Corporate Partnerships Officer London

Deadline: 9am, Thursday 29th May

We are seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Corporate Partnerships Officer to join our dynamic fundraising team. The Sutton Trust is at an exciting point in our organisational journey, with a new Chairperson and ambitions to significantly grow our impact and fundraising as part of our 2030 strategy.

Over the past five years, the impact of the Sutton Trust has increased, especially in our programme numbers, securing a relatively stable income of c.£6m over several years. Recently, this has grown to c.£7m, and our organisational strategy aims to increase income to £12m by 2030/31. With nearly half our fundraising coming from corporate sources, there is significant enthusiasm and opportunity to build strategic partnerships with The Sutton Trust.

Our fundraising approach focuses on major gifts and strategic multi-year partnerships, leveraging various drivers to secure corporate support. We have a strong portfolio of existing supporters mainly from legal, banking, and finance sectors, and plan to expand into other sectors to support increased social mobility in UK businesses.

The role and team

The Corporate Partnerships Officer will join a small, high-performing Corporate Partnerships team, managing a portfolio of corporate partners and prospects at our 'consortium' partner level, ranging from £10k-£50k per annum.

You will identify, engage, secure, and steward corporate partner prospects from sectors including law, construction, manufacturing, and logistics, supporting other team members across sectors as needed. The existing portfolio mainly includes legal firms engaged with our programmes, and you will have personal and team targets for new business and support senior team members in stewarding flagship partners.

We seek a fundraiser eager to develop corporate fundraising skills, particularly in building relationships with delivery partners, strategic funders, and corporate foundations. Our ideal candidate will be entrepreneurial, confident in communication, and capable of working independently and within a team.

The role reports to the Head of Corporate Partnerships and collaborates with the wider Development and Employability Programmes teams.

Main duties New business

• Scope, develop, and secure new corporate partnerships at consortium level (£10k-£50k), aiming for a robust portfolio with multi-year commitments, in collaboration with the Head of Corporate Partnerships and relevant stakeholders.
• Support the Head of Corporate Partnerships in proactive new business development, including network mapping with senior volunteers.
• Manage writing and submission of reports and proposals for grants to corporate foundations, working with the Development team and other organisation members to ensure high-quality submissions.
• Assist team members in managing the shared Development inbox to ensure prompt, consistent, and friendly responses to enquiries.
• Follow policies and processes to ensure due diligence, maintain account management plans, and deliver high-quality stewardship to corporate partners.

Account Management and Development

• Manage and grow the portfolio of 'consortium' level corporate partnerships, leveraging existing relationships to maximize income and partnership longevity.
• Support senior team members on high-value partnerships, including coordinating meetings, webinars, programme visits, and events.
• Write and deliver engaging partnership proposals and reports for both new and existing funders, working with relevant teams.
• Achieve corporate income targets, seeking opportunities to grow and diversify funding sources.

Fundraising, Finance, and Reporting

• Represent the Trust confidently in the corporate space to secure major gifts and develop relationships.
• Keep the CRM (Salesforce), account management plans, and income pipeline documents updated with activity and forecasted income.
• Attend meetings like the Employer Working Group to represent the corporate team and share information with colleagues.
• Support delivery of impactful events to cultivate prospects and steward partners, focusing on positive experiences for corporate partners.
• Adhere to policies on due diligence, data management, stewardship, and reporting.
• Stay informed on best practices in corporate fundraising and developments in the sector.
• Perform other duties as necessary.

Person Specification Skills and experience

• Experience building and managing relationships to achieve goals
• Experience managing multiple priorities successfully
• Proven ability to present, write proposals, and persuade audiences
• Fundraising experience (employment or voluntary), including managing relationships and donations (desirable)
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM software (desirable)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, adaptable to different audiences
• First-class interpersonal skills, confident representing the Trust in various settings
• Knowledge of or experience in education or not-for-profit sectors, or corporate account management (including outside fundraising roles)

Competencies

• Aligned with the Trust's aims and mission to increase social mobility
• Proactive and responsible for a wide range of tasks and projects
• Strong communication and persuasive skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to influence stakeholders and support charitable giving (desirable)

Other

• Eligible to work in the UK (see here for details)

Terms of Appointment

• Contract: Full time, permanent
• Salary: £31,000-£35,000 per annum
• Office location: The Sutton Trust, 9th Floor, Millbank Tower, London. Home working up to 60% allowed with approval.
• Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with occasional evening/weekend events as per policies.
• DBS check may be required.

Scroll down for staff benefits and application details. Please submit your application in one go; you can view questions in advance via the link.

Interviews

Applications due by 9am, Thursday 29th May. Interviews at London offices on Thursday 5th June.

Safeguarding statement

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting welfare of children and vulnerable adults. All posts undergo safer recruitment, including criminal record checks where necessary.

Contextual recruitment

We promote equality and encourage applications from diverse backgrounds, including underrepresented groups and those with disabilities. We operate contextual recruitment, allowing applicants to include background information such as eligibility for free school meals or attending a state school. More info on our website .