This is a rare opportunity to join a charity at the very start of its journey.

Head of Fundraising & Communications

• Salary: £60,000–£65,000
• Location: Initially from home until opening, with travel for prospect meetings primarily in Wakefield and the surround. Once open, hybrid, with 3 days per week on site.
• Contract: Permanent, 37.5 hours (open to flexible working requests)
• Benefits: 33 days holiday, pension, professional development

Wakefield Youth Zone will be the newest member of OnSide’s growing network of state-of-the-art youth centres, giving young people somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to when school is out. With capital funding secured and construction about to begin, the next critical phase is revenue fundraising.

This is more than a fundraising leadership role. It’s an opportunity to build the fundraising and communications function from day one. Initially, you’ll be the driving force behind building a community of around 34 Founder Patrons, each giving £25,000 per year for four years, creating the financial foundation for the Youth Zone’s first years of operation. As opening approaches, you’ll recruit and lead your own team, shaping strategy, culture, and long-term sustainability.

We’re looking for someone entrepreneurial, relationship-led and comfortable working independently. You’ll be supported by the national OnSide network, an exceptionally successful proven model, and a growing Yorkshire partnership with Barnsley Youth Zone.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead the Founder Patron campaign, securing multi-year major/corporate gifts
• Build and lead the fundraising and communications function
• Develop and deliver a sustainable fundraising strategy
• Personally manage key donor and corporate relationships
• Work collaboratively across the OnSide network and region
• Sit on the future Senior Leadership Team
• Oversee the Youth Zone’s communications function, supported initially by a regional comms manager, and later by a dedicated local comms hire.

What we’re looking for:

You will be an ambitious and relationship-driven senior fundraiser with:

• A strong track record of securing major relationships
• Experience working with corporates and/or high-net-worth individuals
• Strategic thinking alongside hands-on delivery
• Confidence in building partnerships and making the ask
• Entrepreneurial mindset and collaborative approach

This is a career-defining opportunity to build something from the ground up and create lasting impact for young people in Wakefield.

How to Apply

If you’re as excited about this role as we are, please send your CV or profile to Ellen Drummond at Charity People to start the conversation. If your experience aligns with the brief, we’ll be in touch with next steps on how to make your formal application.

Closing: 9am, on Friday, 15^th of May

First stage virtual interviews: 21^st & 22^nd of May

Second stage in-person interviews:  W/C the 1^st of June

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.

Are you a talented Fundraising leader who believes every young person deserves the chance to reach their potential?

As Head of Fundraising and Communications, you’ll shape meaningful opportunities for donors and partners to play an active role in Manchester Youth Zone – now and into the future. You’ll help shape a fundraising approach that deeply connects with funders and captures their imagination, as well as developing a sector-leading approach to stewardship that keeps them engaged for the long-term.

Salary: £60,000 per annum
Location: Hybrid, ideally minimum 3 days on site in Harpurhey 
Benefits: 5% employer pension; 33 days annual leave including bank + birthday day; free gym access; access to OnSide’s Talent Academy; bespoke training and mentoring

About the charity:
Manchester Youth Zone (MYZ) is a unique and ambitious charity that punches above its weight. Part of the national OnSide family and deeply rooted in North Manchester’s Harpurhey community, MYZ serves one of the poorest wards in England with 94% of MYZ’s youth members coming from the highest indices on the national poverty index scale. 

We need you to lead a refreshed and reimagined Fundraising team, to deliver for these young people.

About the opportunity
This is a unique Head of Fundraising role, with the chance to live and breathe the impact of your fundraising. It would suit an ambitious fundraising leader who wants to work collaboratively and with autonomy.

There’s a unique duality to this role. On the one hand, it is absolutely strategic, working closely with the CEO and Board and taking ownership of a new fundraising strategy.

But, it’s also essential to have a willingness to roll your sleeves up and get stuck, working hands-on with high-value partners, philanthropists and corporates. You’ll hold relationships with the charity’s largest donors and be keen to offer them brilliant stewardship and support.

About you
We’re looking for a fundraising leader who delivers big impact and leads from the heart. Someone who inspires others to thrive, as well as being equally driven and motivated to achieve exceptional personal results.

When you apply, we’d love to see you to clearly demonstrate:

• Strong track-record of fundraising success, consistently delivering against financial targets and growing unrestricted income.
• Personal experience of securing six-figure gifts, whether through major donors or corporate partnerships.
• Ability to think and act strategically across multiple income streams, alongside a willingness to stay close to the detail and lead from the front.
• Generous, compassionate approach to leadership that brings out the very best in others.
• Creativity and openness – someone who embraces change and is energised by finding solutions.
• Genuine understanding of the challenges facing young people and underserved communities, alongside a clear commitment to championing equity, diversity and inclusion.

MYZ operates in a vibrant and diverse community, so we would especially welcome and encourage applications from individuals from global majority backgrounds. 

If you are as excited by this unique opportunity as we are, you’ll want to get in touch for further details on how to make your formal application.    

To apply, please send a copy of your profile or CV in the first instance to Amelia Lee at Charity People. 

Deadline: 9am on Thursday 28^th May

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.