Senior Trusts and Foundations Manager (Maternity Cover)

Department/Team: Development

Responsible to: Associate Director, Trusts and Foundations

Contract: Fixed-term contract

Location: Flexible mix of home working and from The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Hours: Part-Time - 32 hours per week, Monday-Friday

Home-working and office-working. Additional hours may be necessary in order to fulfil the requirements of the post, including some evenings and weekends.

Salary: £45,000

Role Summary

The purpose of the post is to secure and steward major grants from trusts, foundations, statutory bodies and other grant-making organisations, working closely with the Associate Director, Trusts & Foundations. Achieved through managing a portfolio of charitable trusts, developing compelling proposals - clear, persuasive, and well-articulated documents that translate complex ideas into easily understandable narrative to elicit philanthropic support from a variety of sources - and writing grant reports. Additionally, the successful candidate will undertake research to identify five and six-figure project, capital and core-funding prospects and support the fundraising strategy as it relates to charitable trusts, statutory funding and corporate CSR foundations.

Your Team

The Senior T&F Manager will work as part of the Trust & Foundation team within the Development Department which fundraises The Old Vic Theatre Trust, a registered charity. Its aim is to raise voluntary funds for the theatre from individuals, companies, and charitable trusts and foundations.

The department consists of: Director of Development, Associate Director, Trusts and Foundations, Trusts and Foundations Officer, Head of Corporate Development, Corporate Development Officer, Development Projects Manager, Head of Events, Events Officer, Head of Philanthropy, Head of Individual Giving, Senior Individual Giving Manager, Individual Giving Officer and Development Assistant.

The Old Vic Trust receives no government subsidy and, in the year ahead, we need to raise approximately £3.8-4 million in revenue fundraising.

Areas of responsibility

The Senior Trusts & Foundations Manager will be responsible for

• Working closely with the Associate Director, Trusts and Foundations, and liaising with other Old Vic departments to develop compelling, accurate proposals and highly detailed funding applications.

• Supporting the management and growth of a portfolio of mid and higher-level foundation donors and potential major donors (five and six figure grants).

• Prospect research to develop new pipelines.

• Developing new income streams, particularly in the areas of corporate foundations.

• Contributing to ensuring the Development department reaches, and where possible, exceeds fundraising targets as set out in the department budget.

• Working across the organisation to devise and agree budgets and source financial information as required for funding bids.

• Retaining and increasing support by delivering an excellent programme of donor stewardship.

• Ensuring all grant-related deliverables are achieved and evaluation reports submitted on time and as requested.

• Maintaining and improving internal records to track approaches and correspondence.

• Building strong relationships with internal stakeholders to ensure effective communication and maximise income through contributing to the development of projects that appeal to grant-makers.

• Working with the Director of Development and the Associate Director of Trusts and Foundation to engage the support of senior volunteers and project advocates to grow The Old Vic’s prospect pool and leverage further funding.

General support

• To contribute proactively to Development team activities, including proofreading proposals, correspondence and other copy, as required.

• To assist and attend events run by the Development Department to include Trust & Foundations (Advocacy) evenings, Press Night pre-show events and fundraising galas plus individual and corporate events as required.

• To comply with The Old Vic’s Equal Opportunities, Sustainability and Health & Safety and Staff Handbook policies at all times.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and the Theatre's management may, at any time, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

Person Specification - Essential

• Excellent written skills and ability to create exceptional applications against stated criteria.

• Significant experience of trust fundraising, resulting in five and six figure and multi-year grants.

• Excellent track record of application success and deadline-oriented working.

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.

• Confident at creating complex project narratives and strong financial acumen.

• Knowledge of venue software, Tessitura or other fundraising software.

• Ability to prioritise several varied tasks.

• Meticulous eye for detail, excellent proof reader.

• Ability to build and maintain good relationships with people at all levels.

• A team-player willing to work outside normal office hours and attend events.

• Resilient, flexible, and discreet.

• Ability to work independently both from home and in the office and take responsibility for own tasks.

How to Apply

We understand that everyone is different and we want you to apply in whichever way you feel best shows your skills and experience. There are a range of ways that you can apply with us:

• Sending a short video file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.

• Sending a short audio file of yourself (no longer than two minutes in length), detailing your experience, why you are applying for the role and what about working at The Old Vic interests you.

• Completing our application form.

• Uploading your CV and covering letter, explaining why you are interested in the role and working at the Old Vic

The Old Vic has made a commitment that all applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for this job will be invited to interview.

All appointments are made subject to satisfactory references and proof of eligibility to work in the UK.

The Process

The recruitment process for this role will be two stages:

• 1st stage virtual/in person conversation

• 2nd stage in person conversation

• You may be asked to complete a work based skills assessment or challenge

The closing date for this role is 22 June 2026 .

Equal Opportunities

We actively support and encourage people from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and skill sets to join us and help shape what we do. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of the global majority, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and disabled candidates.

We may take positive action, in cases where candidates are equally qualified, to increase the employment of under-represented groups at The Old Vic.

In the event that we ask you to attend the theatre for a conversation and you are struggling financially, we may be able to reimburse you for any reasonable travel costs.

We partner with a range of inclusive organisations, to find out more please read our FAQs.

FAQs

Read our recruitment and selection and equal opportunities FAQs here .