Development Manager

Development Manager

Salary: Highly competitive, dependent on experience and skills (up to £40,000) + Benefits

Hours: Full-time, permanent

Based at Ampleforth Abbey YO62 Onsite with occasional remote working to be approved by line manager.

Closing date: 23rd February 2026

Benefits

• Up to 8% employer-matched pension
• Life assurance
• Free lunch during working hours
• Free on-site parking
• 20% discount at the Abbey Shop
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Christmas Closure

About Ampleforth Abbey

Ampleforth Abbey is home to the UK's largest Benedictine monastic community, rooted in the Rule of St Benedict. Our mission is to seek God through prayer and service, and to invite others to experience faith in action.

Located in the Howardian Hills near York, the Abbey sits within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and welcomes thousands of visitors each year to its Retreat Centre, Visitor Centre, Shop and Tea Room.

Ampleforth Abbey Trust, a registered charity, works alongside the monastic community to support this mission. With around 60 lay staff, the Trust delivers on a five-year strategy, choosing a Future Together, to ensure a sustainable, faith-led future for the Abbey and its valley home.

We are seeking an experienced Development Manager with excellent relationship management skills to help develop and sustainably grow the impact of Ampleforth Abbey. You will develop and use stewardship tools to guide supporters through their giving journey, including cultivation plans, proposals and reports, managing donor communications and nurturing our community of support.

Main Responsibilities but not limited to:-

• Develop and deliver the fundraising strategy across individual giving, legacies, major donors, corporate partnerships, trusts and grants.

• Manage individual and legacy giving programmes, ensuring strong donor care and target achievement.

• Build and grow relationships with major donors, corporate partners and supporters.

• Lead fundraising campaigns, events, appeals and content creation to strengthen engagement and support.

• Identify and secure funding opportunities, including writing bids and managing grants and reporting.

• Maintain fundraising systems, data quality, budgets and KPI reporting.

• Oversee donor communications, stewardship and patron schemes.

• Represent the organisation at events and networking opportunities to build awareness and partnerships.

• Ensure fundraising activities align with organisational values, compliance and regulatory requirements.

• Support colleagues and volunteers and undertake any additional duties as required.

Experience

• Experienced fundraiser with 5+ years in a charity or faith-based environment

• Strong background in individual giving, legacies, events, campaigns, and grant funding

• Proven success in donor stewardship, supporter communications and securing funding

Skills and Attributes

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with stakeholders at all levels

• Strong organisational, project and budget management ability

• Confident bid writer, presenter and content creator

• Experienced in CRM systems, Office 365 and fundraising compliance

• Results-driven, creative and able to manage multiple priorities

• Professional, resilient, adaptable and able to work both independently and within a team

All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS checks and satisfactory references.