Head of Philanthropy

Head of Philanthropy
Permanent  
Full time (34.5 hours) 
Split between home and our London Office 
£80,000 - £88,000

About us:

At Macmillan you'll find talented people working together to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer. We're going all out to find even better ways to help even more people who need our support. Our values are at the heart of who we are and everything we do, inspiring our thinking and guiding our actions.

About the role:

Are you a strategic and inspiring fundraising leader ready to drive transformational change? 

Macmillan Cancer Support is seeking a visionary Head of Philanthropy to lead a step-change in income generation. You’ll build deep, strategic relationships with high-net-worth individuals, trusts and foundations, and lead a talented team of 10 fundraisers to deliver our current £5 million annual target. 

With a bold ambition to grow our philanthropy income to £20 million annually by 2030, you’ll develop and deliver a high-impact strategy that places philanthropy at the heart of Macmillan’s mission. Working closely with our Director of Corporate Partnerships & Philanthropy, you’ll shape the future of our philanthropic work and inspire a culture of excellence and innovation. 

What you’ll be doing: 

• Leading the development of a sector-leading philanthropy strategy. 

• Inspiring and empowering your team through growth and transformation. 

• Building a world-class stewardship programme that connects supporters to impact. 

• Cultivating new relationships and unlocking transformational gifts. 

• Collaborating across the organisation to create compelling funding propositions. 

What we’re looking for: 

• Proven success in securing £1m+ gifts and leading multi-million-pound appeals. 

• Influential leadership and a passion for Macmillan’s cause. 

• Effective commercial acumen and experience managing budgets of £5m+. 

• Confidence in engaging with senior stakeholders and donors. 

Why join us? 

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of philanthropy at one of the UK’s most respected charities. You’ll be part of a dynamic, inclusive and ambitious team, working to deliver real impact for people living with cancer. 

In return, we offer a range of benefits including:

• 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days 
• Pension matched up to 7.5%
• 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications
• Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm
• Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more

Recruitment Process
Application deadline: 1st Sept 2025
First interview dates: Mid-Sept 2025 (TBC)

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed.

We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee representation body, ‘Our Voice’ and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.