Business Development and Special Projects Lead

Young Citizens

Young Citizens is seeking a Business Development and Special Projects Lead to support a critical year of fundraising, income generation and partnership development. This role supports the special projects work with the CEO and will work with the senior team to lead on the income and visibility opportunities that unlock our delivery for our three-year strategy.

Your Role s Purpose

Year 1 of this role will be focused on business model development, income generation and strategic partnerships. Working closely with the CEO and senior management team, you will help shape, test and secure new funding and commercial opportunities that position Young Citizens for long-term sustainability and impact. The special projects element includes supporting the developmental design of our future business model, charity strategy and public affairs work.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building, creating and working at pace to achieve great results within a small team. You will be rapidly developing propositions, forging partnerships and converting ideas into credible, funded initiatives. You will play a central role in strengthening our relationships with funders, institutions, corporates and sector partners, while supporting wider organisational development projects.

Young Citizens works at the intersection of education, democracy and civic life, and this role offers a unique opportunity to influence how active citizenship is funded, delivered and embedded across the UK.

In Year 1, your primary focus will be to:

• Develop and drive income/fundraising with existing channels, including grant funding, partnerships and commercial activity.
• Build a strong pipeline of income opportunities, working closely with the CEO to convert prospects into funding
• Produce high-quality business cases, funding bids, proposals and presentations of our work
• Design and execute new funding models and partnership opportunities alongside the CEO s updated strategic plan
• Lead staff member for strategic engagement with funders, corporates, policymakers and sector stakeholders.

Alongside this, you will contribute to priority special projects that support Young Citizens organisational growth and external positioning.

Who We re Looking For

This role is not just open to traditional fundraisers or partnership managers. You might come from a charity, social enterprise, consultancy, policy or start-up background but what matters most is your ability to confidently progress a pipeline of opportunities, build partnerships, generate income and deliver results

We are very interested in a wider pool of candidates from similar educational interventions, start-ups and programme design who have a knack for fundraising, partnership and developing business models. If you are a high-performer who wants to focus on corporate partnerships, external relations and business success, this role may be right for you talk to us.

We re looking for someone who is:

• Entrepreneurial and proactive, with a strong interest in business development and income generation
• Confidently able to design and deliver on their ideas, instilling confidence and get results with high-level stakeholders
• Highly professional writer and communicator, able to produce strong proposals and pitch deck materials
• Commercially aware, with an ability to spot and shape fundable opportunities
• Excels at working closely with senior stakeholders including the CEO, able to predict needs and are responsive to what gets the best results
• Organised and adaptable, able to own multiple priorities in a small, fast-moving organisation
• Distinctly motivated and/or experienced in social impact, education, democracy or civic participation

Success in the first six months of this role will look like:

• Immediate management and confidence securing existing income contracts with corporate and funding partners of £200,000+
• Tactical, high-volume stakeholder engagement campaigns to increase sponsorship and new income opportunities
• Leading the development of improved business modelling, pricing structures and income streams that create a more sustainable base
• Operating with professionalism, improving processes and keeping organisational priorities at the forefront

Why join us?

• Make a real difference by helping deliver inspiring citizenship experiences to young people nationwide.
• Shape and strengthen the delivery of our flagship national programmes.
• Join a supportive, purpose driven team that values collaboration, flexibility, and doing great work together.
• Grow with us as we deliver our new three year strategy and embed smarter, stronger delivery processes.

If you’re excited about making a tangible impact through high quality programme delivery, and want to contribute to a mission driven organisation, we d love to hear from you.

A few useful notes to apply:

This is a 12 month fixed contract starting as soon as possible.

• The closing date for applications is 11pm on Sunday 22 February 2026. We encourage you to apply ahead of the deadline, as shortlisting will begin on Thursday 12 February. However, as long as this advert remains live, first round interviews have not yet been finalised.
• Please submit a covering letter of no more than two pages outlining your interest in this role. Applications without a covering letter cannot be reviewed. We are unable to progress applications that do not demonstrate direct or clearly transferable experience.
• If you have any questions before applying, please contact our HR team.

For a full overview of the role and responsibilities, please see the job pack for more details.