Senior Prospect Researcher

• Salary: £38,192 (Outside of London); £40,238 (London)
• Hours: 35
• Contract type: Permanent 
• Location: London or Bristol; Hybrid (1 or 2 days in the office)
• Closing date: 28th April 2026
• Interview date: w/c 4th May 2026

Change lives in a life-changing career

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain.

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer.

We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time

About the role

We are seeking an experienced prospect research professional to play a pivotal role in supporting income growth across Young Lives vs Cancer’s high-value fundraising portfolio including philanthropists, trusts and foundations and corporate partnerships.

This role will lead on prospect identification, qualification, and pipeline management, ensuring fundraisers have the insights and tools to engage and steward high-value supporters effectively. You will combine advanced research skills with data-driven analysis to build strategic prospect pipelines, deliver high-quality profiles and briefing materials, and support due diligence processes in line with ethical and legal standards.

This role is ideal for a curious and detail-oriented individual who is committed to using research to unlock transformational giving. If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. 

What will I be doing?

No two days are the same at Young Lives vs Cancer. So, summarising your ‘day to day’ isn’t easy. Here are some of the main things you’ll be doing, but you’ll find more details in the job description.

Main responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and delivery of a robust prospect research strategy supporting high-value fundraising across philanthropists, trusts and foundations, and corporates in the UK, providing strategic insight to shape high-value fundraising plans.
• Identify, qualify, and prioritise prospects using internal data, external sources, and wealth screening tools.
• Produce insightful, accurate and high-quality prospect research reports, donor profiles, event biographies and briefings for fundraisers and senior leadership
• Deliver thorough due diligence assessments aligned with Young Lives vs Cancer’s gift acceptance and ethical fundraising policies, escalating risks appropriately.
• Own the prospect management cycle, including portfolio reviews, pipeline reporting, KPI tracking and optimisation.
• Identify potential connections between existing and new supporters by working with colleagues to map networks and identify new opportunities to build support.
• Collaborate with colleagues in the Philanthropy & Partnerships Team to ensure research insights inform cultivation and stewardship plans.
• Use data analysis to provide market intelligence and horizon scanning for identifying new opportunities and philanthropic trends.
• Champion best practice in CRM usage, data quality, and prospect information management.
• Work with colleagues to ensure that supporter records are maintained and updated accurately on our database and compliant with GDPR and other relevant regulations.
• Provide training, guidance and consultancy to fundraisers to embed prospecting best practice and support a research-informed culture.

What do I need? 

Diverse perspectives and unique skillsets are at the heart of Young Lives vs Cancer. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and eager to learn, we encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet the criteria and person specification fully. Your potential is what matters most to us, and we’re committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive work environment to help you develop.

The key attributes we’re looking for in this role are:

Experience

• Proven experience in prospect research within a high-value fundraising environment
• Demonstrable experience of identifying, collecting and analysing prospect research data, to produce high quality prospects leads and new business opportunities
• Experience of managing prospect pipelines and leading portfolio reviews to ensure prospects progress effectively and fundraising opportunities are maximised.
• Expertise in using CRM systems for prospect tracking and portfolio management.
• Building and managing relationships with key internal stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Managing and prioritising a varied workload to meet deadlines.

Knowledge and skills

• Good working knowledge of using a variety of resources, including free and subscription research tools to gather insights.
• Strong understanding of GDPR and ethical considerations in data gathering and donor profiling.
• Knowledge of high-value fundraising including an understanding of motivations for giving across philanthropists, trusts and foundations and corporates.
• Ability to absorb complex information and present it in a clear, logical and appropriate manner via written reports and presentations.
• Strong organisational skills to manage and prioritise a varied workload to meet deadlines.
• Proactive approach and ability to identify new opportunities for fundraising growth.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Able to deal with confidential matters with tact and diplomacy.

What will I gain?

For people to reach their full potential, they need the right environment. As a member of Team Young Lives, you’ll be made to feel supported, valued and appreciated. Here’s how we do it:

• Flexible working: we’re open to working hours outside of 9 - 5 and we can talk through your flexibility requirements at interview stage
• Wellbeing, Thinking & Growth Days: four days a year to to step back from the day-to-day and focus on your own learning and development
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Great family/caring leave entitlements
• Enhanced pension
• Access to our employee savings scheme

To find out more about our benefits package, have a look on our website: https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/careers/our-benefits/  

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

At Young Lives vs Cancer, we recognise that opportunities for too many people remain a condition of their sex, ethnicity, class, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation – or a combination. This has never been acceptable to us as an organisation. We don’t just accept difference, we value it, celebrate it, nurture it and we thrive because of it.

We’re on a journey to be reflective of the diverse children, young people and families we support. We know we aren’t there yet, and we’re passionately committed to taking actions and making changes to be a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organisation. This includes taking anti-oppressive action and removing barriers in our recruitment practices. We particularly welcome applications from members of minoritised communities. Our Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging strategy will tell you more.

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. CVs can be uploaded, but we won't be able to view them until we invite you for an interview. Instead, we ask you to fully complete the work history sections of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Accessibility

We’re committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always aim to be as accommodating as possible.  Please let us know in your application form of any adjustments or access requirements we could make to help you with the application process and interview.

To arrange an informal chat, please contact Liam Mills on 020 8752 2973 or liam.mills@younglivesvscancer.org.uk.

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