Senior Development Manager Ambition Institute

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Support Ambition Institute's mission in tackling educational disadvantage through evidence-based, high-quality professional development for teachers and leaders across the country.

• Location: Hybrid / London, Birmingham or Manchester (1 day a month)
• Salary: £39,000 per annum + £3,000 London weighting (if applicable)

Ambition Institute has one purpose: to help educators serving children from disadvantaged backgrounds to keep getting better.

A great teacher changes the future every day. They can be the critical factor in a child's success, especially for those who have had a tough start in life. At Ambition Institute, we support teachers and school leaders at every stage of their careers, helping them to keep getting better. We are a charity providing training and professional development based on the most rigorous research and evidence about what really works. Together, we're shaping the future of education to give every child the best start in life.

Who we are.

We work with teachers - from those at the start of their careers to those with many years' experience - through to headteachers and CEOs leading multiple schools, as well as early years practitioners.

We train them so that they can make an even bigger difference to children, especially the most disadvantaged, and enjoy a long and fulfilling career.

Our programmes are designed to equip educators to tackle the challenges they face. Our approach is based on sound evidence of what really works, providing practical tools to make an even bigger impact in the classroom and across the school.

We also work across the education sector and with policymakers to build an understanding of the most effective approaches to professional development. We carry out research, collaborate with partners and share what works to amplify evidence and practice that can help everyone in the sector.

Over a third of state-funded schools have teachers and leaders developing with us, meaning we work with more educators than any other professional development provider. In the last year, we worked with 46,000 teachers and leaders in England, helping them shape the futures of 3.9 million children. That's 3.9 million children who are getting better teaching and a better chance at success, whatever their background.

About the role.

We are ambitious about what we can achieve over the coming years and this is an exciting time for the Development team, as we look to diversify our income streams across Trusts and Foundations, Corporate Partnerships, central government contracts and local authority bids to support our mission of tackling educational disadvantage.

As a key member of the Development team, you will play an important role in growing our pipeline, creating compelling proposals, cultivating and securing new funders and account managing new donors.

You will be responsible for growing restricted and unrestricted income through the development of strategic, long-term partnerships with Trusts and Foundations, and Corporate Partners that provide a sustainable source of income and contribute to the creation and delivery of development products and initiatives to attract, cultivate and steward donors. You will also play a key part in ensuring the team has the information it needs to raise income to support the organisation in sustaining and advancing its charitable objectives.

As Senior Development Manager, you will manage the Development Senior Associate and will work closely with the Associate Directors of Development and Development Team to support their work in leading small, medium and large funding opportunities (6 figure+) across trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships, local authority bids and government contracts.

Who we are looking for.

We are looking for a proactive trusts fundraiser who takes initiative and is passionate about improving the education and outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. You will also be able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and experience:

• Proven ability in securing funding opportunities of £100k+ from a range of funders including Trusts, Foundations and Companies
• Experience in crafting compelling, impactful and tailored proposals to secure multi-year funding
• Experience in successfully cultivating relationships with a variety of funders from initial stages of research through to securing funding
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to summarise complex information in an engaging and impactful manner for both internal and external stakeholders
• Proven team leadership skills in work environments, building rapport quickly with both internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work flexibly in a fast-moving environment, managing multiple competing priorities and a complex workload and meeting deadlines effectively
• Exceptional attention to detail

Benefits:

• Professional development for all staff
• 25 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays and 'winter shut down' at the end of December/beginning of January
• Employer pension contribution of 11%
• Agile, hybrid working culture, so you can manage when and where you work
• Staff affinity networks that help keep equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• Blind recruitment process to ensure equality and fairness in our hiring
• Enhanced maternity pay after a year's service
• Shared parental leave package
• Access to free, confidential 24/7 wellbeing and support line
• Comfortable and collaborative workspaces in the city centres of Manchester, Birmingham and London
• Work-from-home technology package to support hybrid working
• Interest-free season ticket / bike loans

For further information about the role, or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:

If you would like to know more about this role please contact Katie Booth