Head of Gift Compliance and Administration

This is a genuinely rare opportunity to lead gift compliance for one of the world's leading universities during its largest-ever fundraising campaign. You'll take ownership of the Gift Compliance function and play a central role in an integrated Gift Policy & Administration service - making sure every philanthropic gift UCL accepts stands up to charity law, regulation, institutional policy and donor intent. You'll work in close partnership with fundraising, finance and legal colleagues, leading a team of specialists to unlock philanthropic opportunity while protecting UCL's reputation, charitable purpose and operational integrity. It's a role that sits at the intersection of governance and growth: robust enough to manage real risk, and pragmatic enough to help ambitious fundraising happen. What you'll be doing Gift acceptance and due diligence

• Own gift acceptance and gift compliance procedures and controls, ensuring every gift meets charity law, regulatory and UCL policy requirements
• Review high-value, complex, restricted or reputationally sensitive gifts, advising on acceptance, escalation, refusal or return
• Act as the senior escalation point for complex, high-risk gift scenarios - balancing ambition with compliance and reputation
• Serve as Advancement's specialist in legacy gift acceptance, working closely with Legal Services on wills and estate-related matters
Compliance, policy and governance
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of gift acceptance and compliance procedures
• Maintain robust compliance frameworks and assurance processes that stand up to audit
• Identify, assess and manage the legal, regulatory, financial and reputational risks tied to philanthropic income
Donor intent and stewardship
• Safeguard donor intent by ensuring gifts are structured, documented and monitored against agreed terms
• Partner with fundraisers, academics and Finance to keep gift restrictions and reporting obligations deliverable - finding creative solutions where donor wishes meet practical constraints
• Advise on amendments to donor agreements and fund purposes with Legal Services and other specialists
Advice, training and stakeholder support
• Be the go-to voice on gift acceptance and compliance across Advancement and the wider University
• Develop and deliver training and guidance that embeds good practice across teams
• Champion a proportionate, risk-based, donor-centred approach to compliance
• Build trusted relationships across Legal Services, Finance, Research & Innovation Services and other professional teams
Systems, reporting and continuous improvement
• Lead improvements to gift compliance systems, processes and controls
• Oversee compliance monitoring, MI and reporting that supports good decision-making
• Champion data quality and record-keeping, and keep looking for ways to strengthen controls and improve donor experience
Leadership and team management
• Lead, manage and develop the Gift Compliance team, building a culture of collaboration and accountability
• Set priorities, allocate resources and support your team's professional growth through coaching and mentoring
• Build effective partnerships across Advancement, Finance, Legal Services, RIS and academic departments
  
  You're an experienced gift compliance, fundraising compliance or charity governance professional who's comfortable being the person in the room who says "here's how we make this work." You know UK charity law and fundraising regulation inside out, and you've navigated complex or high-value gift decisions where the right answer wasn't obvious. You lead with judgement, not just process.
You'll need
• Significant experience in gift compliance, fundraising compliance, charity governance, or a related regulatory/risk role
• Strong working knowledge of UK charity law, fundraising regulation and gift acceptance principles
• A track record of assessing complex, high-value or high-risk philanthropic gifts and funding arrangements
• Experience building and embedding policies, procedures and controls that support compliance and risk management
• Experience in legacy gift administration and compliance, including interpreting wills and managing estate-related matters
• A confident track record advising senior stakeholders on complex compliance, governance or risk matters
• Sharp judgement - the ability to interpret complex legal and regulatory requirements, weigh risk against opportunity, and make sound calls in sensitive situations
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the credibility to influence at all levels
• The ability to juggle competing priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes at pace
It would also be great if you have
• Specialist knowledge of Gift Aid, restricted funds, legacies, due diligence and financial crime controls
• Experience supporting governance committees and senior decision-making processes
• Experience in audit, assurance or compliance monitoring, and in designing and delivering training or change initiatives
  
  UCL Advancement engages our alumni and supporter community and builds the philanthropic partnerships that power UCL's mission. In our bicentennial year, we've launched Here, it will happen - our biggest philanthropic and engagement campaign to date, uniting world-leading researchers with a committed donor and alumni community to fuel the next 200 years of impact in global health, society, climate and education.
Within Advancement, the Gift Policy & Administration team is the engine room that makes ambitious fundraising possible. We provide the governance, due diligence, gift acceptance and administration framework that runs through every philanthropic gift UCL receives - protecting UCL's reputation and charitable purpose, safeguarding donor intent, and turning philanthropic opportunity into income that funds UCL's priorities. As London's Global University, we know diversity fuels creativity and innovation. We're committed to being fair, inclusive and a place where everyone belongs, and we particularly welcome applications from candidates currently underrepresented in UCL's workforce.

This role puts you at the heart of a landmark campaign for one of the world's top-ranked universities - with real influence over how UCL's philanthropic future is protected and delivered. You'll lead a specialist team, shape policy that touches every major gift UCL receives, and work alongside colleagues across fundraising, legal and finance who are equally invested in getting it right.
• Hybrid working - up to 80% of your week can be worked remotely
• A central role in UCL's biggest-ever fundraising campaign, in its bicentennial year
• A collaborative, mission-driven Advancement team based in Bloomsbury, central London
• UCL's benefits package, including generous annual leave, pension and wellbeing support
• A genuine commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and to flexible, supportive ways of working
Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion As London's Global University, we know that diversity fuels creativity and innovation - and we want our community to reflect the full diversity of the world's talent. We're committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where everyone truly belongs. We particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce, and we're happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments or flexible working arrangements you may need throughout the recruitment process and beyond. Available documents