Business support administrator jobs in Manchester

About us

Our purpose is simple: to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue. We’re looking for a new Philanthropy Manager, homebased in the South East of England, to join our expanding Philanthropy Team. The Philanthropy Team supports the RNLI by working with individuals who are passionate about our work and want to make a difference through high-value gifts.

This is an exciting time to join the team as we are about to embark on a £150m capital appeal which the Philanthropy Team will be a key part of delivering. This is a new role, our second in the South East, and you will work closely with our experienced Philanthropy Manager who has been managing the whole area. You will have a dedicated geography of focus around but not exclusive to Essex, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and part of London.

Some of the benefits

• Flexible working
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Competitive pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan option
• Training & Development in Major Giving

Your role

As a Philanthropy Manager, you will be tasked with focus on the following areas:

• Growing and managing a portfolio of up to 70-90 major donors, to solicit and close five, six and seven figure gifts
• Building compelling cases for support that inspire and align with donors’ interests and identified needs
• Developing and hosting a small number of engagement, prospecting, and recognition events
• Providing excellent customer service and stewardship

About you

We’re looking for someone who loves meeting people and has a natural aptitude for selling and prospecting. You’ll thrive on developing relationships, inspiring others in the work of the RNLI. Your great communication skills will allow you to flex your style to a wider range of audiences, whether colleagues, senior stakeholders, donors or prospects. You’ll be self-motivated working as part of a remote team and be comfortable working outside regular office hours and travelling occasionally within the rest of the UK and Ireland as the job demands.

To be considered as a Philanthropy Manager, you will need:

• Ideally you will be able to have easy access to your key geographical areas highlighted above
• Relevant or transferable experience of account managing and developing and maintaining excellent relationships with individuals. You excel at Customer Service.
• Experience of working with stakeholders at all levels both internal and external, securing and managing meetings with senior stakeholders, flexing style to the audience.
• Excellent numerical skills and ability to prepare financial information, and ability to discuss and present complex information, and the ability to communicate with passion and authority
• This post requires a valid driving licence

So, as a Philanthropy Manager if you have the drive and enthusiasm to be part of our One Crew to achieve our Philanthropy goals and want to see how you can support our organisation’s aim to reduce drowning, this could be the role for you. To apply, please visit our jobs page.

Closing date: 9 August 2026.

Interview date: 18 August 2026.

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.

Head of Industrial Relations

£68,602 per annum + excellent benefits.

Home-based with travel to meetings/training across the country as required

Full time, permanent.

Lead negotiations. Influence change. Protect and strengthen the voice of school and college leaders.

Make A Difference

This is a rare opportunity to lead a highly influential function, shape national industrial relations activity and make a lasting difference to the professional lives of school and college leaders.

Why This Role Matters

As our clients Head of Industrial Relations, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring that school and college leaders have a strong and influential voice in shaping their pay, conditions and working environment. Leading their industrial relations and collective bargaining function, you will help safeguard members' rights, secure positive outcomes through negotiation, and strengthen their position as the leading professional body and trade union for education leaders. Your expertise will directly contribute to improving the working lives of members across the UK while ensuring the organisation remains legally compliant, strategically focused and highly respected within the sector.

Who We’re Looking For

Our client is seeking an experienced industrial relations, trade union or HR professional with a proven track record of leading successful negotiations at a senior level. You will bring substantial experience of collective bargaining, strong leadership capabilities, and a deep understanding of employment relations within complex organisations. You'll be a strategic thinker, an influential communicator and a confident relationship-builder who can work effectively with employers, trade unions, members and external stakeholders. A commitment to trade union principles, combined with the credibility to work alongside experienced school and college leaders, will be essential to your success in this role.

What You’ll Be Doing

You will lead and develop the Industrial Relations team, ensuring the delivery of a high-quality, consistent service to members nationwide. Working closely with employer groups, trade unions and local representatives, you will oversee negotiations, represent members at key joint negotiating committees, resolve disputes, and help secure the best possible terms, conditions and benefits for members. You will also provide strategic advice across the organisation, ensure compliance with relevant legislation and trade union requirements, support the development of local representatives, and contribute to the organisation's broader industrial relations strategy.

What our client can offer

Our client is an equal opportunities employer and offers a very generous package of benefits including

· Flexible working: Flexible working – a combination of working from home, attending external meetings and events and being in-person at their Leicester HQ as necessary.

· Generous leave: 33 days annual leave + bank holidays.

· Pension: 9% employer contribution.

· Professional development: Ongoing training and peer support.

· Expenses covered: Travel, home-working allowance, and equipment provided.

· Inclusive culture: They welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

They encourage applications regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

This is a home-based role with travel across England and Wales to meetings and events as required. Reasonable travel expenses, IT and telephone equipment will be provided.

If you’re ready to lead a team that makes a real difference to education leaders and organisations across the UK, they would love to hear from you.

INTERESTED?

The closing date for application is 4pm on Wednesday 5 August 2026.

Interviews will be held in-person, at HQ in Leicester on Wednesday 19 August 2026.

Start date: Tuesday 1 December 2026 but dependent on individual circumstances.

TO APPLY

To download the job description and person specification, follow the link on the 'Apply here' button above (which will take you to Networx Recruitment's website). From there, please complete your email address in the top right-hand box and click on the green 'Apply Now' button and follow the online application process.