We have two exciting opportunities to join this small, but ambitious charity that is a world leader in its specialist innovative field.

Medical Detection Dogs trains dogs to save lives. We train specialist dogs to detect the odour of human disease, providing life-saving alert assistance dogs to people with complex health problems across the UK and collaborating with NHS Trusts and other researchers and Universities both in the UK and internationally to advance the early diagnosis of disease. 

Vacancy 1:

Employer: Medical Detection Dogs

Job Title: Head of Fundraising

Job Location: Great Horwood, Buckinghamshire (minimum 3 days in office per week)

Salary: £48K – 52K

Hours: Permanent, Full Time (37.5 hours per week)

Job Description:

This is a pivotal leadership role within the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) at Medical Detection Dogs (MDD), combining strategic oversight with hands-on operational involvement. The role requires a proactive leader who can inspire a high-performing fundraising team while actively engaging in day-to-day fundraising activities.

As Head of Fundraising, you will lead the development and delivery of MDD’s income generation strategies across multiple streams. This includes rolling up your sleeves to participate in operational fundraising activities, engaging with supporters directly, and ensuring that established initiatives and campaigns are optimised and expanded.

Your ability to work collaboratively across the charity, combined with a strong focus on achieving results, will ensure that MDD continues to generate the income required to fund its vital work throughout the UK.

Strategic leadership and SLT contribution

• Provide strategic direction for all fundraising activities, ensuring alignment with MDD’s overall mission and objectives.
• Contribute to SLT discussions and charity-wide strategic initiatives, offering operational insights and aligning fundraising efforts with broader organisational goals.
• Represent the fundraising function at Board meetings, providing updates on performance, opportunities, and risks.

Operational hands-on involvement

• Actively participate in delivering key activities, such as “Name a Puppy,” and ensure their growth and success.
• Develop and maintain relationships with supporters, attending community events, presenting to groups, and engaging with donors to build loyalty and long-term support.
• Work with both the fundraising team and with colleagues across MDDm to create engaging campaigns and donor propositions that drive income.
• Be a visible, approachable leader who works alongside the team in operational activities, fostering a “lead by example” ethos.

 Income stream development

• Drive the growth of established income streams, including individual giving, community and events fundraising, corporate partnerships,philanthropic giving (trusts and major donors) and legacy giving.
• Identify and implement innovative approaches to diversify income streams, using data and insights to inform decisions, with clear KPIs to monitor progress
• Work closely with the head of communications to ensure campaigns like “Name a Puppy” have compelling narratives and effective promotional materials.

Team leadership and development

• Provide hands-on leadership to the fundraising team, ensuring they are motivated, trained, and supported to deliver high-quality results.
• Encourage a collaborative, solution-focused culture within the team, where innovation and resilience are fostered.
• Set clear goals for team members and provide regular feedback to ensure alignment with charity objectives.

Financial oversight and performance monitoring

• Lead on the creation and delivery of annual fundraising income and expenditure budgets, ensuring financial targets are realistic yet ambitious.
• Monitor performance across all fundraising activities, preparing regular reports and forecasts in collaboration with the head of finance.
• Address income shortfalls promptly by identifying and implementing corrective actions.

Other Duties

• Represent MDD at key events and meetings, both in person and virtually, to build and maintain relationships with key supporters.
• Ensure all fundraising activities comply with relevant legislation, including GDPR, and adhere to the standards set by the Fundraising Regulator.
• Actively contribute to cross-departmental projects and initiatives to further MDD’s mission.
• Embrace and demonstrate MDD’s values at all times.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

EXPERIENCE

Essential

• A track record of establishing, leading, growing a broad range of income streams and delivering successful fundraising strategies which achieve significant uplift in income generation for an organisation
• Proven success in participating in operational fundraising activities
• Experience of working at a senior level of an organisation and managing relationships with key stakeholders, such as at CEO and Board level
• Experience of monitoring, evaluating and financial reporting of income generation.
• Experience of developing robust stewardship plans to build long term relationships with key funders and supporters.
• Demonstrable experience of leading, managing and inspiring a team, including encouraging innovation and improving ways of working to build a resilient and high performing team
• Demonstrable experience in managing and growing a range of income streams, including donor engagement campaigns, including via digital
• Experience of managing and developing a small team to deliver both strategic and operational goals.

Desirable:

• Member of Chartered Institute of Fundraising

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Strong strategic thinking skills combined with a hands-on, operational approach to fundraising delivery.
• Highly effective written and verbal communication skills
• Good influencing and negotiation skills
• Strong people management skills with the ability to train and develop individuals and create a ‘one team’ positive ethos which works across an organisation to achieve results
• Understanding of GDPR legislation and Fundraising Regulator’s requirements
• Good working knowledge of CRM systems and a solid understanding of the role of data within a fundraising environment

Desirable

• Experience of Harlequin CRM

Other Requirements

• A full current driving license
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends
• You will be required to have a criminal record check carried out by the Disclosure & Barring (DBS) when you first join the charity and at regular intervals thereafter.
• Comfortable with dogs in the workplace/office

Benefits

• Sick Pay
• Health Cash Plan
• 26 days holiday, increasing with service.
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Life Assurance
• Free On-site parking

Application Details: Please send your current CV with covering letter (no longer than one A4 sheet) stating why you would like the role to hr@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Vacancy 2:

Employer: Medical Detection Dogs

Job Title: Community and Events Fundraising Manager (Maternity Cover)

Job Location: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire (Hybrid)

Salary: £26,000 – £28,000 per year

Hours: Full-time (would consider 30 hours) with some evening and weekend work as required temporary contract (up to 12 months)

Job Description:

MAIN PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE JOB

To develop and manage a calendar of both MDD owned and community led events in order to maximise income and raise awareness of the charity. To support MDD volunteers in delivering their fundraising activities by ensuring best practice at all times and working closely with the Volunteer Manager to provide guidance and training to ensure compliance. To develop an effective programme of support for individuals taking part in third party challenge events in aid of MDD.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone committed, passionate and full of ideas about how to grow community fundraising at MDD.

Reports to: Head of Fundraising

Overall Responsibilities

• To deliver a range of community activities and events, maximising engagement of supporters and achieving income targets. Develop appropriate processes, procedures and guidelines to ensure that community fundraisers receive a consistently high level of support.
• Plan, support and deliver events and activities organised directly by MDD and promote the charity at external events.
• Work with Head of Fundraising on developing income and expenditure plans, with responsibility for monitoring and reporting regularly on individual event budgets and income targets.

Community

• Engage with local communities, groups and societies, building new relationships and strengthening existing ones, to raise awareness of MDD with the objective of increasing income in line with targets
• Provide support, advice and encouragement to groups and individuals wishing to raise funds in aid of MDD
• Regularly review quality and success rates of MDD merchandise, helping to maximise sales through community events and ensuing that promotional material is distributed to volunteers and accounted for.

Events

• Lead and develop the calendar of events, taking responsibility for the delivery and provide onsite management on the day
• Manage any volunteers required to support the safe delivery of all events
• Work alongside the Marketing and Communications Team to develop and implement plans to promote all events

Challenge Events

• Develop and produce supporter materials and provide excellent one to one support for all event participants (individuals and teams participating in third party and / or hosted challenge activities). Working closely with the Corporate Fundraising Manager to engage with teams of corporate participants.

General Administration

•  Act as first point of contact for Fundraising Team, offering exceptional customer service to supporters.
• Update the Harlequin CRM database as required to ensure all information on our supporters and their activities on our behalf is as accurate and up to date as possible.
• Take responsibility for health and safety, events insurance, liability, safeguarding and data protection for all events, including managing risk and maintaining event data in line with legislation and data governance.

Other tasks or ad hoc duties agreed with your line manager required to ensure the successful running of the charity.

EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

• Experience of fundraising, preferably within a community or events team
• Experience of planning, organising and delivering events
• Excellent time management skills with the ability to prioritise multiple tasks to meet deadlines.
• An ability to work unsupervised and within a team to demonstrate a high level of innovation
• Confident and self-motivated individual with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people at different levels.
• Enthusiastic and able to inspire people who want to raise funds for the charity
• A good level of competency is required in MS Office packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

DESIRABLE

• Prior experience of using CRM systems
• An understanding of the legal obligations of Charity Law and regulation
• Experience of public speaking and presenting to a diverse range of audiences

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• A full current driving license
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends
• You will be required to have a criminal record check carried out by the Disclosure & Barring (DBS) when you first join the charity and at regular intervals thereafter.
• Comfortable with dogs in the workplace/office

BENEFITS

• Sick Pay
• Health Cash Plan
• 26 days holiday, increasing with service.
• 5% Employer Pension Contribution
• Life Assurance
• Free On-site parking

Application Details: Please send your current CV with covering letter (no longer than one A4 sheet) stating why you would like the role to hr@medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

Website Link: Work for us – Medical Detection Dogs