9 Chief executive jobs for the Animal sector

Want to use your fundraising experience to create real, visible change for thousands of Sri Lankan street dogs? Join a small, ambitious charity where your ideas, relationships and fundraising expertise can have a direct impact.

WECare Worldwide is looking for an experienced and hands-on Head of Fundraising to join us for a 12-month maternity cover and take ownership of our fundraising strategy and income generation.

We are a UK- and Sri Lanka-registered animal welfare charity providing international-standard veterinary care to street dogs in Sri Lanka. We are a small and collaborative organisation, so this is a role for someone who enjoys combining strategic fundraising leadership with hands-on delivery. You will work closely with the CEO and colleagues across WECare to help shape how we grow our income, while remaining actively involved in the day-to-day fundraising work needed to deliver results.

A major focus will be our individual giving and digital fundraising, including online donations, regular giving and fundraising appeals. This is currently one of our most important sources of income, and we’re looking for someone who can help us strengthen supporter engagement, improve donor journeys and identify opportunities to grow sustainable income.

You’ll also play a key role in developing our grants and trusts & foundations income, from identifying opportunities and building compelling applications through to reporting and stewardship. Alongside this, you’ll nurture and develop major donor relationships and explore the right corporate partnership opportunities for WECare.

This is very much a role for someone who enjoys both thinking strategically and getting things done. You might be developing the fundraising plan one day, working on a significant grant application the next, reviewing digital fundraising performance, shaping an appeal or speaking directly with a donor or potential partner.

You’ll work with colleagues across the organisation to turn the incredible work happening on the ground in Sri Lanka into compelling stories, funding propositions and campaigns that inspire people to support WECare.

We’d love to hear from you if you have a strong track record in fundraising, particularly across individual giving, trusts and foundations, major donors or other high-value income streams. You’ll be commercially aware, comfortable working with targets and forecasts, confident building relationships and happy taking initiative in a fast-moving environment.

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who genuinely wants to make an impact. WECare is an ambitious organisation with big plans, but we remain small enough that the person in this role can make a tangible difference to both our fundraising direction and the animals our work exists to help.

Location: Remote
Contract: Fixed-term, 12-month maternity cover
Reporting to: CEO

Please see the full Job Description for further details about the role and experience we’re looking for.

About us

Greyhound Rescue Wales (GRW) is Wales’ leading charity dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming greyhounds and lurchers. Founded in 1993, we have spent more than three decades championing the welfare of sighthounds and working towards our vision: a Wales without greyhound racing, where every greyhound and lurcher has a home and receives the best possible care.

In April 2026, after 25 years of determined campaigning to improve welfare and regulation within the racing industry, legislation to ban greyhound racing in Wales was finally passed. This landmark achievement marks the beginning of a new chapter for GRW as we expand our reach and capacity across the UK to ensure every greyhound leaving the racing industry has a rescue space, medical support and rehabilitation on the journey towards their forever home.

To help us grow sustainably and strengthen our long‑term impact, we are now seeking to develop our fundraising team with the creation of a Head of Fundraising role. You will lead and work closely with the Trusts & Foundations Officer, Sponsorship & Individual Giving Officer and Community & Events Fundraiser to deliver an annual income target of £400K+.

Role

The Head of Fundraising is a senior leadership role with overall accountability for the strategic development, operational effectiveness and performance of all fundraising activity at Greyhound Rescue Wales (GRW).

The role will drive, lead and grow our fundraising strategy and has responsibility for developing diverse, sustainable income streams and building strong relationships with supporters, partners, and funders.

The role holds end‑to‑end accountability for income delivery across trusts and foundations, community and event fundraising, and sponsorship and individual giving.

The Head of Fundraising provides clear leadership to the fundraising team and has line management responsibility for:

• Trusts and Foundations Officer
• Community and Events Fundraising Officer
• Sponsorship & Individual Giving Officer

Please see attached the full job description and person specification

This is an opportunity to join a dynamic and successful fundraising, engagement and communications team, helping to drive forward an organisation that is seeking to grow and develop to meet a changing conservation environment for whales and dolphins.

We are looking for someone that can lead a team but will also be a fundraiser in their own right, willing to initiate and take on projects. They need the experience to drive the strategic direction, innovation, and operational excellence needed to grow fundraising income, strengthen brand awareness and deepen engagement with donors and supporters.

The successful candidate will be an important part of WDC’s senior management team, working closely with the CEO and other senior colleagues to lead the organisation into its next stage of development, building resilience and impact in all that we do.

Dean Farm Trust is seeking an experienced and compassionate Sanctuary Operations Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day leadership and operational management of our 32-acre animal sanctuary near Chepstow.

Home to 200 rescued animals, including pigs, cows, sheep, goats, equines and birds, Dean Farm Trust provides a home for life to animals in need. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role with animal welfare at its heart.

The Sanctuary Operations Manager will lead our on-site team, working through our Team Leaders to ensure the Sanctuary operates safely, effectively and to the highest standards of animal welfare. The role will oversee staffing and rotas, volunteer development, recruitment and training, budgets and resources, facilities and maintenance, land and pasture management, health and safety, compliance, contractors, projects and the operational delivery of Sanctuary events and activities.

We are looking for someone with strong leadership and people-management experience who is confident managing a busy operational environment and developing both staff and volunteers. You will need to be organised, practical and able to balance the immediate demands of running a sanctuary with longer-term planning and improvement.

This is an important appointment for Dean Farm Trust as we strengthen our operational structure and build a sustainable future for the Sanctuary. The successful candidate will work closely with the Director and Trustees while taking real ownership of Sanctuary operations and providing strong, consistent on-site leadership.

A genuine commitment to animal welfare and to the values of Dean Farm Trust is essential.

Please read our full Candidate Pack before applying. It includes the complete Job Description, information about Dean Farm Trust and further background on why we are recruiting for this role now.

About Animal Defenders International

London – Los Angles – Bogota – South Africa. Animal Defenders International (ADI) is a UK non-profit; ADI Foundation is a UK registered charity (inc. Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research); Animal Defenders International Inc.US (nonprofit). Animal Defenders International South Africa, PBO (charity), funding the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa. ADI works to protect wildlife, our environment; to end suffering of animals in entertainment (circuses, movies, shows, sports); replacement of animals in research & testing with advanced technology. When governments ban the use of all, or wild animals in entertainment, or wildlife pets, ADI supports with relocation of the animals, emptying all circus cages in Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala. The ADI Wildlife Sanctuary (ADIWS), South Africa, is home to over 30 rescued big cats from circuses, illegal pet trade, zoos. 

Location: London (hybrid/remote; 3 days office, 2 days remote)

Terms:             Permanent, full time. Benefits: 20 days annual leave; national holidays; 5 days office closure Christmas–New Year; Stakeholder pension.

Reports to: ADI President and Vice President

Position objective:

• Ensures every aspect of ADI’s work is fully funded.
• Planned growth of ADI income from general public, marketing, special projects and appeals, foundations and corporate support.
• Implements fundraising appeals; marketing strategies; major gifts, foundations, corporate support; promotions of legacies; estates.
• Obtains funding for special projects, e.g., science research, ADIWS support, capital projects.
• Annual and quarterly plans, strategies, alliances, growth of ADI income through marketing, social media, legacy media, donor relationships, corporate support.
• Effective management of fundraising and development teams.

Duties:

• Production of quarterly and annual fundraising, marketing corporate and media plan: targets – quarterly, annual; schedules, outlines, incorporating senior management team objectives (media, science projects, campaigns, education, rescues, ADIWS).
• Outreach – corporate, foundations, major donors, other.
• Donor base: sustained giving; digital and postal direct response; increasing donor engagement and retention; planned giving; special events/calendar dates; major gifts; grants; corporate; legacies, trusts, estates; new income research.
• Manages fundraising calendar, mailings, events, targets, tracking; includes social media.
• Grant Applications, foundations, corporate: Identify, plan, approach, draft grant applications/letters of inquiry and collateral for foundations, trusts, corporate partnerships and gifts, major donor gifts.
• Donor liaison, relationships: high donors, foundations, estates, corporate, sponsors.
• Reporting – weekly, monthly, quarter, annual: income tracking, supervise production of data for quarterly reports, annual.
• Liaison with senior directors: Weekly.

Publications, Social, Websites, Online & Print

• Weekly Social media posts – contribute copy, graphics
• Weekly E-News alerts to supporters (with public relations director)
• Contributes fundraising and development section to Annual Report
• Contributes copy for quarterly Rescuer magazines
• Other contributions to publications as needed
• General: Drafting copy, editing, production; collaborates with public relations/senior directors on various publications
• Oversees production of print and online publications – liaison with external graphic designers (collaboration with public relations director)
• Websites – contribute content, collaborate with public relations on structure.
• Advertising, marketing, ADI YouTube channel – develop fundraising, marketing.

Management, data, oversight, reporting:

• Management of UK supporter engagement, fundraising team.
• Oversight of Raiser’s Edge NXT, Engaging Networks, interface with financial database and records; liaison with Chief Financial Officer.
• Monitor, manage, daily: data entry, gifts, acknowledgements, income tracking, donor communications; distribution of newsletters; calls to action; appeals. Reporting.
• Monitor, manage reconciliations, data manipulation, data-integrity projects, audits, segmentation, quarterly and other reports.
• Oversee planning, mailings, responses, data management.
• Monthly and quarterly reports: income, mailings, gifts, trusts, estates, corporate, other.

Who should apply:

You have the necessary skills and experience, with at least 4 years’ experience in fundraising planning and management for charities, including:

• Educated to degree level in a related field (or equivalent experience) (required).
• A successful track record in direct response campaign fundraising and marketing.
• Excellent written English, you can demonstrate impactful and persuasive content for high donors, foundations, corporate support, supporters, social media, marketing and legacy promotion (required).
• Strong technical skills, data management, manipulation; MS Office suite, Excel/Google, etc; competent with digital research (NB: ChatGPT not permitted for ADI product) (required).
• Strong Raiser’s Edge NXT and Engaging Networks skills (or similar); segmentation, creating lists and reports, data hygiene, audits (required).
• Some knowledge of social media tools, e.g. Canva, Photoshop, or other.
• You can plan and deliver programs for regular and planned giving, major gifts, estates, support from foundations, corporate support (required).
• Management of external vendors for direct response campaigns, production of merchandise catalogue and other sales, marketing, collateral.
• Ensures compliance with ADI’s language, policies, communications style guidelines, editing and publications authorization process (required).
• Skilled at organization and multitasking, you can successfully handle competing priorities and deadlines (required).
• Supporter Engagement culture: strong verbal and written communication skills, you can create a friendly, welcoming approach, for supporters with their donations and advocacy.
• Oversight and Management of staff and supporter relations (required):

- Create friendly, positive, service-oriented approach to help supporters donate and advocate for animals.

- Diligent processing/handling of donations, acknowledgements, correspondence, phone calls.

- Integrity and confidentiality in the handling of sensitive and confidential information

- Integrity of financial records with finance database; liaison with CFO.

• You are reliable, able to work both independently and collaboratively.

About Us:

ADI is Great Nonprofits Top-rated; Charity Navigator 4-star. Operating from London, Los Angeles, Bogota and South Africa. Exposes animal suffering and works for legal protection; replacement of animals used in research; ending the suffering of animals in entertainment; movies, advertising, circuses, sport. Wildlife trade, environment. Once animal circuses are banned ADI helps governments with implementation and relocation of the survivors to ADI Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa: ADI has featured in CBS 60 Minutes, Animal Planet Discovery features and made award-winning documentary, Lion Ark (broadcast in over 40 countries).

Our internal policies:

ADI is dedicated to ending the suffering of animals and works for their legal protection. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment, and a plant-based lifestyle is preferred. ADI is also committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, physical ability or other.

How to apply: 

• Apply early – no closing date – applications and interviews on rolling programme.
• Send email detailing how you meet our criteria, together with your CV.
• A formal application form will be sent if you have been selected for interview.
• Interviews online and in person – once your application form has been reviewed.
• In-person interviews arranged following virtual interviews.
• If you have been selected for interview we will send you an application form to complete beforehand; this is an essential part of our recruitment process.
• Virtual interviews will be arranged once your application form has been reviewed.
• In-person interviews will be arranged following virtual interviews.

Who we are

Nature is in crisis. People are destroying and consuming the natural world at a devastating rate, threatening the ecosystems on which all life depends. Birds are our early warning system, revealing the health of our planet and helping us understand the urgent action needed to protect it.

BirdLife International is the world’s largest partnership for nature conservation, bringing together 125 national organisations across six continents to protect birds, biodiversity and the natural systems that sustain life. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we work at the intersection of science, policy and community action to tackle the global nature and climate crises.

Using world-leading bird science, we collect and analyse data from across continents, landscapes and seascapes to identify the most effective and innovative conservation solutions. Our work conserves species, safeguards critical habitats and empowers communities to create lasting change for nature and people.

At the heart of BirdLife is a powerful global movement. More than two million birders, scientists and local volunteers help track, study and protect birdlife around the world, generating the knowledge and action needed to drive conservation impact at scale. Together, we are giving nature a voice and building a future in which birds, wildlife and people can thrive.

BirdLife International’s Development Team is in an exciting new phase of recruitment and growth and will be hiring for a number of roles to support growth and sustainability across the organisation – including this newly created role.

About the role

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and working with colleagues worldwide, the Head of Major Gifts will lead the organisation’s major gifts programme, taking responsibility for both strategic development and frontline fundraising. The Head of Major Gifts will build pipeline, create new opportunities, strengthen fundraising discipline and embed a proactive new-business culture across the major gifts function. Seeking to grow and develop this area, the Head of Major Gifts will play both an operational and strategic role – personally winning and managing relationships at the £250k+ level, as well as developing the team and the strategy. It will also have the opportunity to partner with the Chief Development Officer on principal gifts at the £1m+ level.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a major and principal gifts strategy to grow high-value individual giving across the UK, US and other global markets, in partnership with the CDO.
• Lead, coach and develop the Major Gifts team of 3, providing direct, hands-on role-modelling in cultivation and solicitation.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Development Management Team to steward the Development programme at BirdLife and collectively lead transformational change, especially the shared delivery of the Development strategy.
• Represent Major Gifts on the Principal Gifts Working Group.
• Identify opportunities to grow BirdLife’s donor base in key regions, particularly in the U.S. and Europe.
• Personally develop and manage a portfolio of £250k–£1m+ donors and prospects and provide direct, hands-on support to the CDO on principal-level (£1m+) relationships and proposals.
• Ensure each team member undertakes new business activity to build a robust pipeline within designated markets and giving levels, feeding future portfolio growth for the team.
• Set and monitor major gifts income targets and performance goals; track progress and pipeline health and provide regular reports to leadership on revenue generation and donor engagement and take corrective actions as needed.
• Manage the Major Gifts team budget, recruitment and resource allocation.

Who we are looking for

This role would suit a seasoned major gifts leader, ideally with experience in the conservation and/or international NGO space. We are looking for someone who enjoys being both hands-on and strategic, with experience securing and managing transformative (£250k+) gifts – and coaching others to maximise their own portfolios. A new-business mindset is crucial, as this role will continue BirdLife International’s major-giving growth trajectory.

• Experience personally raising six- and seven-figure gifts from individuals.
• Experience of successfully developing and delivering a major gifts/principal gifts strategy.
• Experience coaching or line-managing fundraisers to develop their own donor relationships.
• Experience working in an international, complex, not-for-profit environment.
• Experience managing a small major gifts team, including budgetary responsibility.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams and with external stakeholders using a partnerships approach.

Location: Remote, UK, with travel to the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 5th October

We are looking for a Supporter Experience Officer to deliver an exceptional experience to all supporters across the organisation, by implementing a diverse range of personalised communication journeys across a range of channels and audiences to retain support and increase engagement with Battersea.

The ideal candidate will:

• have proven experience in planning, delivering and evaluating direct marketing campaigns across multiple channels, with strong knowledge of direct marketing principles.
• be highly organised and detail-oriented, able to manage multiple complex projects, competing priorities and tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality work with minimal supervision.
• have excellent relationship-management and communication skills, with experience working collaboratively with internal teams and external suppliers, developing clear campaign briefs and effectively communicating objectives, messaging and requirements.
• be proactive and solutions-focused, with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills and a track record of successfully introducing new and improved ways of working.
• be accountable for achieving results and managing income and expenditure within their remit, with strong reporting and analytical skills. They will have excellent written English, strong numerical ability and advanced IT/MS Office skills.
• be an excellent communicator and influencer, able to present, negotiate, build credibility and develop positive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. They will also demonstrate empathy and resilience when handling sensitive issues and be comfortable working effectively in a changing, high-pressure environment.

What we can offer you:

In return for your commitment to our cause and to recognise the value of our employees, Battersea offers a range of benefits to support the wellbeing of our employees. These include:

• 28 days of annual leave (plus 8 days paid public holidays) per year.
• Discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes.
• Employee Assistance Programme and access to Wellbeing Resources.
• Generous pension contributions - up to 10% employer contribution.
• Free healthcare cash plan, where you can claim for a range of treatment including dental, optical, physiotherapy, chiropody and acupuncture every year.
• Annual interest-free season ticket loans.

We are also committed to providing learning and development to our employees. During your time with us, we provide support for your professional and career development, including access to digital and in-person training programmes, leadership and management training, mentoring and much more.

Diversity and inclusion:

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all staff, volunteers and trustees and those hoping to join us. We operate an anonymised shortlisting process and actively seek to ensure our process is fair and equitable for all.

We understand the value of diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences to help us deliver even more for our dogs and cats, and we welcome applicants from all sections of the community.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we will ask about any adjustments you may need at application and/or interview stage, and if you are offered a role with us, we’ll talk to you about any workplace adjustments you may need to help you perform at your best. If you would like to talk more about this, please contact us. Greyscale copies of the recruitment pack are also available on request.

More about us:

At Battersea, we aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help. We give each one lots of love, expert care and get to know their characters and quirks so we can find them a new home that’s just right for them. Join us and help us be here for every dog and cat, wherever they are, for as long as they need us.

Acceptable use of AI:

At Battersea, we value expertise. We recognise each candidate that applies to us will have a range of expertise they can offer us, so we want to hear about this in your own words. We understand the support that generative artificial intelligence (AI) software can offer but it can also lead to numerous applications presenting as generic and impersonal. This makes it difficult to gain understanding of your unique experience.

To best showcase yourself, we encourage you to write your responses without the assistance of AI. If you require the use of AI software to aid in completing your application, we ask you use the generative responses as a prompt for writing your answers and avoid copying and pasting. You must also ensure the information presented in your application accurately reflects your experience.

Closing date: Tuesday 15th September 2026, 11.59pm

All applications must be submitted before the closing date advertised. We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications is received.

Interview date(s):

First round (Online, via MS Teams) - Thursday 24th and Friday 25th September 2026

Second round (In person) - Week commencing 5th October 2026

For more information about the role, please download our Recruitment pack.

Who we are

Nature is in crisis. People are destroying and consuming the natural world at a devastating rate, threatening the ecosystems on which all life depends. Birds are our early warning system, revealing the health of our planet and helping us understand the urgent action needed to protect it.

BirdLife International is the world’s largest partnership for nature conservation, bringing together 125 national organisations across six continents to protect birds, biodiversity and the natural systems that sustain life. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we work at the intersection of science, policy and community action to tackle the global nature and climate crises.

Using world-leading bird science, we collect and analyse data from across continents, landscapes and seascapes to identify the most effective and innovative conservation solutions. Our work conserves species, safeguards critical habitats and empowers communities to create lasting change for nature and people.

At the heart of BirdLife is a powerful global movement. More than two million birders, scientists and local volunteers help track, study and protect birdlife around the world, generating the knowledge and action needed to drive conservation impact at scale. Together, we are giving nature a voice and building a future in which birds, wildlife and people can thrive.

BirdLife International’s Development Team is in an exciting new phase of recruitment and growth and will be hiring for a number of roles to support growth and sustainability across the organisation – including this newly created role.

About the role

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer and working closely with colleagues globally, the Head of Trusts and Foundations will lead the organisation’s largest income-generation area. Much of this support comes through relationship-led, long-term, multi-year partnerships that underpin the organisation’s global conservation work. Seeking to grow, develop and diversify this area, the Head of Trusts and Foundations will play both an operational and strategic role – personally winning and managing larger accounts, as well as developing the team and the strategy. The successful candidate will inherit a committed and experienced international team, a strong portfolio of existing funders and an organisation with a globally respected conservation mission. They will also play a critical role in shaping the next phase of growth and helping BirdLife expand its reach among major funders globally.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive trusts & foundations strategy to grow restricted and lightly restricted multi-year income globally.
• Lead, coach and develop the 3-person Trusts & Foundations team.
• Represent Trusts & Foundations on the Development Management Team to steward the Development programme at BirdLife and collectively lead transformational change, especially the shared delivery of the Development strategy.
• Represent Trusts & Foundations on the Principal Gifts Working Group to progress transformational trust and foundation opportunities alongside principal gifts.
• Identify opportunities to grow BirdLife’s global trusts and foundations donor base.
• Personally develop and manage BirdLife’s largest and most complex trust and foundation relationships and lead cultivation of transformational trust and foundation prospects.
• Set and monitor trusts & foundations income targets and performance goals; track progress, pipeline health and compliance status and provide regular reports to leadership on revenue generation, taking corrective action as needed.
• Manage the Trusts & Foundations team budget, recruitment and resource allocation.

Who we are looking for

This role would suit a seasoned trusts and foundations leader, ideally with experience in the conservation and/or international NGO space. We are looking for someone who enjoys being a player-coach, both hands-on and strategic, with experience securing and managing transformative (6- and 7-figure) grants – and coaching others to do the same.

• Experience personally raising six- and seven-figure grants from trusts and foundation donors and managing ongoing relationships with them.
• Experience of successfully developing and delivering a trusts & foundations fundraising strategy.
• Experience working in an international, complex, not-for-profit environment.
• Experience managing a small trusts & foundations team, including budgetary responsibility.
• Expert knowledge of current and evolving trusts & foundations fundraising practice.
• Good understanding of climate, biodiversity, civil society and nature conservation issues, or willingness to learn.
• Solid knowledge of restricted funding compliance, reporting and grant management.

Location: Remote, UK, with travel to the David Attenborough Building in Cambridge
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 5th October