Charity Lead

Job overview

The Charity Lead provides senior leadership and operational management of Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust Charity, ensuring charitable funds are generated, governed and deployed to deliver measurable benefits for patients, staff and communities. The post holder leads the development and delivery of the charity’s long-term strategy, oversees income generation and stewardship of funds, and ensures robust governance, compliance and impact reporting. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery, reflecting the scale of the charity and the requirement to maximise impact while maintaining proportionate operating costs.

*Proposed interview date: 3rd June 2026*

Main duties of the job

As Charity Lead for  Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust Charity, you will lead the development, implementation and review of the charity's long term strategy and annual operational plans, aligned to the Trust's priorities and vision. You will also be the Trust's lead officer for charitable funds, providing professional leadership and assurance to the Trust's Charitable Funds Committee.

You will have senior-level experience in leading a charity function and delivering strategy and annual operational plans. You will also have a track record of income generation across multiple streams (eg community fundraising, appeals, events, regular giving, legacies, lottery/raffles) with evidence of achieving targets. You must also have experience of charity communications and marketing, including digital channels, campaigns and supporter stewardship.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and review of the charity’s long-term strategy and annual operational plans, aligned to Trust priorities and values.
• Identify and develop sustainable income opportunities, including digital and partnership-based fundraising, appropriate to organisational capacity.
• Lead and deliver fundraising activity that demonstrates clear value for money and across multiple income streams, including community fundraising, appeals, events, regular giving, legacies, lottery and raffles.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with donors, supporters, clinicians, volunteers and partners, developing compelling cases for support aligned to Trust priorities.
• Oversee legacy administration, forecasting and reporting, working with professional advisers where required.
• Establish clear strategic frameworks, KPIs and outcome measures to monitor performance and demonstrate impact.
• Prepare high-quality reports and recommendations on income, expenditure, risk, compliance and impact.
• Act as the Trust’s lead officer for charitable funds, providing professional leadership and assurance to the Charitable Funds Committee.
• Ensure compliance with Charity Commission, Gambling Commission, NHS charitable funds guidance and Trust governance frameworks, escalating issues appropriately.
• Maintain and develop charity policies, procedures, controls and a risk register in line with best practice.
• Act as budget holder for the charity, with responsibility for income and expenditure, financial planning, monitoring and reporting.
• Ensure effective management of restricted and unrestricted funds, in line with donor intent and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with Trust finance colleagues to ensure accurate accounting, forecasting and audit compliance.
• Use financial and performance data to assess return on investment and inform decision-making.
• Oversee transparent, fair and effective processes for allocating and spending charitable funds in line with Trust priorities and donor wishes.
• Ensure robust application, assessment, approval and monitoring arrangements for funded projects.
• Monitor delivery and benefits realisation of funded initiatives, reporting outcomes and learning to stakeholders.
• Work with services to develop future appeals and campaigns, ensuring clarity of need, costs and deliverability.
• Identify sector trends, risks and opportunities, using data, insight and impact evaluation to inform strategic decisions and prioritisation.
• Communicate strategic priorities clearly to internal and external stakeholders to drive engagement and support.
• Lead day-to-day charity communications and marketing activity, including digital channels, campaigns and donor recognition.
• Ensure consistent, accessible and values-based messaging in collaboration with Trust communications teams.
• Promote awareness of the charity’s role, impact and opportunities for involvement across the Trust and wider community.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive and accountable culture, ensuring effective day-to-day operations and administration of the charity.
• Manage priorities across a complex and varied workload, responding flexibly to competing demands and deadlines.
• Represent the charity professionally at meetings, events and with external partners.