Head of Development

The arts and mental health charity Hospital Rooms was founded when artist Tim A Shaw and curator Niamh White’s friend was sectioned and admitted to an NHS mental health hospital. They were shocked to find the hospital environment cold and clinical, especially at a time when she was so vulnerable. Having worked in the arts for 10 years, Tim A Shaw and Niamh White felt they had the skills and community to transform these spaces with unique and site-specific artworks.

Hospital Rooms envisions a world where abundant and meaningful creative opportunities are readily accessible to people with severe and enduring mental health diagnoses and where mental health hospital environments are inventive cultural spaces offering solace, comfort and dignity. We work with established and emerging artists to radically transform clinical settings with world-leading contemporary art. We are a fast-paced, enthusiastic team with a knack for problem-solving, driven by a shared mission to blaze a creative path for others to follow. To thrive in this role, you will need to be highly self-motivated, committed to being a supportive and collegiate team member, and an open, effective communicator.

This is an exciting moment to join Hospital Rooms. As we celebrate ten years of extraordinary art in mental health hospitals, and look forward to the next ten, our Head of Development will be a critical driving force behind our financial success and influence, leveraging our legacy to lead us into our next decade. Working closely alongside the Managing Director and Development Committee, the Head of Development will be pivotal in maintaining current and securing new fundraising opportunities and partnerships aligned with our strategic vision. This dynamic role manages multiple, crucial income streams, including grants, donations, and high-value corporate partnerships, as well as exciting fundraising opportunities.

Key Objectives

• Working with the Executive Team, design, lead, and execute an ambitious multi-year strategy for all donated income streams to set and hit annual revenue targets, including grants from trusts and foundations, donations, gifts and legacies, corporate sponsorship and fundraising initiatives. • Serve as a principal ambassador for Hospital Rooms, building deep, high-value relationships with the Arts Council England (ACE), major donors, corporate partners, and foundations. • Partner with Head of Impact and wider teams to leverage creative human stories, clinical data and economic ROI narratives into compelling philanthropic propositions.

Main Duties

Leadership • Act as the lead and primary point of contact for the Hospital Rooms Development Committee, collaborating closely with the Executive Team and Chair of Trustees. • Oversee and expand our high value supporter networks including the Gallery Circle, maximising engagement, retention, and lifetime value of patrons and high-net-worth supporters. • Attend weekly Heads of Department meetings to contribute and collaborate with Managing Director, Head of Curatorial and Head of Impact to ensure fundraising strategies align with Hospital Rooms overall goals and mission, nationally and internationally. • Advocate the importance of partnerships and broker buy-in from colleagues providing guidance and support to achieve fundraising targets and meet reporting requirements.

Strategic Planning • Generate, secure and nurture new strategic (corporate) partnership leads, focusing on long-term collaboration. • Develop, implement and track comprehensive fundraising strategies. • Take ultimate accountability for the successful delivery of all grant requirements; ensure rigorous adherence to funder Terms & Conditions, maintain flawless reporting schedules, and meticulously manage the balance between restricted project funding and unrestricted core income to protect the charity’s financial health. • Consult and collaborate across teams to identify and develop future fundraising initiatives to support the charity’s long-term strategy. • Make data-led recommendations to improve donated income diversification and long-term sustainability. • Monitor market trends, corporate social responsibility (CSR) patterns, and innovation-funding contexts (e.g., tech, social enterprise) to source new pipelines. • Work closely with the Managing Director, ensuring resources are allocated appropriately to deliver priorities. • Embed partnership value into programme and communications planning. • Ensure all fundraising and partnership initiatives are correctly coded and completely adhere to legal guidelines, GDPR, and the Hospital Rooms Ethical Fundraising Policy.

Budgets & Reporting • Set, manage, and forecast annual donated income targets, conducting monthly tracking and reporting alongside the Executive Team. • Work alongside the Managing Director to prepare accurate financial updates and projections for the quarterly finance committee, board meetings, and annual audits. • Develop and maintain systems to track performance of income streams against KPIs and produce regular internal reports. • Coordinate with the Head of Impact to weave our updated evaluation methodologies and impact reports into high-quality end-of-grant reports for institutional stakeholders. • Work closely with Finance to ensure accurate administration of donations, grants and Gift Aid.

Reputation and Relationship building • Manage a portfolio of core institutional funders ensuring absolute compliance- including meeting Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio and Major Grants monitoring and requirements. • Represent the charity externally, including at sector events, conferences, and other networking opportunities to build relationships and identify potential partners. • Generate and nurture new strategic (corporate) partnership leads, with a focus on long-term collaboration. • Design and execute a calendar of high-profile donor cultivation events, collaborating with the Production Team and Operations Coordinator to deliver on-brand events on time and to budget. • As a key CRM user, inform best practice for systems, input and maintain correct information for fundraising, partnerships and memberships. • Support the organisation’s active Anti-Racism and Sustainability objectives by sourcing partners who align with our core values. • Support Hospital Rooms to meet Sustainability objectives, seeking Partners to support this mission.

SKILLS • Demonstrable success in meeting or exceeding ambitious revenue targets across donated and philanthropic income streams including corporate partnerships, trusts, and individual giving portfolios. • Familiarity with Arts Council England protocols, corporate CSR trends, and impact measurement frameworks is highly desirable. • Exceptional interpersonal skills with confidence to build and develop close relationships with a wide group of stakeholders, including corporate partners, philanthropists and funding bodies. • Clear strategic thinker who uses data and CRM metrics to inform decisions and optimise donor pipelines. • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to turn complex clinical or service design frameworks into moving, persuasive cases for support. • An innovative and entrepreneurial mindset comfortable working within a fast-growing organisation that is disrupting traditional healthcare and arts sectors. • Consistently interacts with the utmost respect and sensitivity, treating others in a fair, respectful and objective manner.

HOW TO APPLY AND INTERVIEW PROCESS To apply for this role, please submit the following: • CV: At most, two A4 sides. • Covering Letter: A brief note (this can be included in the body of your email and can be in audio or video format if preferred). Email your application to [email removed - click apply for more details] • Please self-describe any barriers you feel you have faced in gaining access to the arts sector as part of the ‘cover letter’ section of the application to help us understand your achievements in context.

Key Dates: • Application Deadline: 2 November • Interview Dates: week commencing 9 November

Interview Process The interview process will take place in two stages: First Interview • Who: Alison Acampora, Managing Director Haley Moyse Fenning, Head of Impact • Where: online • Duration: 45 minutes Second Interview • Who: Alison Acampora, Managing Director Niamh White, CEO Hospital Rooms Trustee • Where: Lock Studios (in-person) • Duration: 60 minutes

We understand that schedules can be demanding, so we are happy to accommodate evening or early morning interviews. If you require this, please let us know in your application.