Head of grant jobs

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Head of Grant Management is a newly created role at a pivotal point in Start Network’s growth, designed to lead and shape how we manage an increasingly complex, multi-donor funding portfolio of over £40m.

As the first in this role, you will set the strategy, systems and operating model for grant management, ensuring strong stewardship, donor compliance and effective oversight of sub-granting across our global network. You will play a key leadership role in embedding clear, organisation-wide ways of working across the full grant lifecycle, working in close partnership with Finance, Resource Mobilisation, Assurance and Programme teams.

This role balances strong accountability with Start Network’s commitment to locally led action, ensuring funding is managed transparently and compliantly, while remaining inclusive and enabling for our diverse membership of local and national organisations.

WHAT IS START NETWORK?

Our purpose is to be a catalyst for system-level change that improves the efficiency, effectiveness and ethics of humanitarian action. We do this by working as a network to develop, test & spread new ways of collaborating and resourcing locally-led crisis response and anticipation.

Our current membership is made up of nearly 145 local, national and international NGOs based all around the world. We also support 10 national and regional hubs made up of civil society organisations and NGOs as our vehicle for devolving power, resources and accountability.

OUR VALUES

WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST: Communities come first in our decision-making and programming.

WE ARE BRAVE: We have great ambition and are willing to explore new things and take risks to achieve it

WE OPERATE COLLECTIVELY: We leverage the value of working as a network, sharing risk and resources, and learning together.

WE ARE INCLUSIVE: We see the value in diverse perspectives and work to remove the barriers that prevent voices from being heard.

WE ARE OPEN: We work transparently and with integrity, building mutual trust in all levels of our work, from governance to programming.

WE ARE ETHICAL: We behave and operate based on key principles of anti-racism, non-discrimination, and anti-colonialism. This is a work in progress.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• Being a part of a network involved in bringing change to the humanitarian sector.
• Hybrid working with options to work from home and remotely to support your work/life balance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Smart Health (depends on the country based)
• Family friendly policies, e.g., flexible working, maternity policy, parental leave and more!
• 25 days’ holiday (if UK based) plus 2 company days over the End of Year period for all staff (depends on the country based)

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Our roles are open to discussion about flexible working. For part-time working and job-shares, please get in touch with us before putting in an application.

Start Network is committed to protecting people, particularly children, at-risk adults and affected populations from any harm. We are also committed to safeguarding staff from any forms of bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power as outlined in the Dignity at Work policy. Start Network embraces diversity, promotes equality of opportunity and eliminates unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and treat every application on merit alone. We particularly encourage applications from disabled, BAME, LGBTQ+ and non-binary candidates. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our essential selection criteria set out in the Person Profile.

APPLICATION

Please contact the People and Culture Team if you have any questions or need support with your application. 

We use Be Applied, our online recruitment platform which uses anonymised applications and predictive, skill-based assessments which are blind- reviewed to reduce bias.

Closing date: 1st June 2026

Date for 1st Interview: 8th June 2026 (Subject to change)

Date for 2nd Interview: 15th June 2026 (Subject to change)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications and we may review candidates on an ongoing basis, so please apply early where possible to avoid disappointment.

Any offer of employment will be conditional subject to relevant checks. Please refer to our privacy candidate privacy notice regarding treatment of your data. Start Network also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. The core of the scheme is that participating organisations share information about safeguarding-related misconduct (i.e., sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment) that a candidate has been found to have committed during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment.

The Company

Start Network is made up of more than 90 non-governmental organisations across five continents, ranging from large international organisations to local and national NGOs. Our programmes allow members to deliver humanitarian action around the world.

Our mission is to create a new era of humanitarian action that will save even more lives. We aren’t driven by media headlines or political will, we’re here for the communities affected by and at risk of crises.

We are an organisation committed to doing things differently. For some roles, we need more technical humanitarian expertise, but for other roles, we are looking for relevant transferable skills, the right attitude, and a passion to bring change.

Our client exists to strengthen local communities by investing in the grassroots organisations that make Oxfordshire a fairer, healthier and more connected place to live.

Prospectus is delighted to be working with our client to recruit an outstanding Head of Grants and Inclusion to lead its grant-making cycles and act as the face of the organisation to the small charities and community groups they fund. This is a senior, highly visible, and rewarding role for someone who thrives on building relationships, understands the power of being present in communities, and is motivated by social impact.

The Role
As Head of Grants and Inclusion, you will be a senior member of the team, leading grants programmes and championing inclusive, community‑centred funding across the region.

This is a strongly external and public facing role. You will spend much of your time out in Oxfordshire’s towns, villages and neighbourhoods—visiting groups, attending community events, and building deep, first‑hand understanding of local needs. These in‑person connections are essential to how the organisation works and to the intelligence they provide to donors, partners and grantees. This leadership role will be the primary point of contact for leaders from the grassroots charities and community groups funded by the organisation. They will assess need, monitor grants, offer support, and build trusted relationships. They will be representing the organisatio at external forums and occasionally speaking to community audiences.

The Head of Grants and Inclusion is responsible for leading the organisation's grants decision‑making processes whilst ensuring fairness, rigour and inclusion. They are the key staff link with the expert Grants and Impact Committee which oversees the organisation's grant-making for the Board. They also present to and participate in monthly decision-making Grants Panels drawn from community volunteers. Monitoring and evaluating the impact of the organisation's funding is a key responsibility and this person will be responsible for utilising and developing the organisation's CRM database (Salesforce), including playing an active role in its upgrade. They will work closely with colleagues in the Oxford office, including attending the all‑staff day each Tuesday.

The Person
The successful candidate will have an established track record as a Senior Grants Manager in the UK and will be an organised, confident and natural relationship‑builder who believes that inclusion is essential to successful grant making.

They will have a strong educational background, excellent written and verbal communication skills with a good eye for detail and accuracy. They will also have strong organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload and support others to deliver on time (line management experience would be an advantage).  Fantastic customer‑service mindset, with empathy for volunteers and small organisations and the confidence working with databases and systems, ideally including Salesforce and a collaborative, solutions driven approach and a willingness to get involved across the breadth of a small organisation. They will be comfortable engaging with monitoring and evaluation concepts and knowledgeable or willing to learn about their application in a grassroots context.

This person will also need a natural enthusiasm for travelling across Oxfordshire and being out in the community on a weekly basis, a willingness to attend occasional planned evening events (with time off in lieu) and a full driving licence will probably be essential. They will either be living in the Oxfordshire region or willing to re-locate.

If you are motivated by community impact, inclusion, and building relationships where they matter most, we would love to hear from you.