasively to develop a variety of quality donor communications.

How to Apply: To see the full job pack, please click 'Apply'. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter in one document in either Word Document or PDF format.

Pre-employment screening: In order to apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate your eligibility to work in the UK. All our vacancies require a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to comply with our Safer Recruitment policy.

Closing date: Closing date: Applications will close at 23:59 on 23rd October 2023. Shortlisting and interviews may take place on a rolling basis and the application process will close if a suitable candidate is found prior to the advertised closing date.

Our Benefits:

• 36 days' holiday (including 8 Bank Holidays)


• Option to buy an extra 5 days annual leave


• We offer a generous pension plan with employer contribution of up to 10%


• Wide range of flexible and agile-working arrangement


• Season Ticket Loan


• Free annual eye tests


• Pay as You Give charitable giving scheme


• Enhanced Maternity and Adoption/Surrogacy pay, Shared Parental Leave and Paternity Leave


• Sabbaticals


• Volunteer Day

Our Commitment

An inclusive workplace:

We are committed to being an organisation where everyone is included, respected, and empowered to be their best. We represent and celebrate our staff, partners and everyone we work with, and create a culture where everyone can reach their full potential.

Equal opportunities:

We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.

Safeguarding:

We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.