Funding officer jobs

We are recruiting two permanent Funding Officers in the South West: one full-time and one 0.9FTE (33.5 hours per week). Funding Officers in these roles will primarily be part of a South West regional team delivering our Reaching Communities programme, with opportunities to be involved with other programmes and aspects of the Fund’s wider operations as they arise. As a Funding Officer for the National Lottery Community Fund you will be integral to supporting the organisation to deliver our strategy It Starts With Community.  

These roles will contribute to ensuring that vital funding reaches communities and projects who need it most in our region. As a Funding Officer you will work as part of our South West regional team, working day-to-day alongside fellow Funding Officers, supported by a Funding Manager.

Across the two posts we are looking for people who will provide support across the region, with a focus on developing relationships and being a key point of contact for either Exeter & East Devon or Swindon & Wiltshire.

Ideally (but not essentially) you will live in or near one of these areas and have good knowledge of the respective local area.

The Funding Officer role is classed as mobile working which means you will be expected to work from home primarily and visit various locations across the region, as needed. The ability to drive and have access to a vehicle is therefore beneficial, although not essential.

Responsibilities & Expectations of the Role

• You will assess applications for funding and manage grants using local knowledge, best practice and thematic expertise and you will harness the experience of customers and stakeholders to improve our grant making and inform our decision making.
   
• Being responsible for supporting local people and communities, you will have a strong understanding of our vision, our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and our funding products.
   
• Being responsible for a pipeline of projects you will need to understand and respond to the different needs of our customers by providing advice and considered feedback, and be willing to have challenging but constructive conversations.
   
• You will ensure that both grant management and application assessment play an effective part in contributing to the Fund’s knowledge and learning as a grant maker. You will manage your own caseload, liaise with grant recipients, undertake project visits, identify and manage risk, support organisations to meet their grant requirements and measure their impact.
   
• You will be an active and integral member of the South West regional team, as well as the wider hub and Fund. You will contribute your skills, knowledge and expertise to a range of work and programmes as need arises. Within an organisation and sector experiencing on-going change, an agile & flexible approach to the role will be essential for success.
   
• You will represent the Fund, including at funding fairs and external meetings, creating opportunities for people to come together. You will share learning from your role with other colleagues so that we can maximise our impact.
   
• You will need to work within the Fund’s policies and procedures and relevant legislation, and in a way that is in line with our vision and values.

We have a hybrid approach to working. Work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate. The SW regional office is in Exeter.

Interview details: 

• Date: 29th & 30th June 2026

• Format: Face-to-face

• Location: SW Regional Office, Exeter

We will be hosting a briefing session on Monday 1st June, 12pm. To register for the session or for any questions about the recruitment process, please email the recruitment team.

If you would like an informal conversation about the Funding Officer role, please contact the recruitment team.

How to Apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (max 1,000 words) to align with the criteria below. We will use this to score your application. 

Essential criteria  

• Communication skills: Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on written communication for assessment purposes. 
   
• Analytical skills: Ability to assess a high volume of applications, make good judgements, challenge when appropriate and manage risk. 
   
• Relational skills: Ability to build, develop and promote effective relationships with colleagues, community organisations and other external agencies with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
   
• Organisational skills: An ability to use your initiative and manage your own workload and time, meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
   
• Lived experience or working knowledge of the needs and priorities of communities in and across the SW, especially under-represented groups plus an understanding of the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
   
• Values driven and passionate about the Fund’s purpose.

Desirable criteria  

• Demonstrable sound IT skills, in particular Microsoft Office products and the ability to learn detailed processes quickly and accurately. 
   
• Understanding of financial planning and business plans, ability to analyse accounts and numerical data.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion  

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.  

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages. 

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.) 

The Big Chalk Partnership is made up of more than 150 organisations with a common vision of creating nature-rich chalk and limestone landscapes that benefit all of us.

The Protected Landscapes Partnership and Defra are supporting our Partnership to catalyse progress towards the UK’s nature commitments across these special landscapes through the multi-million pound Big Chalk Nature Recovery Fund. The Nature Recovery Fund Officer will administer and develop the systems and processes underpinning our grant-making.

The Big Chalk programme is hosted by the National Landscapes Association, which represents the UK’s National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The Association is a charity and non-profit membership organisation. The team advocates, communicates and fosters collaborative action which supports National Landscapes to be as effective as possible, championing their interests with governments and delivering national projects.

We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds – the most important thing is that you are motivated to work collaboratively with Big Chalk’s partners to benefit nature to the greatest extent possible, helping ensure our grant-making is both effective and compliant.

With significant experience of administering and developing grant making systems, processes and ways of working in the environmental or social sectors, you’ll bring a collaborative mindset and be skilled at building positive relationships with new colleagues, our partners and funders.

You’ll have applied experience of working with partners across the grant-making lifecycle and using grant management software to enable related operations. You’ll possess strong organisational and data management skills and be able to develop and communicate insights.

If this sounds like the opportunity for you, then we’d love to hear from you.