Development Officer

At the University of Southampton, our aim is to change the world for the better, bringing together realms of academic research, creativity, and knowledge to have a truly collaborative, immersive, and ground-breaking impact. We care about the challenges that humanity is facing, and work to support others on a local and global scale.

About the role

This engaging, interesting role is responsible for raising philanthropic income to help advance the University. Building personal, creative, and rewarding partnerships with individuals and organisations, this position is crucial in connecting donors with Southampton’s fantastic research and education. Working amongst world-leading researchers and managing a varied portfolio of interesting alumni and supporters, you will get to see truly life-changing impact in action.
 
 You will learn new skills and experience in fundraising by working within the Fundraising team, where you will work with experienced colleagues who are keen to offer guidance. Our current priorities cover an innovative student support programme, a PhD programme, and a range of medical research projects, including the largest capital fundraising project in the University’s history. 

About you

• You will be a confident and enthusiastic fundraiser or have experience in helping bring about positive change through building strong relationships, motivated by seeing the impact of philanthropy and other work for the improvement of society.
• You will have demonstrable experience of working face to face with people, donors, or stakeholders, individually or as part of a team, and recognise the personal and creative approach required to engage with each person you work with to produce a positive outcome. You have a passion for delivering a high standard of customer, stakeholder, or donor experience.
• You will be an excellent writer who enjoys writing persuasive communications with excellent attention to detail to convince others into taking action. 
• You will have a desire to learn how to enable interesting opportunities to connect with, cultivate and steward your donors. You will be tenacious and creative in attracting new contacts.
• You will be resilient and proactive in achieving targets and improving processes to advance the University’s priorities.

About us

We have embarked on our first University-wide fundraising and engagement campaign. With the full support and investment of University leadership, we are excited to be growing our team.

We need people with intellectual curiosity and different ideas. Someone with direct experience or transferable skills and the interest and drive to take on a new challenge. We are actively determined to welcome a diverse group of colleagues into our inclusive team. Every day will be different, you will meet incredible people, and the rewards will be huge.

What can we offer you? 

Recognising that our staff are at the heart of what we do, we have a generous benefits package. Our hybrid working approach offers you the chance to split your time between office and home working. 

This could be a career-defining opportunity, and we want to hear from you. See Join ODAR to learn about our team and current opportunities. If you would like to have an informal chat about this role, please email Louis Parsons, Development Manager, at [email removed]. Please contact us if you feel you don’t meet all the selection criteria and want to discuss the role – we would love to hear from you.

Closing Date: 22 Nov 2026

Section: Management, Specialist & Administrative

Salary: £31,861 to £34,630 Per Annum
Full Time Permanent