Head of Public Fundraising and Operations

Salary: £35,000 to £45,000 per annum / pro rata

Location: Remote – Home based within the South of England

Contract: Permanent, Full Time or Part Time (37.5 hours per week, open to part-time hours of 30 hours per week)

About The Murray Parish Trust

Children with a serious illness are three times more likely to struggle with their mental health. Their childhoods are overshadowed by coming to terms with diagnosis, hospital stays, treatment, feeling different from friends or managing how their illness affects daily life. Many of them struggle with severe anxiety and depression, experiencing isolation and trauma during their journey. These children are at much higher risk of long-term mental health difficulties that are more complex and difficult to treat, on top of living with often complex medical needs.

Actors Jim Murray and Sarah Parish’s first daughter, Ella-Jayne, was born with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome in 2009 and spent half her short life in paediatric intensive care, Southampton Children’s Hospital. Ella-Jayne died, at home, just eight months old. After they recovered from the immediate horror, Jim and Sarah felt an overwhelming drive to help other children and families and founded The Murray Parish Trust in 2014. They were awarded MBE’s in the King’s New Years Honours 2025 for services to seriously ill children and their families.

Our charity delivers projects that support the mental health of seriously ill children and their families. We improve access to specialist, imaginative and empowering support, at the earliest possible moment, to prevent long-term mental health difficulties. We do this by delivering a vast range of projects in children’s hospitals, hospices and other health or community settings across the UK. These include drama, dance, art, nature and music therapy; bereavement and mortuary suites, distraction equipment that reduces anxiety, sanctuary and quiet rooms; sibling support; counselling and therapy rooms; and psychological support for children/family members.

The role – Head of Public Fundraising and Operations

This is an exciting new chapter for The Murray Parish Trust. Our new Head of Public Fundraising and Operations will work closely with the Board of Trustees and our Head of Philanthropy and Projects to scale our impact and expand reach nationwide. They will play a pivotal role in leading operations and shaping the charity’s future, as well as leading on growing income from community, corporate, individual fundraising, which have been identified as strategic fundraising priorities.

We anticipate time will be split roughly equally between leading public fundraising and operational management. There is some freelance support with marketing, corporate and community fundraising, and volunteer coordination, plus trustee support with events; there is scope to expand the team as income grows. This role will support their work as well as personally deliver public fundraising activity, taking sole responsibility for individual giving and legacies.

This is a job of variety, innovation and opportunity. We are looking for an experienced fundraiser, perhaps an aspiring charity CEO, who is looking to develop skills and knowledge in charity management and strategy. This is a job for someone who is ambitious, collaborative, proactive and who has a genuine passion for championing the mental health of seriously ill children and their families.

Key responsibilities

Fundraising: Work alongside with the Head of Philanthropy and Projects to implement the fundraising strategy, including:

• Delivery of the specific fundraising activity delegated to this role to grow income year on year (individuals, community, corporate, legacies, events), supported by the work of freelancers.
• Strategic oversight of all public fundraising including monitoring, evaluating and reporting to the Board.
• Ensure excellence in donor stewardship that helps retain, grow and diversify support from existing donors.
• Maintain a proactive focus on donor acquisition, across the UK, prioritising areas where we have projects.
• Effectively utilise the CRM to proactively and accurately capture donor information and consents.
• Strong focus on return on investment to ensure efficiency in working nationwide, carefully prioritising activity.

Charity management and operations

• Help to shape organisational strategy, using data insight to drive decision making.
• Data management lead; incl. CRM management, data protection, embedding a culture of data collection.
• Lead on setting and managing annual income and expenditure budgets.
• Ensure compliance with the latest regulatory requirements and sector best practice.
• Coordinate and manage policy, procedure, risk management and wider charity administration.
• Provide support for financial management; incl. outsourced book keeping/monthly management accounts; working with accountants to ensure timely production of the Annual Report and Financial Statements
• Work closely with Board members with specific lead responsibility, incl. with the Treasurer in the production of cashflow and other financial reports.
• Supported by the volunteer coordinator (freelance), manage and develop a network of volunteers and ambassadors (e.g. talks, photo calls, events, collection tins, admin, research).
• Act as Secretary to the Board; including statutory filing, coordinating quarterly meetings and taking minutes, compiling/circulating Board papers, diarising other meetings and communication as needed.
• Represent the charity externally with diverse stakeholders.
• Responsible for the effective management and leadership of the public fundraising and operations team.

Download the full Job Description here or below to find out more.

How to apply

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis, with interviews held when candidates are shortlisted. To arrange an informal conversation about the role, please contact Karen Edgington, Head of Philanthropy and Projects, by email karen@themurrayparishtrust.com. To apply, please email Karen your CV together with a covering letter which details how you meet the job description and person specification, with evidence/examples wherever possible.

We are committed to an environment where everyone can realise their potential, free from discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic. The aim is for our team to represent our community and for each member of the team to feel respected and able to give their best. This approach extends through our staff and freelance team; volunteers, ambassadors and trustees; supporters and donors; and the children and families that our work supports.