Main Purpose of the Job

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Development Officer to join the Directorate, to support the cutting-edge science of the John Innes Centre.

Working closely with the Director of Development, The Development Officer will play a crucial role in supporting the new fundraising function for the JIC/TSL Next Generation Infrastructure (NGI) Project, its HP3 vision and aligned strategic activities.

This newly created role is vital in supporting the key programmes within the Development team, including coordinating and implementing development initiatives, managing donor relationships, prospect research, donor stewardship, desk-based research, donor database management, donor event delivery, report generation, as well as being the team’s administrator and managing the Director of Development’s calendar and assisting with various fundraising activities to help achieve JIC’s financial goals.

Key Relationships

The post holder will be managed by the Director of Development and work closely with the JIC Directorate team, the Professional Services teams and JIC scientists. They will develop relationships with prospective donors and work with JIC Ambassadors internally and externally to cultivate new relationships and maximise opportunities to build awareness and ultimately to help generate new philanthropic funds for JIC.
 

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Assist in planning and executing fundraising events, campaigns, and initiatives.

Lead on research and preparation of philanthropic proposals to smaller trusts and foundations.

Maintain good donor relations, track contributions, and manage donor communications to ensure accurate and timely reporting. 

Liaise with the Communications and Engagement team on development of marketing materials, newsletters, and social media content related to fundraising efforts.

Provide administrative support to the development team, including scheduling meetings, maintaining calendars, and organizing team documents.

Assist in budgeting and tracking expenses for development initiative.

Coordinate logistics for team meetings and events, including preparing agendas, taking minutes and circulating actions.

Work closely with the Director of Development and other senior staff to align fundraising strategies with JIC goals.

Input and update donor information, ensuring data integrity and accuracy.

Generate reports and analysis from the donor database to inform fundraising strategies.

Segment donor lists for targeted outreach and engagement efforts.

Conduct research on potential donors, grant opportunities, and fundraising trends to inform strategy.

Prepare reports on fundraising progress, donor engagement, and event outcomes for internal and external stakeholders.

Help recruit, train, and manage volunteers for fundraising events and initiatives.

Support the Director of Development in setting appropriate income targets, KPIs and performance reports, best industry practice and benchmarking against our peers.

As agreed with line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the role

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

Educated to a degree level or equivalent.

Essential

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor management software.

Essential

Good prioritisation and multitasking skills.

Essential

Ability to deliver to tight deadlines.

Essential

Broad scientific awareness across subjects and disciplines relevant to the work of JIC.

Essential

Ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of sources.

Essential

A broad understanding of the funding landscape and the processes, policies and implication for philanthropic opportunities.

Essential

Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge donor management software.

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Experience in a “front of house” role, dealing with donor demands and expectations or equivalent.

Essential

Proven ability to convey complex ideas with clarity.

Essential

Proven experience in fundraising, development, or a related field, ideally in a scientific research/educational charity or equivalent.

Essential

Experience of creating processes to improve efficiency.

Essential

Experience with finance/budgeting.

Desirable

Project Management experience.

Desirable

Experience of preparing proposals and reports.

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Excellent time management, planning and organisational skills with demonstrated ability to effectively manage competing priorities/deadlines.

Essential

Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders and staff at all levels.

Essential

High level of work organisation and self-motivation, with proven ability to work on own initiative, engaging others at the right stages.

Essential

Detail–oriented, highly organised and efficient.

Essential

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work well in a team and build good working relationships with colleagues.

Essential

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Comfortable with ambiguity and working flexibly and at pace in a rapidly changing environment.

Essential

Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the John Innes Centre, ensuring it is a great place to work.

Essential

Ability to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity.

Essential

Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute

Essential

Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

John Innes Centre

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial genetics, carrying out fundamental and strategic research, to train scientists and making our findings available to society.

Our research makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences including; cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and molecular biology.

For more information about working at the John Innes Centre, please click here.

We pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive working environment for all. We have a diverse and multicultural scientific community and thrive on our European and international links, appointing staff from across the world. Any candidate who would like further information on current or anticipated immigration requirements can contact the HR Team on +44 (0)1603 450888 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk.

We are proud to hold a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award, recognising the impact of our work in promoting gender equality in science. We are also a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme, a founding signatory of the Tecnician Commitment and, as a Disability Confident employer, guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852), limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 511709).

Department

Directorate

Group Details

Living in Norfolk

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Development Officer
Salary:            £36,000 – £39,750 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.
Contract:        3 years, full or part time
Location:        John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK.
Closing date: 2 January 2025
Reference:     1004797

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Development Officer to join the Directorate, to support the cutting-edge science of the John Innes Centre.

About the John Innes Centre:

The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial sciences. We nurture a creative, curiosity-led approach to answering fundamental questions in bioscience, and translate that knowledge into societal benefits. Our strategic vision, Healthy Plants, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, sets out our ambitious long-term goals for the game changing impact of our science globally. 

Our employees enjoy access to state-of-the-art technology and a diverse range of specialist training opportunities, including support for leadership and management. Click here to find out more about working at the John Innes Centre.

The role:

Working closely with the Director of Development, The Development Officer will play a crucial role in supporting the new fundraising function for the JIC/TSL Next Generation Infrastructure (NGI) Project, its HP3 vision and aligned strategic activities.

This newly created role is vital in supporting the key programmes within the Development team, including coordinating and implementing development initiatives, managing donor relationships, prospect research, donor stewardship, desk-based research, donor database management, donor event delivery, report generation, as well as being the team’s administrator and managing the Director of Development’s calendar and assisting with various fundraising activities to help achieve JIC’s financial goals.

The Development Officer will play a key role at the interface between the JIC Executive and internal and external stakeholders to ensure JIC is maximizing opportunities, thereby contributing to a streamlined programme that delivers philanthropic income to JIC.


Is it important that the post holder will have a good understanding of the philanthropic landscape, with a focus on philanthropic trusts and foundation opportunities.  The postholder will scan the horizon, undertake research and recommend opportunities, then work with the appropriate scientific staff to coordinate and submit proposals.  The post holder may also play a role in assisting the Director of Development with donor solicitations to prospective major donors as well as follow-up stewardship reporting.

The postholder will work closely with colleagues across JIC, NBI and TSL, as well as provide support within the JIC Directorate team and the Chair of Governing Council. The role involves collating information for presentations at a variety of forums.

The ideal candidate:

The ideal candidate will be educated to a degree level or equivalent. They will understand the funding landscape and the processes, policies and implication for philanthropic opportunities, as well as an ability to assimilate information from a wide variety of sources.

The candidate will have proven experience in fundraising, development, or a related field, ideally in a scientific research/educational charity or equivalent. They should also have experience in a “front of house” role, dealing with donor demands and expectations or equivalent.

It is essential that candidates are detail–oriented, with excellent time management, planning and organisational skills to effectively manage competing priorities/deadlines. Proficiency in Raiser’s Edge donor management software would be advantageous.

Additional information:

We welcome applications from candidates seeking part-time or other flexible working arrangements.  Some element of homeworking may be feasible, and candidates can discuss further at interview or by contacting the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 or nbi.recruitment@nbi.ac.uk quoting reference 1004797.

Interviews will be held week commencing 13 January 2025.

Please note, this post does not meet UKVI requirements to provide visa sponsorship.

We are an equal opportunities employer, actively supporting inclusivity and diversity.  As a Disability Confident organisation, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. We are proud to hold a prestigious Gold Athena SWAN award in recognition of our inclusive culture, commitment and good practices towards advancing of gender equality. We offer an exciting, stimulating, diverse research environment and actively promote a family friendly workplace. The Institute is also a member of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme.

The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852) grant-aided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.