Senior Development Manager (Mid-level giving lead)
| Posting date: | 19 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £47,389 to £56,535 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 21 March 2026 |
| Location: | Durham, County Durham, DH1 5LE |
| Company: | Durham University |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 26000061_1771499740 |
Summary
The Role and Department
The Development and Alumni Relations Office is responsible for co-ordinating philanthropy, alumni and supporter engagement, advancement services, and supporter communications on behalf of the University. DARO works with colleges, academic departments, research centres and institutes, wider student experience partners, and professional departments to engage over 200,000 alumni and supporters around the world. We contribute to the enhancement of Durham University's reputation as globally outstanding, inclusive, and forward-looking. We are an ambitious and committed team with a collaborative and collegiate culture.
The Development Team within DARO is ultimately responsible for: soliciting donations from alumni, philanthropists, corporations, trusts and foundations and other charitable bodies; stewarding donors through reports, presentations, events and face-to-face meetings; meeting with gift beneficiaries to collate and produce gift impact reporting materials; hosting and devising engagement opportunities for existing and prospective benefactors on campus; and managing relationships with high-level stakeholders on behalf of the University.
Senior Development Managers are primarily responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding principal/major donations of £100K - £1M+. In this role, you will manage a small team focused on gifts from £10,000-£99,999 and work with the Head of Major Gifts to implement a strategy for mid-level giving, establishing and tracking progress against clear and granular KPIs. You will personally manage a portfolio of some of the University's most senior benefactors and advocates. This portfolio will primarily comprise individual donors, but may also include trusts and foundations, legacy and planned giving prospects, corporate donors/sponsors, and other philanthropic organisations.
The Senior Development Manager will play a critical role in the delivery of Durham's bicentenary Campaign. The Campaign is a major philanthropic initiative centred on the University's 200th anniversary in 2032, seeking to create a step-change in philanthropic giving to Durham.
The post-holder must be versatile and able to work closely and with senior alumni, University leaders, prominent and public figures, the trustees of regional, national and global funding bodies, major benefactors and advocates, in multiple capacities which facilitate the development of principal/major donations and the advancement of Durham University. They must be able to lead and manage a small sub-team within the Major Gifts team, guiding strategic activity and maintaining a focus on high-level opportunities.
The base location for this role is Boldon House, our exciting new professional services hub. Boldon House is situated on the outskirts of Durham near the Arnison Centre in Pity Me. Boldon House brings a number of professional services teams together in a vibrant office environment which supports collaborative working and is designed to embrace hybrid working. To find out more, visit the project webpage: Boldon House - Durham University.
Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.
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