Internal Applicants Only - Stewardship Officer bei Cardiff University

This post is currently open to employees of Cardiff University only.  Please do not apply if you do not have a current contract of employment with the University.

Internal Applicants Only - Stewardship Officer

Cardiff University’s Development and Alumni Relations team are recruiting for an open-ended, part-time (0.6 FTE) Stewardship Officer to join their Fundraising Team. This 0.6 FTE permanent position is vacant following the move of the previous postholder to a fundraising role. It offers an ideal opportunity for a talented communicator to develop wide-ranging experience of working with donors and supporters, as part of a successful, supportive team.

Working as part of an experienced and successful Fundraising Team, the post holder will support the University in its stewardship activity for donors of charitable gifts and/or voluntary time – thanking, recognising, and reporting on impact through varied channels and activities.

Providing crucial relationship support to the entire fundraising and supporter relations teams at all levels, the post holder collates stories and narratives from across the University, then develops and delivers outstanding stewardship via reports, communications, events and (where relevant) bespoke ways of saying "thank you". The post holder plays a crucial role in building and deepening the trust and confidence of donors, ultimately helping to secure future donations by enhancing donor retention and renewal.

The postholder leads on frameworks and policies to ensure that donors (and other supporters) are looked after in ways which resonate with donors. To ensure these are commensurate with other universities and relevant charities, they utilise sector networks to identify and develop best practice in this field. The post holder will measure and monitor Cardiff University supporters’ experience, lead on projects, carry out supporting work, and provide specialist stewardship advice, guidance and support.

The successful candidate will have experience working in a stakeholder relations environment and will have the ability to collaborate with and inspire a wide range of people, including external funders and supporters; senior academic and professional services colleagues; and student beneficiaries. They will evidence strong communication skills which deliver impact to a range of audiences, and will be capable of delivering supporter events, meetings and University visits to strengthen relationships.

The Development and Alumni Relations Department currently works on campus every Wednesday and otherwise practices blended working.

This fundraising role requires infrequent UK travel and can involve planned evening and/or weekend work.
For an informal conversation prior to applying for this role, please contact Caroline Semmens, Deputy Director of Development and Head of Fundraising ([email protected]).

Please submit both a cover letter/statement and CV in your application, including the names of at least two referees. It is anticipated that interviews for this post will be held in Cardiff on XX September; please confirm your availability to attend interview in your application.  

This is a part-time (0.6 FTE), open-ended position   
  
Salary: Grade 5, £33,482 - £36,130 per annum, pro rata - appointments will usually be at the first spine point of the grade for staff moving from a lower grade role.  

Closing Date: Tuesday, 09 September 2025

External applications are currently not being considered for this post.  If the decision is made to open the post to external candidates, the strapline at the top will be removed and you will be given ample time to apply – please check back periodically for details.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Support the University by supporting donor and volunteer stewardship approach, activity and implementation by developing and implementing a programme of high quality reporting, communications, visits and events. Thank and recognise donors and supporters, reporting on impact to help secure and advance strong donor and supporter relations. Analyse and monitor Cardiff University supporters’ experience; lead projects; develop systems; and deliver stewardship (particularly via reports, communications and events). Provide specialist stewardship advice, guidance and support across the University.

Key Duties

• Deliver outstanding donor and supporter stewardship. Collate evidence of impact and stories from across the University. In collaboration with colleagues, develop and deliver excellent donor and supporter stewardship via reports, communications, events and (where relevant) bespoke ways of saying "thank you". Continuously improve this provision, reflecting the evolution of best practice, institutional change and customer requirements.
• Provide professional advice and guidance on donor and supporter stewardship (including analyses, activities, communications, events, processes and procedures), to internal customers. Use judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action, ensuring that complex and conceptual issues are understood and that these inform those actions.
• Investigate and analyse specific issues related to stewardship (informed by best practice advances in the education and charity sectors), monitoring individual ‘journeys’ of supporters in collaboration with colleagues. Recommend then, once approved, develop and implement solutions, in collaboration with colleagues to issues raised. Deliver strong supporter relations consistently and professionally.
• In keeping with sector best practice, and in collaboration with colleagues in the department and wider university, create analyses and reports, activities, new practices and/or policies to continuously improve the University’s stewardship programme. Ensure these are practicable, appropriate, and – once agreed and adopted – embedded and applied consistently.
• Establish working relationships, and appropriate communication links, with a broad range of key contacts across University schools, colleges, hubs and directorates - and outside bodies as required – particularly in order to gather often complex (occasionally, sensitive) information on the impact made by donor and volunteer support. Ensure this information is synthesised and deployed effectively via impactful donor and supporter stewardship reports, communications and activities.
• Create specific working groups with colleagues across the University to enable and progress outstanding stewardship, and other fundraising and supporter relations objectives.
• Supervise specific project teams to accomplish key objectives, such as delivering supporter stewardship events, meetings, and University visits.
• Develop and deliver specialist training (relating to donor supporter stewardship) to departmental colleagues and key University contacts including senior staff, as required. Instruct and guide colleagues about supporter stewardship as required.
• Ensure that appropriate administrative processes, particularly data analysis and record keeping utilising the department’s customer relationship management database, are in place to underpin and support the ambitions and activities of all donor and supporter stewardship programmes. Undertake appropriate administrative duties to ensure successful stewardship of donors and supporters.

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity

Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

36,130

Grade 5

33,482

Admin / Clerical, Business / Strategic Management

The Development and Alumni Relations department currently works on campus every Wednesday and otherwise practices blended working.

This fundraising role requires infrequent UK travel and can involve planned evening and/or weekend work.

We currently work on campus on Wednesdays and remotely (from home) for the rest of the week, unless there is a business need to be on campus. The option to work on campus full time is available if staff members choose to do this.

Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS

Essential Criteria
Qualifications and Education

1. Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

2. Substantial experience of working within a stakeholder relations discipline
3. Able to demonstrate professional knowledge within a stakeholder relations setting, and to give advice and guidance to internal and external customers 
4. Ability to set up standard office systems and procedures and make improvements as appropriate

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

5. Ability to communicate conceptually detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people
6. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly, and ability to lead and deliver a quality service.

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving

7. Evidence of ability to solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing practical solutions and resolving problems with range of potential outcomes
8. Evidence of demonstrable knowledge of key advances in stakeholder relations
9. Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning and setting priorities for own work and that of others and monitoring progress.

Other

10. A willingness to undertake further training and development

Desirable Criteria

1. Postgraduate/Professional qualification
2. Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
3. Experience of using a Customer Relationship Management database
4. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral