Location type: Hybrid, with an office in Farnham
Reporting to: Committee Chair
Manages: 3
Annual salary: Starting from £90K, based on experience
Contract type: Full-time
Working hours: Permanent
Candidate level: Director
Closing date: Monday 2nd of February 2026, 9:00 am CET
Background
GDS Services International Limited (GDSSIL) is a low-profile, grant-making organisation that manages portfolios of international charitable grant-making programs. Our principal role is to help identify and empower partners committed to alleviating human suffering and fostering a healthier, more equitable and sustainable world. We support projects across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Pacific, and Central and South America.
Guided by the organisation’s grant-making focus areas, which include providing disaster aid and relief, supporting community wellbeing, and advancing health and education, we endeavour to:
- Empower people to leverage their talents, skills and resources to build resilience and give back to their communities.
- Seek and support long-term solutions that are durable, evidence-based, and impactful.
- Commit to continuous learning and accountability with our partners and the communities we serve to ensure responsible investments.
Purpose of role
We are seeking a Charity Director to help lead GDSSIL’s global grant-making program. You will manage a small staff team and oversee the full lifecycle of our grant-making—from strategy development, to grant operations, to impact evaluation and learning. You will also act as the principal facilitator, working closely with our stakeholders and members of a grants committee.
We are looking for a collaborative leader with both deep experience in strategic grant-making and the ability to drive execution and alignment across our stakeholder groups. You will report directly to a committee represented by a Chair from amongst its members, which holds operational oversight of our charity giving activities.
Principal responsibilities
Grant-making Strategy & Operations
- Develop grant-making strategy in collaboration with staff and committees, defining shared goals, priorities, and approaches.
- Oversee the grant process including sourcing, proposal development and evaluation, funding decisions, and grant monitoring.
- Ensure all grants align with our grant-making mission, values, geographies, focus areas, and due diligence requirements.
- Manage and report on the budget of the grants program, ensuring efficient use of funds and compliance with allocation requirements.
- Lead development of systems to track outcomes, evaluate performance, and find learnings from our grants portfolio to assess impact, improve decision-making and guide future funding.
- Support committee members to identify grant opportunities and deepen areas of interest through partner research, site visits, and learning opportunities.
- Represent GDSSIL in meetings and networks, build relationships with peers and partners, and help the trusts stay connected to best practices in philanthropy.
- Facilitate communication, group process, and decision-making across committee members, staff, and governance with emphasis on accessibility, inclusiveness and transparency.
- Lead and manage the GDSSIL staff team, supporting professional development, performance assessment, and HR and administrative support.
- Manage budgets and administrative processes to ensure efficient use of resources across staff, committees, and office.
- Oversee internal tools and technology platforms that support collaboration, project tracking, and grant portfolio analysis by committee members and staff.
Education
- A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as nonprofit management, public policy, or business. Master’s degree is preferred.
- 10+ years of senior leadership experience in philanthropy, nonprofit management, or international development, with a strong record in strategic leadership and grant-making.
- Deep understanding of the charitable sector including operations, governance and fiduciary responsibilities. Direct field experience is preferred.
- Skilled at facilitating dialogue, building consensus, negotiating conflict, and making collaborative decisions.
- Experience in navigating ambiguous stakeholder and governance environments with resilience and composure, ideally within family foundations.
- Leads with emotional intelligence and empathy fostering trust and understanding across stakeholders and governance.
This role is based in the UK, with some flexibility in work arrangements. You will be required to travel on business particularly in Asia where many grants are made.
Salary & Benefits
- Pension contribution - 10%
- Professional learning and development
If you have any questions about the role or organisation and would like an informal chat ahead of submitting a formal application, please reach out to Zoe Oldham at zoe@upsallinternational.com. To note: in order to keep your application safe and ensure your data is GDPR compliant applications will not be accepted via email.
· The deadline for applications is Monday 2nd of February 2026, at 9:00 am CET ·
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Upsall International actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. In recruiting candidates, we seek candidates with the proven skills required, irrespective of race, gender, religion or belief, age, disability, or sexual orientation.