Job Description
Director
Responsible for: Fundraising and Grants Manager
Responsible to: Trustees
Working hours: 3.5 – 4 days per week (26.5 - 30 hours)
Salary: £52,000 full-time equivalent (£36,400 - £41,600 actual salary, depending on hours worked)
Location: Hybrid, with an expectation of spending at least half the time working in the Peak District (our HQ in Bakewell or elsewhere on location)
About the Role
This is an opportunity to lead an ambitious, values-driven charity at a genuinely exciting moment in its development. The Peak District National Park Foundation has grown substantially over recent years — raising over £1 million in 2025/26 — and our new Director will build on this momentum to shape the next chapter of the organisation.
The role is broad and substantive. You will lead our fundraising strategy and income generation, while taking responsibility for high-profile grant-making programmes, major strategic projects, and the long-term resilience and direction of the charity. You will work closely with our Trustee Board on governance and organisational strategy, and lead a small, dedicated team who are passionate about the Peak District and the difference we make.
This is not simply a fundraising role. We are at a stage where strong strategic leadership matters as much as income generation — someone who can hold both, and who is energised by the opportunity to help shape what the Foundation becomes.
About Us
The Peak District is the UK's oldest National Park — a landscape of moorlands, dales, farmland and villages that holds a special place in the hearts of millions. But like protected landscapes across the country, it faces real and growing pressures: from climate change, habitat loss, and threats to the Park’s heritage, to barriers that prevent many communities from connecting with it.
At the Peak District National Park Foundation, we fund and deliver projects to:
- Protect our peatlands: some of the most degraded upland peatland in Europe
- Restore habitats and restore nature: creating bigger, better and more joined up habitats, and supporting biodiversity
- Connect people and communities to nature: ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to experience and care for our National Park
- Improve access: repairing degraded paths, improving access for people with disabilities and helping more people enjoy their right to roam.
- Protect the Park’s heritage: protecting irreplaceable heritage sites shaped by over 10,000 years of human activity
We are a small, supportive team who value collaboration, curiosity, kindness and getting stuck in. We love the Peak District and we work with partners, communities and experts to deliver meaningful, lasting impact.
Key Responsibilities
Fundraising and Income Generation
- Lead and develop the Foundation’s fundraising strategy across individual giving, major donors, trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and legacy giving
- Build and steward relationships with existing and prospective donors and funders, including personally managing key major donor and corporate relationships
- Oversee fundraising income and expenditure, maintaining strong return on investment
- Stay current with fundraising best practice, sector trends and the Code of Fundraising Practice
- Oversee supporter research and data management to inform strategy and future planning
Grant-Making
- Oversee the delivery of the Foundation’s grant-making programmes, including the Community Nature Fund and Connect Fund
- Ensure grants are managed effectively with strong accountability to funders and grant recipients
- Develop the Foundation’s grant-making approach as a growing strand of our impact and identity
Strategic Projects and Partnerships
- Lead on major strategic initiatives such as People of the Peak, our National Lottery Heritage Fund funded project, and other landscape-scale or community-focused programmes
- Build and maintain partnerships with the Peak District National Park Authority, Moors for the Future, and other key organisations in the voluntary, community and private sectors
- Represent the Foundation on external boards and strategic groups
Communications and External Affairs
- Act as spokesperson for the Foundation, engaging proactively and reactively with media
- Identify and follow up opportunities to raise the Foundation’s profile across the Peak District and beyond
- Support and guide the Communications and Marketing Officer in delivering the Foundation's communications strategy, ensuring it builds our profile, audience and supporter community
Organisational Strategy and Leadership
- Work with the Trustee Board to develop and deliver the Foundation’s strategic vision, including preparing the strategic plan and annual budget for Board approval
- Lead thinking on the Foundation’s future operating model and long-term sustainability
- Ensure the Foundation meets its legal, statutory and regulatory obligations, including charity governance, risk management and financial oversight
- Line manage the Fundraising and Grants Manager, providing clear leadership and a supportive, positive working environment
- Implement, monitor and report on organisational work programmes and outcomes against annual plans
About You
This role is particularly well suited to someone currently working in a senior fundraising, development or programme leadership role who is ready to take on full organisational leadership. You might be a Head of Fundraising looking for your first Director role, or an experienced Director from a smaller charity who wants to apply their skills in a landscape and cause you care deeply about.
We particularly welcome applications from people who are currently underrepresented in the environmental, outdoor and protected landscapes sector, including people from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities, and people from low-income or urban communities.
Experience and Track Record
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Essential |
Desirable |
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Proven track record in fundraising, income generation or development, ideally in a charity or mission-driven context |
Experience of grant-making or managing a grants programme |
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Experience of building and managing relationships with funders, donors or senior external stakeholders |
Familiarity with the environmental, heritage or protected landscapes sector |
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Experience of managing or leading a small team, with demonstrable ability to support and develop others |
Experience of media or spokesperson work |
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Experience of working with or reporting to a Board of Trustees |
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Skills and Knowledge
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Essential |
Desirable |
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Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor style and tone to different audiences |
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Ability to think and work strategically, while maintaining attention to operational detail |
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Understanding of charity governance, compliance and risk management |
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Knowledge of fundraising best practice including the Code of Fundraising Practice and data protection |
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Strong financial literacy — able to set, manage and report on budgets |
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Personal Qualities
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Essential |
Desirable |
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Genuine commitment to the Foundation’s mission and the Peak District |
A personal connection to nature, landscape or heritage |
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Collaborative, inclusive and curious working style |
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Benefits
- 25 days annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays
- An additional day off for your birthday
- Two wellbeing days (pro rata) – additional paid leave to support your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
- Two days volunteer leave per year
- Flexible working – hybrid and adaptable hours to suit your lifestyle
- Support for your development, including access to training
- The opportunity to work in and around the incredible landscapes of the Peak District National Park
It may be necessary for the post holder to undertake occasional duties outside of the normal working week (e.g. evenings and weekends) for which time off in lieu is given. The postholder must have the ability to travel to meetings and events as required by the duties of the post.
How to Apply
The deadline for applications is ____________ on _________________ 2026.
Interviews will take place on ____________________ and ___________________ in person at our HQ in Bakewell.
We are happy to reimburse travel costs for attending in-person interviews.
Please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter of no more than 500 words outlining your interest in the role and how your experience aligns with the person specification to hello@peakdistrictfoundation.org.uk.
Please specify in your covering letter the number of hours per week you would be looking to work if you were appointed to the role.
Thank you for your interest in the role and the Peak District National Park Foundation.