Advancement Officer (Operations & Stewardship)

Salary : 31236 - 32080 with progression to 34610 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date : 17 November 2025

The Role

Join a mission-driven team shaping the future of philanthropy at the University.

Were looking for a proactive and detail-oriented individual to play a pivotal role across two key areas of our Advancement team : Operational Support and Donor Relations . This is a unique opportunity to contribute to both the strategic backbone of fundraising and the storytelling that inspires continued generosity.

What Youll Do

Prospect Research & Operational Support

Working closely with the Head of Advancement Operations youll contribute to ensuring the whole team can operate effectively and dynamically. Youll conduct insightful research and analysis on potential donors helping to identify individuals with the capacity and propensity to support the Universitys mission. Your work will empower our team to build meaningful relationships with high-impact prospects.

Philanthropy and Donor Stewardship

In collaboration with the Head of Major Gifts youll craft compelling updates and reports that showcase the transformative power of philanthropy. Youll help donors see the direct impact of their support strengthening their connection to the University. Youll also work to coordinate the planning and development of donor-funded scholarships ensuring a seamless and rewarding experience for both donors and recipients.

Why This Role Matters

This role is ideal for someone who thrives on both analytical thinking and creative communication. Youll be a key connector between data and storytelling helping to drive fundraising success while celebrating the generosity that fuels our institutions growth.

Newcastle University (NU) Advancement is the driving force behind fundraising and alumni and supporter engagement across the University. Our work transforms lives inspires ground-breaking research and creates opportunities and communities that have a profound impact.

The NU Advancement Team is responsible for fundraising donation management and alumni engagement across Newcastle University. Our work provides substantial financial and in-kind support to students and recent graduates and to the Universitys research programmes.

This role provides research analytical and systems support ensuring fundraising efficiency and compliance with the governance requirements of the Fundraising Code of Practice and the Universitys ethical policies in relation to the acceptance of donations are met.

The role will work across 2 areas in the team - operational support and donor relations. The postholder will provide support across the Operations function focusing specifically on researching prospects to further the efforts of the fundraising team. Youll work closely with the Head of Operations to provide analysis on potential donors to the University working form educated assessments of a donors propensity to give.

This role will also work with the donor relations team. The post-holder will be responsible for producing compelling updates and reports for donors to clearly demonstrate the impact of philanthropy to the University and the impact of their giving. The role will work closely with the Head of Individual Major Giving to oversee the planning and development of the scholarship process for donor-funded scholarships.

This role is full time fixed term position for 9 months ending in September 2026. As a team we work flexibly and are open to specific requests.

For more information on the role and an informal chat please contact Jack OToole Head of Advancement Operations at

Interviews are expected to be held on the 18th / 19th November

Key Accountabilities

• Work independently on general research activities such as Prospect Research to support the Head of Advancement Operations and the wider philanthropy team in providing GDPR-compliant high-quality research on individuals companies and trusts / foundations
• Work with Advancement colleagues to keep donors informed on the progress of their donations through effective stewardship report writing
• Work with colleagues in the philanthropy team to deliver stewardship strategies that strengthen long-term relationships with major donors regular donors legacy pledgers and other supporters.
• Lead on stewardship specific events to showcase the impact of philanthropy to our donor community. Acting as key liaison overseeing logistics event management and leadership briefings
• Oversee Advancements programme of philanthropically donated scholarships bursaries and prizes guaranteeing a consistent experience for all donors
• Lead on donor visits to campus organising a programme of activity which will inspire them to support the University and demonstrate the impact of philanthropy on campus
• Contribute to day to day maintenance of the alumni donor stakeholder and strategic relationship management data
• Independently produce sector and thematic research and supporting our events with briefings and guest biographies particularly for the Alumni Engagement and Supporter team
• Ensure that information on key constituencies and their preferences is accurate and up to date on the NU Advancement database
• To produce reports and datasets as requested
• Organise analyse and review prospect data to assess fundraising capabilities at monthly prospect pipeline and one to one meetings with canvassers to ensure that fundraising efforts are targeted toward the best possible prospects to contribute towards the optimum performance of the fundraising team
• Work with the Operations Coordinator to ensure the prospect research process is adequate fit for purpose and offers tangible return on investment. Work with the Head of Operations to gather intelligence to track effectiveness
• Ensure all research information is stored and processed is compliant with legislation (like GDPR) regularly reviewing processes and procedures to guarantee they are fit for purpose
• Contribute to ongoing training support related to the research and administration processes for the wider team
• To routinely contribute to the review of procedures processes and policies relating to the prospect management system ensuring compliance with relevant data protection legislation the Fundraising Code of Practice and the Universitys policies for the ethical acceptance of donations
• Be aware of changing priorities with a willingness to undertake any other duties of a relevant nature as required by NU Advancement

The Person

Knowledge Skills and Experience (Essential)

Essential

Strong verbal and written communication skills with experience preparing material for senior audiences

Experienced in producing clear impactful reports

Experience of drawing together complex information and summarising it succinctly in accessible language for a non-specialist audience / readership Demonstrates neutrality and objectivity in senior-level research reporting

Experience of working in a customer focused environment

Proven understanding of how to work effectively in systems-led environments

Proficient in data analysis especially using Excel

Skilled in identifying and improving standard operating practices

High accuracy and attention to detail

Excellent interpersonal skills with a track record of building strong working relationships across teams

Strong project management capabilities including prioritisation organisation and meeting multiple deadlines

Creative problem-solver with initiative and a proactive approach

Desirable

Fundraising Regulators Code of Practice

Attributes and Behaviour

Qualifications

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a goldAthena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID : 28623

Required Experience :

Unclear Seniority

Key Skills

Six Sigma,Lean,Management Experience,Process Improvement,Microsoft Outlook,Analysis Skills,Warehouse Management System,Operations Management,Kaizen,Leadership Experience,Supervising Experience,Retail Management

Employment Type : Full-Time

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1

Monthly Salary Salary : 31236 - 32080