Grant manager jobs in Westminster, greater london

The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a purpose to advance social well-being through research. In line with the Foundation’s strategic review and our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, we want to fund a more diverse range of partners and grant-holders. A key part of this is to ensure that fairness, equity, inclusivity and transparency are central to our grants making processes.

We are looking to recruit an individual with a thorough understanding of grant making processes to lead a review of our procedures and identify areas of actual, potential or perceived bias. The scope is likely to include our assessment criteria, application guidance, decision-making processes and structures, use of peer reviews, and our communications with applicants. This review will present options and make recommendations to our senior leadership to minimise bias and promote equitable practice. The Project Manager will then work with stakeholders across the organisation to develop an implementation plan for agreed measures.

In addition to this, there are other projects and initiatives that the Project Manager has the opportunity to support depending on their skills and experience. This might include, for example, developing and managing the Foundation’s outreach plan, shaping our approach to supporting Early Career Researchers from backgrounds under-represented in research careers, and actions that develop and sustain our relationships with the Black researcher community. 

As well as your experience of working in grant giving organisations, you will be a skilled project manager, with responsibility for scoping, planning, managing dependencies, risk assessment and budget. You will have a strategic view of the need to align and balance our activities to improve the fairness of our grants processes with other organisational priorities.

You will also have excellent stakeholder management skills, working with stakeholders from across the organisation (and at different levels of seniority) to ensure that appropriate collaboration and consultation have informed this review.

You will be familiar with other research funders and networks, be able to work proactively and independently, and be enthusiastic about how equity, diversity and inclusion can be embedded into all areas of your work. 

For further information about the role, please click through to the vacancy listing on our website.

About us

The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance educational opportunity and social well-being.

We achieve this by funding and undertaking rigorous research, encouraging innovation, and supporting the use of sound evidence to improve people’s lives. We tackle pressing, complex questions. Our aim is to open up opportunities and to improve lives for individuals, families and communities, within a just and inclusive society. Our work addresses the inequalities, disadvantage, discrimination and vulnerabilities that people face, and considers the social and ethical implications of scientific and technological advances.

We are the founder and co-funder of Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and the Ada Lovelace Institute.

How to apply

For further information about the role, please click through to the vacancy listing on our website. The closing date for applications is 09:30am (GMT) on Monday 2nd February 2026.

We are committed to inclusive working practices and during the application process we commit to:

• As a Disability Confident employer, we will offer an interview to a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the essential criteria for the job.
• making any reasonable adjustments – for example providing documents in different formats, arranging for a sign language interpreter for interviews etc
• paying for travel costs (and any childcare or care costs) for interviews where in-person attendance is required

Our benefits package includes:

• A hybrid approach to working, with full time members of staff normally expected to work from our office three days a week.
• Consideration of requests for part time and/or flexible working (eg compressed hours arrangements, job sharing etc)
• 28 days holiday per annum and all public holidays (with the option to buy or sell up to 5 days).
• A salary exchange pension scheme that offers employer contributions of up to 11%.
• Life assurance scheme.
• Family leave policies that provide an enhanced level of pay.
• Cycle to work scheme and loans towards season tickets.
• Regular opportunities for learning and development – including coaching, mentoring, and dedicated reading days for personal development and reflection.
• Support with your physical, mental and financial wellbeing including an employee assistance provider, a private GP service, personal health reviews with Bupa, a will and funeral planning service and a staff network of trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• A warm and welcoming workplace culture, with active peer groups and social networks to help you connect and belong. 

Grants Manager
Salary: £35,000 – £40,000 per annum
Location: Hybrid – London EC1Y/Home

Join MQ and help transform mental health research.

We champion and fund world-class research to transform the lives of everyone affected by mental illness. By connecting scientists with supporters, together we strive to understand mental health, improve treatments and prevent mental illness.

We're now hiring a Grants Manager, who will play a key role in the delivery and development of MQ’s research funding programmes. Working under the direction of the Programme lead, you will take day-to-day ownership of capacity building initiatives and funding programmes, managing activity across the full grants lifecycle from funding call design through to award completion, learning, and reporting.

The role combines hands-on programme coordination with increasing responsibility for project planning, stakeholder engagement, decision-making support, and continuous improvement. The right person will be passionate about tackling mental health, and driven to ensure that all projects happen to the highest possible standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Programme & Grant Management – Develop and maintain project and programme plans, including objectives, timelines, stakeholders, and monitoring. Coordinate the delivery of assigned funding programmes and projects across the full grants lifecycle.
• Partnership Management – Support new research initiatives, working with consortium partners to ensure high-quality execution and learning.
• Relationship Management – Act as a primary point of contact for applicants, awardees, and external collaborators. Support post-award grant management, including monitoring progress, reviewing reports, flagging risks, and preparing award letters and official communications to grant recipients.
• Impact Management & Reporting – Support impact tracking, monitoring, and reporting across funded programmes, including coordinating and reviewing Research.
• Grant Calls, Peer Review & Committees – Support the planning and delivery of funding calls, including documentation, timelines, and assessment processes.
• Financial, Systems & Process Support – Support award contracting and work with Finance to coordinate payments and monitor grant spend. Use and maintain the grants management system (FlexiGrant), ensuring accurate records and reporting.
• Engagement & Learning – Support the delivery of launch events, workshops, and conferences and engagement with lived experience experts across programmes. Also, prepare engagement letters and supporting materials for lived experience experts, ensuring expectations and commitments are clearly communicated.

Person Specification

We're looking for someone with:

• Experience in grants management, programme coordination, research funding, or a related role.
• Experience managing projects or programmes with multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and presenting to diverse audiences.
• Understanding of academic research processes and experience engaging with universities, research institutions, or research charities.
• Good organisational skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Financial awareness, with experience supporting budgets, invoices, or grant spend.
• Confidence using digital systems, databases, and grants management or CRM platforms (or ability to learn quickly).
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively and escalating issues appropriately.
• A proactive, collaborative approach and commitment to high-quality delivery.
• Interest in mental health research and inclusive engagement, including working with lived experience communities.

Why Join MQ?

We offer a great working experience within a friendly team. Hybrid working (in the London office Mondays and Tuesdays, with the remaining days from home). We are located near Barbican Tube.

Plus, we offer lots of generous benefits and training opportunities.

We're a Sunday Times Top Company to work for.

Benefits

• Flexible working: As a mental health charity, staff wellbeing is of paramount importance. We operate a core hours policy (10-4) to encourage flexible working and staff are mainly home based with the requirement to come into the office two days per week. A standard full-time working week is 35 hours, plus an hour for lunch breaks.
• Holidays: Annual holiday entitlement of 31 days (inc. office closure between Xmas and New Year) plus bank holidays.
• Wellbeing Allowance: MQ provides an allowance of up to £1200 per annum for each employee to spend on activities that increase their wellbeing. This is paid through payroll and is taxable.
• Virtual GP & Other wellbeing services - Get quick GP appointments and support with cancer and caring responsibilities through our Zurich benefits scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme: An interest-free loan is available to enable employees to purchase a bike and accessories, repaid via equal deductions from the employee’s salary over 12 months.
• Employee Assistance Programme: All employees and their families have access to a 24-hour confidential advice and support line.
• Counselling: Employees have access to a number of free face-to-face sessions, via the EAP scheme.
• Pension: MQ makes contributions of 5% and employees make contributions of 3%.
• Life Assurance - Up to 4 x your salary in the event of death in service.
• Season Ticket Loan: An interest free season ticket loan is available, repaid via equal deductions from the employee’s salary over 12 months.
• Personal Development: We value employee development and review individual training needs through our performance management system. HR also runs internal management development sessions for all staff.

Closing date: Friday 30th January 2026
Please note we typically start interviewing within two weeks of the job advert going live. We reserve the right to close the job before the deadline based on the volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We believe in equality and inclusion and we welcome job applications from everyone, provided you meet the criteria for the job.

Safer recruitment is important to us and the successful applicant will be asked to provide two references. They will also be required to complete a safeguarding self-declaration and undertake a DBS check.

No agencies please.

The International Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing and managing complex, high-risk financial operations related to our partner's international grantmaking and emergency relief support. This role combines financial leadership with flexibility and responsiveness to needs in volatile contexts, particularly for grassroots movements and activist groups globally - managing overseas financial transactions, handling multi-currency payments, managing exchange rate risks.

Key Responsibilities

Grant Finance Oversight

- Lead all financial processes for international grants: budgeting, transfers, reconciliations, reporting.
- Manage multi-currency payments into high-risk regions; ensure compliance, mitigate fraud/diversion risk.
- Strengthen internal controls and financial systems for expanding global operations.
- Be agile to respond quickly to humanitarian needs.

Risk & Compliance

- Ensure due diligence (KYC, AML) and enhanced vetting particularly for overseas partners and informal/unincorporated networks.
- Comply with HMRC and UK banking rules, counter-terrorism finance regulations.  Work with the Compliance, Risk & Innovation team to improve policies/procedures.

Client & Stakeholder Management

- Act as finance lead for philanthropic clients working in relief and grassroots activism.
- Provide advice on financial risk, best practices.
- Foster relationships with grassroots partners; ensure transparent, accessible reporting.
- Apply trauma-informed approaches in working with clients in conflict or activist settings.

Humanitarian & Global Finance Expertise

- Use knowledge of international finance especially in difficult contexts (e.g. unincorporated groups, sanctions, restricted jurisdictions) to design processes that satisfy both donors and grassroots partners.
- Monitor emerging risks globally and help shape responses.

Essential Experience & Knowledge

• Significant experience in finance, grantmaking or compliance in international/ humanitarian/ philanthropic settings.
• Experience in managing overseas financial transactions, handling multi-currency payments, managing exchange rate risks etc.
• Experience dealing with high-risk jurisdictions and partners, including unincorporated or grassroots networks.
• Familiarity with due diligence, risk frameworks, KYC/AML, UK charity and banking regulations.

Desirable

• Arabic (spoken/written) skills preferred
• Past work in NGOs, fiscal hosts, or international grant making.
• Experience with cryptocurrencies.

Skills & Ways of Working

• Strong interpersonal / stakeholder management skills. Cultural sensitivity.
• Ability to balance rigorous compliance with flexibility / urgency.
• Capacity to work in fast-paced, evolving environment; adapt priorities quickly.
• Alignment with our values: collaboration, curiosity, courage, creativity.

Terms & Benefits

• Salary: c.£45,000 per year.
• UK-based; London office with hybrid working (if you’re local, some office days; remote if elsewhere in UK)
• Occasional UK/European travel.
• Annual leave: 22 days + bank holidays, plus 3 extra days between Christmas & New Year.
• Pension: 3% employer contribution after 3 months.
• Additional paid time off for voluntary work / trusteeship etc.
• Wellbeing support (counselling, online resources), financial wellbeing benefits & discounts etc.