Partnerships Manager

Do you enjoy building and managing strong relationships?

Are you thoughtful and emotionally intelligent?

Do you have the drive and energy we need to help us transform lives and society?

We are recruiting a Partnerships Manager to join our partnerships team. This exciting role will be responsible for building and managing relationships with some of our most important funding partners. Partners include major corporate businesses, individual philanthropists and family trusts.

Who we are and why we are needed

The Fore is creating a society that solves its own problems. Each year we provide funding and skills to the best grassroots charities and social enterprises in the UK and we are growing.

Across the UK, talented people within communities are building practical solutions to our most complex challenges – from poverty and mental health to education, exclusion and sustainability. However, the vast majority of these solutions do not achieve their potential to drive wider change across society because of failures in how the funding system works.

The Fore is the UK’s only venture philanthropy fund that has cracked the code in how to identify and fund grassroots innovation and catalyse change. Since 2017, The Fore has been backing the best grassroots leaders and solutions with astonishing results. So far over 50% of organisations supported eight years ago have gone on to influence policy, shape national conversations and change lives at scale – see The Fore’s 2024/25 Impact Report.

Currently The Fore is funding around 50 of the best local organisations per year and supporting hundreds of others with skills. However, as an organisation we need to do more. We are looking to scale our impact through two routes. Firstly, by increasing our work backing the best charities and convening and educating donors, and secondly by leading change in the broader funding system.

The role

The Partnerships Manager will be responsible for stewarding and growing relationships with our corporate partners, philanthropists, trusts and foundations. They will also lead on developing new partnership opportunities, working closely with leadership, trustees and the partnerships team to strengthen our core offer, build relationships with new prospects, and develop partnerships around strategic growth opportunities including the Scale-Up Programme and The Fore Impact Index.

This is a hands-on role for someone who is excited by both relationship management and business development, and who can turn strong ideas into compelling propositions and long-term partnerships.

Key responsibilities

Partnership management

• Deliver first-class stewardship for existing partners spanning corporations, trusts and foundations, individual philanthropists and sector partners.
• Be the first point of contact for key stakeholders, understanding their priorities and identifying opportunities to deepen their engagement with The Fore.
• Identify opportunities to deepen, renew and expand existing partnerships over time.
• Prepare proposals, pitches, reports and engagement plans for existing and prospective partners.
• Support the delivery and development of The Fore’s core corporate and philanthropy offer, including opportunities for funding, skilled volunteering and engagement with our portfolio.
• Coordinate high-quality impact and progress reporting, drawing together relevant data, case studies and portfolio updates.
• Represent The Fore at partner meetings, events and other external engagements.
• Maintain accurate partner and income information through Salesforce, including key commitments, reporting requirements and renewal opportunities.

Prospect research and business development

• Work closely with leadership, Partnerships Manager and Partnerships Coordinator to develop compelling partnership propositions, approaches and proposals to priority prospects.
• Work closely with the COO, OnPurpose Associate and Partnerships Coordinator to develop prospect pipeline for The Fore Impact Index, identifying aligned partners who can contribute funding, expertise and skills.
• Provide input into prospect pipeline (with Partnerships Coordinator and COO) for corporate partnerships, identifying aligned partners and developing tailored approaches, proposals and pitches.
• Support leadership, trustees and the partnerships team with business development materials, prospect research and meeting preparation.

Partner engagement and value creation

• Be the point of contact for the follow-on funding programme (Scale-Up) partner engagement, communications, meetings and funding decisions, working closely with the COO and Programme Manager on delivery.
• Oversee the delivery of The Fore’s Pro Bono Network with Partnerships and Programme Coordinator, connecting our portfolio with skilled volunteers and ensuring a high-quality experience for organisations, volunteers and partners.
• Facilitate skilled volunteering and employee engagement opportunities, including bespoke corporate matchmaking, webinars and events, to deepen partner engagement and create value for our portfolio.
• Support Partnerships and Programme Coordinator on ensuring the successful delivery of our donor breakfast series (Funders Collective), working closely with leadership and partnerships team to deliver an annual programme of 3 to 6 high-quality events and deepen engagement with our community of philanthropists and funders.
• Support the development and delivery of The Fore’s philanthropy education programme, including workshops for philanthropists.
• Use feedback, participation and impact data to continually strengthen these initiatives and identify opportunities to create greater value for partners and our portfolio.

Talent management and organisational development

• Manage and develop the Partnerships and Programme Coordinator, setting clear priorities and supporting their professional development.
• Work collaboratively across the organisation to support effective and efficient ways of working.
• Be a role model for junior team members, contributing to a culture of high standards, collaboration, learning and mutual support.
• Adopt a continuous improvement mindset, strengthening ways of working and value for partners and our portfolio whilst maintaining a steadfast commitment to our mission.

Brand awareness

• Work closely with the CEO and wider team to ensure our communications and brand activity support our income-generation ambitions.

Person specification

Experience

• Strong relationship-building and partner cultivation skills.
• Strong emotional intelligence – ability to swiftly assess and understand individual motivations and tailor your style and communication.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate compellingly with a range of stakeholders online and in person.
• Experience of business development, including identifying and cultivating prospects and working towards targets.
• Ability to develop compelling partnership propositions, pitches and proposals.
• Experience of delivering the highest levels of stewardship.
• Strong judgement and the ability to identify where there is genuine alignment and value for both partners and The Fore.
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively across teams.
• Experience of corporate partnerships, philanthropy or fundraising.
• Proficiency in CRM systems (ideally Salesforce), using data to manage and prioritise prospects, activity and opportunities is desirable.

Attributes

• A people person – friendly, enthusiastic and engaging.
• Positive and solutions-oriented, with a drive for excellence.
• Strong attention to detail and a highly professional approach.
• Entrepreneurial, adaptable and creative.
• A demonstrable self-starter with excellent follow-through; able to take ownership, meet deadlines and work well under pressure.
• Curious and keen to learn, combining ambition and drive with humility and openness to others’ expertise.
• Commitment to fairness, ethical behaviour, and listening to and valuing others’ opinions.
• Awareness of and sensitivity to cultural differences; values diversity and its importance to an organisation’s performance.

We are a lean and nimble organisation, and this is an exciting role in a growing team. Responsibilities may change and develop as the organisation moves forward, and we are looking for someone who is excited to help us build its future.

We believe diversity of perspective makes us better. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates, and candidates with disabilities.

Key details

Contract: Permanent contract with a six-month probationary period. The role is full time (37.5 hours per week).

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer.

Location: Our office is based at Vox Studios in Vauxhall, London. We have a hybrid working pattern of three days in the office (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) and two days at home (Wednesday and Friday).

Annual leave: 25 days leave, rising by 1 day for each year of service up to a total of 30 days, plus bank holidays and an additional 4 days during our Christmas closure.

Next steps

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter addressed to Rachel Crawford, Chief Operating Officer, to [email removed - click apply for more details] 

In your covering letter, please:

• say why you would like to work for The Fore; and
• explain how your skills and experience are transferable to the needs of this role.

Application deadline: Tuesday 1 September 2026, 10am (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, early applications encouraged).

Key dates

• Ideally, we are looking for someone to start at the end of October but will consider later start dates for the right candidate
• Hiring Manager Interviews: 8–9 September
• Panel Interviews: week commencing 14 September

You can download a copy of the job description from our vacancies page: https://thefore.org/vacancies/