About the Trust

The Sigrid Rausing Trust is a grant-making foundation based in London. Founded in 1995, its purpose is to promote the values and principles of human rights and the rule of law and to preserve nature from further degradation. In pursuit of these goals, the Trust had committed over £600 million to groups all over the world by mid- 2025. The Trust is led by eight Trustees and currently employs 21 staff and three consultants.

More detail on the Trust’s work can be found on the main website www.sigrid-rausing-trust.org.

Purpose of the role

The Director will be expected to work closely with the Chair, Sigrid Rausing, to manage the work of the Trust, including staff management and grant oversight, and to contribute to strategy and communications.

Key responsibilities of the position include:

Strategy

Initiating and contributing to strategic discussions. Commissioning research or mapping as needed, and garnering staff input. Ensuring the implementation, evaluation, and communication of the strategy determined by the Chair, Directors and members of the Advisory Board.

Board

Developing, with the Chair, agendas for meetings
Maintaining communication with the Chair and Trustees, including regular updates
Organising two annual fieldtrips for Trustees, visiting grantees

Team

Management of key members of staff and overall staff policies

Representation

Acting as a spokesperson for the Trust at external meetings, conferences and committees, and any contact with the media

Grant-Making

Overseeing grant-making
Keeping up a working knowledge of the field and grantee partners

General

Overseeing risk management
Providing advice to Trustees as required

Person specification

We are looking for a person who:

Has extensive experience of grant-making and UK charitable trusts
Has good management skills
Is aware of the main challenges in the fields we support (see website for details)
Understands and supports the political impartiality of the Trust
Thinks and communicates clearly and succinctly

Prior knowledge of one of our main focus regions, Eurasia and the Balkans, would be an advantage.

Additional key details

Our offices are based in West London
Onsite working is preferred, with some flexibility for hybrid arrangements
We offer a competitive salary (details available on request), a contributory pension scheme, and benefits that include private healthcare
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, and our offices are fully accessible
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK

If you are interested in the role, please send your CV and a letter of interest, including information about your career to date, to director@srtrust.org. The subject line should state your name (nothing else), so that we can easily keep track. This round of applications will close on October 1, 2025.

Executive Director