Development Manager

Start date: Immediate Start

Full-time: 5 days a week

Salary £36,000 - £42,000 (DOE)

Pushkin House is entering an exciting new chapter. Following three successful years of transformation, culminating in the renovation of our ground floor and the opening of our permanent bilingual bookshop, we have welcomed new audiences into the House and strengthened our position as an independent cultural centre for critical thought, artistic exchange and public debate. We are now looking to build on this momentum by strengthening our fundraising capacity, broadening our philanthropic support and securing the long-term sustainability of the organisation.

We are seeking an experienced and ambitious Development Manager to lead Pushkin House’s development and fundraising functions, reporting to the Executive Director and working closely with the Interim Head of Development. The role will oversee a diverse fundraising portfolio spanning trusts and foundations, major individual donors, and our Friends and Patrons schemes. The postholder will identify new income opportunities, cultivate and steward supporters, and build the relationships and partnerships needed to support Pushkin House’s artistic programme, operations and future development.

The Development Manager will work closely with the Executive Director to strengthen philanthropic relationships, develop compelling funding proposals and ensure effective stewardship and reporting. The role will also manage membership development and supporter engagement, working collaboratively across the organisation to connect fundraising with Pushkin House’s programme, audiences and wider ambitions. A key priority will be to build a strong and sustainable funding pipeline, and develop fundraising approaches that reflect both the organisation’s distinctive cultural mission and its long-term financial needs.

We are looking for someone with a track record in fundraising and relationship management, ideally within the arts and cultural sector, and a sound understanding of UK and international trusts, foundations and private philanthropy. The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with excellent delivery, bringing creativity and initiative to a varied and target-driven role. They will be highly organised, confident in communicating with a wide range of stakeholders, and able to work both independently and collaboratively, with tact, diplomacy and a genuine commitment to Pushkin House’s work.

As Pushkin House looks to the future, the Development Manager will play a central role in translating the energy of our recent transformation into lasting organisational resilience, enabling us to sustain our programme, deepen our relationships with supporters and continue to create space for challenging ideas, cultural exchange and meaningful public engagement.

Responsibilities will include:

Fundraising Strategy and Income Generation

• Manage fundraising across income streams, including trusts and foundations, major donors, individual giving, and the Friends and Patrons programmes.
• Research and identify prospective funders, philanthropic individuals, corporate partners and other sources of support, developing a strong and regularly reviewed fundraising pipeline.
• Develop persuasive cases for support, funding applications, major gift proposals and partnership pitches, ensuring that each reflects Pushkin House’s mission, programme and funding priorities.
• Support the development of major gift proposals, including prospect research, due diligence, budget preparation and tailored approaches to prospective donors.

Major Donors, Patrons and Supporter Engagement

• Develop and manage relationships with donors, Patrons, Friends, prospective supporters and other philanthropic contacts, creating tailored cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, renewal and upgrade strategies.
• Manage the Patrons and Friends programmes, with a focus on supporter acquisition, retention, increased giving and meaningful engagement with Pushkin House’s work.
• Implement donor stewardship plans, ensuring timely acknowledgements, personalised communications, funding reports and appropriate recognition of support.

Trusts, Foundations and Institutional Funding

• Manage institutional fundraising, including prospect research, application planning, proposal development, submission and ongoing relationship management with trusts and foundations.
• Identify funding opportunities for …