Director of Development and Partnerships
The Royal Countryside Fund
London with Hybrid Working
£70,000 per annum on a full-time permanent basis
We’re The Royal Countryside Fund – a UK-wide charity working alongside farming families and rural communities to provide the support and funding they need to thrive.
Right now, hardworking family farms and rural communities face social, environmental and economic pressures that threaten the livelihoods they love. They shouldn’t have to face these alone – and with us, they don’t have to. That’s why HM King Charles III founded The Royal Countryside Fund back in 2010 – to recognise the real challenges that come with rural life and do something about it.
Our locally based programmes help farming families discover achievable ways to make their farms more financially and environmentally resilient. And by combining their ideas with our funding and guidance, we help rural communities run community-led projects that will stand the test of time. So far, we’ve supported over 5,750 farming families, and invested £12.7m million in more than 556 rural community-led projects.
THE ROLE
This is a crucial senior leadership role, which provides a rare and exciting opportunity to play a central part in shaping the future of The Royal Countryside Fund, a UK-wide charity.
You will be responsible for growing our sustainable unrestricted income by leading our work to increase the RCF’s resources (Budget for 2026/27 FY £3.8m). But the role is so much more than that, it requires the development of a new fundraising strategy and associated approach to rethink how we build genuine, shared-value partnerships with all who wish to support us and that strengthen our impact as well as our income, whether they are individuals, corporates or trusts & foundations.
We have an enviable raft of corporate partnerships with leading companies and have recently developed our income from trusts and foundations to a similar level. While there is much scope to grow both income streams, there are areas such as legacies and individual giving, which in comparison, are undeveloped.
INFORMATION
Download the candidate brief to find out about the role.
DOWNLOADTimeline
Closing date: Sunday 15th November 2026
Preliminary interviews: w/c 23rd November 2026
Final Panel interviews: w/c 30th November and w/c 7th December 2026
How to apply
To make an application, please click on the apply now button below, with the following prepared:
- Your CV (no more than three sides).
- A supporting statement (no more than two sides) that sets out why you think this role is the right move for you and how you meet the knowledge and experience criteria.
We would also be grateful if you would complete the Equality and Diversity monitoring form on the online application process. This form is for monitoring purposes only and is not treated as part of your application.
Apply