Philanthropy Officer

Location (UK): Office Hybrid* - London
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Salary: £32,716 per annum (London)
Benefits: Read more about the excellent benefits we offer
Contract type: Permanent
Travel: Occasional national travel (approximately once a quarter)
Closing date: 23:59 hours, Tuesday 17 June 2025

Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us achieve a future free from arthritis.

Versus Arthritis is seeking a Philanthropy Officer with strong relationship building skills and experience in securing major gifts to support impactful fundraising initiatives.

About the role

As Philanthropy Officer at Versus Arthritis, you will play a pivotal role in supporting our ambitious goals for growth and impact. Sitting within the Philanthropy and Partnerships team, your work will be central to securing the support of individuals who are passionate about our cause. You will engage with mid-level donors, develop tailored communications, become proficient in using our customer relationship management (CRM) system ThankQ, as well as craft experiences that foster long-lasting partnerships.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a high-performing and supportive Philanthropy and Partnerships team, working collaboratively across the charity to showcase the difference donors make to people with arthritis.

About you

If your knowledge, skills and experience include the following then we’d love to hear from you:

Experience in writing compelling donor proposals and identifying potential supporters.
Skilled at building relationships and managing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals.
Experience with handling and upkeeping a database.
Able to plan and deliver engaging stewardship programmes.
Collaborative and organised, with a strong understanding of philanthropy.
A confident communicator with good financial literacy.
Committed to the values of Versus Arthritis and passionate about making a difference.

*As a hybrid worker the expectation is that you will spend around 40% of your working time in our office spaces or working in community settings. As an inclusive employer we will consider home-based working for anyone where office-based hybrid working would be a barrier to being able to work for us, for example for someone living with a long-term health condition or disability.

Download the job description and person specification for the Philanthropy Officer role (Word 47.6 KB).

Benefits

Your excellent benefits include:

Flexible hours, environments and working practices to promote a healthy work/life balance.
Health and wellbeing support – including the Employee Assistance Programme (free confidential 24/7 support with mental health, legal and financial queries).
Simplyhealth cash plan.
Supportive and inclusive culture, with a wide range of employee networks and support groups available to join.
Learning and personal development opportunities.
Competitive annual leave, with the option to buy/sell up to five days per year.
Generous pension plan, with employer contribution of up to 10%.
Life Assurance plan (4 x salary).

How to apply

You must be based, and hold the right to work, in the UK to apply for this position.

To apply you MUST submit:

a concise, up-to-date CV
along with a completed Application form (Word 41.2KB) demonstrating how you meet the key requirements set out in the job description and person specification for the Philanthropy Officer role (Word 47.6 KB). All sections must be completed.

Email both documents as Word or PDF attachments by 23:59 hours, Tuesday 17 June 2025 to recruitment@versusarthritis.org. If you have a health condition that prevents you from following the steps above, please email us regarding alternative ways to apply. 

Application deadline and shortlisting 

We advise candidates to apply early as we reserve the right to close applications ahead of this date.  
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

We do not wish to receive contact from agencies or media sales. 

Please note that we do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) during our recruitment and selection processes, and we would respectfully ask that you also refrain from using AI during the selection process. Whilst we do recognise that AI may be a beneficial tool for some when aiding research and preparation for an application or interview, we want to maintain a fair, inclusive and positive recruitment experience at Versus Arthritis where candidates can feel supported to demonstrate their experience, knowledge, and skills without the use of AI generated answers.

Interview

Interview date to be confirmed.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee you will be offered an interview if you disclose a disability and demonstrate sufficient evidence within your application that you meet the essential criteria for this role. We will also make any reasonable adjustments you may require for your interview.

About us

We have made a commitment in our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to increase the diversity of our charity and we welcome candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We want our employees, volunteers and trustees to represent the broad diversity of the communities of which we are a part.

There are over 10 million people living with arthritis. That’s one in six, with over half of those living in pain every single day. The impact is huge as the condition slowly intrudes on everyday life – affecting the ability to work, care for a family, to move free from pain and to live independently. Yet arthritis is often dismissed as an inevitable part of ageing or shrugged off as ‘just a bit of arthritis’. We don’t think that this is OK. Versus Arthritis is here to change that.

Versus Arthritis is committed to keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe from harm. During the recruitment process we will undertake safer recruitment practices and relevant checks to ensure applicants are suitable to work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.