Door 10
Partnerships and Fundraising Lead, National Pain Institute
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About the Role
Grade: Manager
Salary: £50-60,000 FTE (0.5-0.8 FTE)
Contract: Fixed-term, 12 months, part-time (0.5-0.8 FTE)
Location: London
Partnerships and Fundraising Lead, National Pain Institute
About the National Pain Institute
Chronic pain affects an estimated 14 million adults in the UK. It is the second most recorded long-term condition in primary care. Yet across research funding, clinical training and NHS commissioning, pain is still treated mainly as a symptom of other conditions rather than as a subject in its own right. That condition-based approach leaves people whose pain is chronic, complex, or hard to attribute to a single diagnosis consistently falling through the gaps between services.
The National Pain Institute (NPI) is being established to close that gap: a new, permanent UK institution whose purpose is to turn what pain science already knows into what health services, employers and policymakers actually do - and to do so in a way that earns and keeps the trust of the people it exists for.
The NPI is being developed in partnership by Zinc Innovation Partners (ZIP), Arthritis UK and the University of Bath. It is currently in a 12-month development phase - building the evidence base, the governance model and the funding case that will underpin the Institute's full launch by the end of 2027.
Working under the leadership of Professor Eccleston, along with ZIP CEO Polly Mackenzie and Chief Science Officer Rachel Carey, we are hiring three roles to lead this development phase. All three of these new roles are fixed-term for the development phase (approximately 12 months) though we anticipate opportunities for team members to transition into the NPI as it is established, or find ongoing roles supporting partnerships, social innovation and science commercialisation at ZIP if preferred.
We are holding a briefing call for interested candidates on Friday 24 July at 9.30 which will be recorded.
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About the Role
Grade: Manager
Salary: £50-60,000 FTE (0.5-0.8 FTE)
Contract: Fixed-term, 12 months, part-time (0.5-0.8 FTE)
Location: London
The NPI's ambition depends on funding that doesn't sit in one established pot: philanthropic grants for research and translation, blended finance for lab-to-life pathways, and investment capital for social innovation into the NHS, welfare systems and employer relationships. This role owns the relationships that make that funding possible - building trust with funders and partners across a landscape spanning traditional grant-making, social investment and medical philanthropy, often before there's a fully-formed ask to put in front of them.
While the NPI is this role's lead priority, you'll also raise funds and build partnerships for other science-for-impact projects across Zinc's portfolio, working with our senior team to help them unlock their existing networks as well as opening new relationships. It's a part-time role (0.6 FTE), suited to someone who wants a focused, senior fundraising remit without a full-time commitment, and who is drawn to originating relationships rather than managing an existing portfolio. You'll be supported by our Social Finance Advisor, an experienced leader in fund development and blended finance.
What you'll do
- Develop and manage relationships with funders and partners across the NPI's development phase and future launch, including trusts, foundations, social investors and corporate or medical philanthropy
- Support the Programme Lead in shaping and delivering the NPI's funding strategy, including applications to trusts and foundations and early scoping of blended finance structures for translational medicine
- Extend fundraising and partnership activity to other science-for-impact projects across Zinc's portfolio, prioritising your time to keep the NPI as the lead focus
- Contribute to the landscape mapping workstream, prioritising the funder and investment landscape
- Identify and cultivate funding relationships beyond the current pipeline
- Represent Zinc and the NPI at funder and sector events, and contribute to the NPI's public narrative and brand
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What we're looking for
- A fundraising background - ideally including social investment or impact finance as well as securing grant income. Experience in medical, science and social science philanthropy would also be an advantage
- A track record of originating funder or investor relationships from the ground up, not just managing an existing portfolio
- Comfort operating in a small, early-stage team where the funding strategy — including new instruments like blended finance — is still being defined
- Strong relationship-building skills across very different funder audiences, from research foundations to impact investors
- Comfort balancing a lead priority (the NPI) against other live fundraising needs across a portfolio
- A commitment to tackling pain and its impacts
Working at Zinc
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including those with current or past lived experience of the issues we are tackling, and those from marginalised communities who are often disproportionately affected by them. We welcome requests for flexible working and job sharing. We offer 25 days’ holiday and an employers’ pension contribution.
How to apply
To apply, please submit a CV and a short note (no more than one page) explaining your interest in this role. AI tools are fine to use, but we really want the letter to help us get to know you — tell us in your own words and your own voice why this role is a good match.
Please note that we are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
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