Head of Business Development at Scottish Women's Institutes, York Place

Salary: £40,000 per annum

Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: SWI Central Office, 1 Carmichael Place, Edinburgh EH6 5PH

Benefits: 37 days' annual leave and 4% employer pension contribution

Closing date: 2nd October 2026

Interviews: W/C 12th October 2026

Reports to: Chief Executive and may involve occasional evening and weekend working and travel across Scotland as required.

Help us turn 110 years of heritage into opportunities for the future.

The Scottish Women's Institutes has been bringing women together to learn, share skills, build friendships and strengthen communities since 1917.

As we enter an exciting new chapter, we're looking for a Head of Business Development to help us grow our income, partnerships, reach and impact. This is a newly created role and a fantastic opportunity for someone who enjoys spotting opportunities and turning good ideas into sustainable activity.

Working directly with our Chief Executive and alongside our small national team, you'll head the development of new income through fundraising, grants, sponsorship, corporate partnerships, philanthropic giving and commercial opportunities.

You'll build relationships with funders, businesses and organisations across Scotland; develop compelling funding and partnership proposals; create new sponsorship opportunities; and explore new ways in which SWI's brand, programmes, skills, heritage and national network can generate income and impact.

Key responsibilities

• Income development: Develop and deliver SWI's income diversification strategy, identifying new unrestricted and restricted income opportunities and reducing reliance on membership subscriptions.
• Fundraising and grants: Build and maintain a strong funding pipeline; research trusts, foundations and grant programmes; develop high-quality applications; and manage funder relationships and reporting.
• Sponsorship and corporate partnerships: Develop compelling sponsorship packages for national events, programmes and SWI more widely; identify potential partners; develop proposals; negotiate partnerships; and secure cash and in-kind support.
• Philanthropy and giving: Develop SWI's Case for Support and establish appropriate donation, regular giving and legacy programmes, including supporter and donor stewardship. The delivery plan specifically calls for regular giving, legacy programmes and increasing philanthropic income.
• Commercial development: Identify and test appropriate commercial opportunities including merchandise, licensing, paid learning, collaborations and other earned-income opportunities.
• Strategic partnerships: Build relationships with organisations across the voluntary, public, education, heritage and private sectors that can bring income, expertise, opportunities or increased reach to SWI.
• Growth opportunities: Work with Membership and Marketing & Communications to identify new audiences, communities and geographical opportunities for SWI and develop business cases for new initiatives.
• Pipeline management: Maintain an active pipeline of funding, partnership and commercial prospects, ensuring opportunities are prioritised and progressed effectively.
• Relationship management: Develop excellent long-term relationships with funders, businesses, supporters, partners and other stakeholders.
• Impact and reporting: Work with colleagues to demonstrate the impact of SWI's work and develop compelling cases for investment, partnership and support.
• Financial planning: Work closely with Finance and the CEO to develop income targets, budgets and forecasts and monitor return on investment.
• Team working: Work collaboratively across the small SWI staff team, recognising the distinct responsibilities of Membership, Marketing & Communications, Events, Finance and Administration.
• Provide regular business development reports, pipeline updates and performance information to the CEO and, where appropriate, the Board.

Person specification

Essential

• Proven experience in business development, fundraising, income generation, partnerships or a related role.
• Experience of identifying and developing new income opportunities.
• Experience of developing successful funding applications, commercial proposals, sponsorship proposals or partnership pitches.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the confidence to develop relationships with businesses, funders, partners and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication and proposal-writing skills.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to assess whether an opportunity is financially and strategically worthwhile.
• Ability to develop ideas from initial concept through to a practical proposal or business case.
• Strong organisational and project-management skills, with the ability to manage a varied pipeline of opportunities.
• Comfortable working to targets and reporting on progress and results.
• Ability to work collaboratively across a small team while taking ownership of your own area of responsibility.
• Confident, proactive and comfortable opening conversations and developing new relationships.
• Commitment to SWI's purpose, values and future development.

Personal Qualities 

• Proactive and self-motivated
• Confident relationship-builder
• Creative and commercially minded
• Collaborative and flexible
• Organised and results-focused

How to apply:

If you’re excited about this opportunity, we’d love to hear from you! Please submit your CV along with a covering letter.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. The minimum criteria are available on request.