Research Officer (Fundraising Prospect Research)

Job Title: Research Officer Fundraising Prospect Research

Location: Rhodes House, Central Oxford (hybrid working)

Contract: Fixed-term 12-month contract (From mid-March 2026)

Hours: Full time 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £33,000-£35,000

Reports to: Research Manager

We have an exciting, new opportunity for a Research Officer (Fundraising Prospect Research) to join the Rhodes Trust, Oxford. This role is based within the Global Engagement department, focusing on Development and Alumni Engagement, based at Rhodes House.

We are looking for the successful candidate to ideally start with us in Mid-March 2026.

About the Rhodes Trust

The Rhodes Trust is an educational charity which offers Rhodes Scholarships to exceptional students from around the world to come and study at the University of Oxford. Our mission is to build a better world through global fellowship programmes that develop and connect compassionate, innovative, and public-spirited people committed to solving humanity s challenges. In recent years, we have also partnered with several other remarkable organisations to create the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, Atlantic Institute, Schmidt Science Fellows, RISE and Oxford Next Horizons.

The role

The Research Officer will help provide a high-quality in-house prospect research service to the senior leadership team and the Warden (CEO) of the Trust. The Research Officer will report to the Research Manager, work closely with the major gift team located in the UK, Canada, Australia and the United States, and gain first-hand knowledge and experience working as an in-house prospect research professional for a highly regarded educational charity.

The role will be responsible for;

Providing a high-quality in-house prospect research service to the Development Team and senior leaders including the Warden (CEO) of the Trust, and Trustees, as required

Contributing to the proactive identification of potential major donors and partners to the Rhodes Trust including alumni, individuals, foundations and corporates

Delivering a pipeline of briefing materials for the Warden (CEO) and senior leadership team to support key fundraising and stakeholder meetings, events and overseas travel itineraries as requested

Assisting with compiling and managing a portfolio of additional research materials and projects, including profiles, network mapping, philanthropy reports, and targeted analysis, as well as country-specific content to support the Trust s fundraising efforts in different geographies

Recording and managing prospect and stakeholder data using the Trust s CRM database (Salesforce)

Role modelling the Trust s organisational values of commitment, inclusion, belonging, growth and innovation

Carrying out any other duties relevant to the role, as requested

Having a deep commitment to the values, ethos and mission of the Rhodes Trust

Please see the job description for more responsibilities

Essential skills, experience and qualifications:

Previous experience in an educational Development and / or alumni office direct experience in prospect research would be a plus

Reliable and responsible with excellent written communication skills and an emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy

Ability to use initiative and creatively source information to identify opportunities and map connections

Ability to keep information confidential and exercise discretion

Experience of accurate data entry and record maintenance; good working knowledge of a CRM system and competency in creating and running reports from a database

Excellent IT skills, including experience with Microsoft packages (Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook)

An interest in the educational sector

Please see the job description for more responsibilities

Benefits of working here

We are a global organisation and we use our deep connections across the world to bring together people of different backgrounds and viewpoints. We encourage our staff to challenge each other s thinking and generate new ideas.

30 days annual leave (pro rata) plus 8 bank holidays

Competitive pension scheme

Generous family leave schemes

Private health insurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Personal development opportunities

Additional benefits, such as free access to the University's gardens, parks, libraries and museums, and University staff discounts in shops across Oxford.

Cycle to work scheme

Electric car scheme

If you would like to find out more, please click apply to view the full job description and to find the link to apply. Please send us your CV and a covering letter. Please note, this advert will close on 4 February 2026.

If you have any issues with submitting your application, please email the Recruitment team.

The Rhodes Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We warmly welcome applications from talented people of diverse backgrounds and appoint without regard to age, disability, gender, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, parental status, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, nationality, religion or belief.