Development officer

Closing date for applications: Monday 9th March 2026 10am

Salary: £33,000 - £35,000

Location: London

Reports to: Head of Development

Join a groundbreaking dance company as it approaches its 40th anniversary and play a central role in delivering the events and partnerships that fuel its future.

Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures is an award-winning, ground-breaking British dancetheatre company, famous for telling stories with a unique theatrical twist. Since 1987 New Adventures has changed the popularity of dance in Britain, creating works that have altered the public perception of what is possible when it comes to telling stories without words. New Adventures is a charity, and its principal funder is Arts Council England. As well as producing award-winning productions which dazzle audiences across the globe, New Adventures is committed to playing a meaningful role in diversifying the dance landscape for future generations.

Working closely with the Head of Development, Development Associate and the Senior Leadership Team, the Development Officer will support Matthew Bourne’s artistic vision by working to maximise voluntary income. The post holder will support on all aspects of the Development department, including trusts and foundations, individual supporters, and corporate partnerships, as well as ensuring the delivery of events. This role is crucial in administering the fundraising function of the charity and ensuring the day-to-day stewardship of stakeholder relationships with New Adventures.

2027 marks the 40th anniversary of New Adventures, so it is an exciting time to join the organisation and be a part of the events planned to celebrate our heritage and our future. The role will play a major part in creating and delivering events to support essential opportunities to steward/recruit donors in a creative and engaging way. This role would be suitable for someone with experience of delivering events and who is looking to grow a career within arts fundraising and development. There will be opportunity for the right candidate to grow within the role and the organisation.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the planning and delivery of cultivation and corporate events, including Supporters' Nights, Dinner on Stage, launch events and corporate entertainment.
• Supporting the planning and delivery of the 40th anniversary fundraising events.
• Supporting the preparation of strong and compelling grant applications, leading on bids under £10,000 and supporting larger applications.
• Delivering high quality, personalised stewardship to major donors, mid-level supporters and regular givers.
• Managing communications with donors giving between £1,000 and £10,000.
• Maintaining accurate and comprehensive donor and prospect records on the CRM, ensuring compliance with GDPR.
• Developing and refining CRM processes with the Head of Development to support efficient working across the company.
• Arranging meetings and coordinating engagement with SMT, SLT, trustees and external stakeholders.

Who we are looking for

We require a hands-on, motivated individual to join our high-performing team. This role would suit a candidate with exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with previous experience of events delivery in a development role. Knowledge of the theatre and dance sector and experience of coordinating or providing administrative support for events would be useful. This role will play a key part in supporting the delivery of a series of events for corporate clients, Major Donors and other fundraising stakeholders. Those will include: Supporters' Nights, Dinners on Stage, and participation in the 40th Anniversary fundraising campaign in 2027.

• Do you have previous experience of a fundraising or business development role?
• Do you have experience of event coordination and administration?
• Do you have experience of using and administrating CRM and data systems?

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.