Find Your 4-Day Work Week

We're the UK's specialist blood cancer charity and our vision is clear: we’re here to beat blood cancer. We fund world-class research; provide information and support to patients and their loved ones; and raise awareness of blood cancer.

Are you a strategic marketing leader with a passion for making a difference? Blood Cancer UK is looking for a Senior Direct Marketing Manager to manage a high-performing team, deliver insight-led, multi-channel campaigns, and make a real difference to the lives of people affected by blood cancer. This is an exciting opportunity to be responsible for impactful direct marketing campaigns that grow individual giving and engage supporters.

Based in London with hybrid working options (2–4 days per month in the office, may increase dependent on business needs), this role offers the opportunity to lead a talented team, innovate with digital channels, and champion campaigns that engage and inspire supporters. If you thrive on turning data into action and delivering outstanding results, we want to hear from you.

We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. In line with our strategy we welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minority communities, and applicants with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives.

Application DeadlineFebruary 19, 2026DepartmentEngagementEmployment TypeFixed Term ContractLocationLondon/HybridWorkplace typeHybridCompensation£50,000 - £53,000 / year

Key Responsibilities

**MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Lead and deliver the Direct Marketing strategy** Develop and implement a strategy that grows individual giving income and supporter numbers, ensuring activity aligns with the Fundraising Strategy and organisational priorities.

2. Drive innovation and digital transformation in supporter engagement

Lead the integration of digital channels and new products into the direct marketing programme, testing and scaling approaches that improve efficiency and reach.

3. Manage campaign planning and delivery

Oversee planning, creative development, delivery and evaluation of acquisition and retention campaigns across multiple channels, ensuring delivery on time, on brand and within budget.

4. Lead data-driven decision making

Translate campaign and CRM data into actionable insight, identifying trends and opportunities to improve audience segmentation and campaign performance.

5. Manage and develop the Direct Marketing team

Provide clear direction, coaching and performance management for team members, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture where staff can develop and succeed.

6. Manage budgets and financial performance

Forecast, monitor and report on income and expenditure, ensuring efficient use of resources and delivery of agreed financial targets.

7. Manage external relationships and suppliers

Lead relationships with agencies and suppliers, ensuring quality, compliance and value for money, while championing creative excellence and innovation.

8. Promote equality, diversity and inclusion

Ensure that fundraising activity reflects and reaches the diversity of the blood cancer community, and that inclusive approaches are embedded in team practices and campaign design.

9. Manage, lead and develop the team to ensure excellent levels of engagement and performance and that objectives are achieved.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Knowledge

• Deep understanding of direct marketing principles and fundraising best practice, including digital and multi-channel approaches.
• Awareness of current trends, innovations and audience insights in individual giving and digital fundraising.
• Strong understanding of data protection, fundraising regulations and CRM systems.

Skills

• Excellent planning and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Analytical and strategic thinker able to translate data into clear recommendations.
• Confident communicator able to influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, coaching and performance management capability.

Experience

• Proven experience in delivering successful acquisition and retention campaigns from planning through to evaluation.
• Demonstrated success in managing budgets and forecasting.
• Experience of managing and developing staff.
• Experience of working with and managing external agencies.
• Experience in a fundraising or commercial direct marketing environment.

About Blood Cancer UK

FLEXIBLE WORKING & OUR BENEFITS

We welcome conversations about part time working, job shares, and all forms of flexible working right from application stage. You can get in touch with us at recruitment@bloodcancer.org.uk if you want to ask us anything about flexible working.

Benefits: We think our benefits are brilliant, and the majority start from day 1. These are just a few of them:

• 30 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme and Life Assurance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave, as well as study leave and a day off to move house
• Wellbeing is a priority for us, we offer a wide range of individual and team support in our Wellbeing Hub
• Our Academy is our in-house Continued Professional Development (CPD) learning and development programme, including an internal mentoring scheme. We have organisation-wide focus days, which are days set aside for you to focus on your own development, without being interrupted by emails and meetings.
• Cycle to work and season ticket loans
• Opportunity to take sabbaticals

You can find full details about our benefits on our website.

Location: Working agile means we changed from having a culture where people are expected to be in the office from 9am to 5pm to one where we’re much more focused on what they deliver. We've built a positive culture where autonomy, trust, wellbeing and flexibility allow us to recruit and retain the very best people.   We recognise that teams still need to come together regularly to develop relationships and strengthen collaborative working.   Therefore, for the majority of roles, your contractual place of work will be one of our offices. The expectation for how often you will be required to attend the office is outlined in the job profile and will be discussed with you.   Details about our hybrid and agile working approach (including how travel expenses work) can be found on our website.

HOW TO APPLY

We ask you to send us a CV and cover letter. In your cover letter, we'd like to know why you're interested in working with us at Blood Cancer UK. It's also helpful if you tell us why you think you are a great candidate for this role based on the skills, knowledge and expertise section above. Your cover letter doesn't have to be too long, 1-2 pages is ideal. Please don't add photos or graphics to your CV, as we use blind shortlisting at this stage of the process.

Full details about our recruitment processes, including how we use blind shortlisting and what to expect at each stage of the process can be found on our website. Sometimes we close our vacancies early, usually because we have had a lot of great applicants, so we’d always encourage you to apply early rather than wait until the deadline.

WHY WORK AT BLOOD CANCER UK?

We're the 9th best charity in the UK to work for according to Best Companies 2021!

We started because of Susan, we’ll get there because of you.

Blood Cancer UK was started by one family who lost their daughter, Susan, to blood cancer, and that history and sense of family continues to shape who we are today. When you join Blood Cancer UK, you don’t just become an organisational employee – you become part of a collaborative community dedicated to funding research into beating blood cancer that includes some of the most inspiring people you’ll ever meet.

And we’re not that far away from beating blood cancer. We’re confident we can do it within the next generation, and this makes us hugely ambitious and gives us a sense of real urgency. It also means we’re changing quickly as an organisation as we constantly challenge ourselves and strive to become more and more effective. This pace of change means working here isn’t for everyone. But if you’re excited by the chance to work in a fast-paced, agile and supportive environment with the focus and ambition to beat blood cancer this could be the place for you! We focus on results rather than time spent at a desk, so we deliver more for people affected by blood cancer.

Blood Cancer UK offers the chance to work for and with people affected by blood cancer, and the opportunity to advance your career and develop your skillset whilst taking on exciting new challenges and making your mark.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

We are committed to actively promoting equality, diversity, and inclusivity. Read our statement which reflects our strong drive to change in this area.

To this end we would welcome approaches from individuals from underrepresented groups, including minoritised communities, and applicants with a disability, to better reflect the community we serve and help broaden our perspectives.

You can read some examples of how we can support you through the application and interview process here.

Documents

Job pack - senior direct marketing manager (1)

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Senior direct marketing manager

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