Grant making manager jobs

Role Title: Communications Officer, Europe

Contract Type: Permanent

Reporting To: Associate Director, Communications

Program/Department/Unit Name: Communications

Location: London

Team Name: Executive and Geographic Communications

Opportunity or Team description

The Open Society Foundations (OSF) is one of the world’s largest private funders of organizations advancing justice, democratic governance, and human rights. Active in more than 120 countries, OSF works to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose institutions are accountable, transparent, and responsive to the participation of all people.

The Communications function plays a mission-critical role in advancing Open Society Foundations’ global mandate. It shapes and safeguards the public narrative of the Open Society Foundations, strengthens the visibility and impact of its work and protects institutional credibility in increasingly contested civic and political environments. The communications team leads strategic positioning across complex and rapidly evolving landscapes—proactively elevating the networks achievements while responding decisively to misinformation and coordinated attacks to open society values worldwide.  

Role Purpose

The Communications Officer, Europe serves as a senior strategic leader of external communications engagement for Open Society’s priorities across Europe, with a mandate that extends globally as needed.

Key responsibilities

Through integrated media engagement, digital strategy, social media platforms, publications, executive communications and internal communications, the department partners with  dozens of Open Society Foundations and programs to drive coherence, clarity, and influence across the global network.

Reporting to Associate Director of Communications, Europe and working in close partnership with Program and Advocacy leadership, this role will:  

• Develop and execute high-impact, regionally grounded  communications strategies aligned with institutional priorities.

• Shape compelling organizational narratives and positioning on issues central to Open Society’s mission;

• Lead proactive risk assessment and reputational strategy, anticipating communications and media risks across the region and develops and executes mitigation strategies; serves as the lead during crisis situations, ensuring values-aligned response management.

• Shape and drive strategic communications opportunities aligned with institutional priorities—leveraging both real-time news cycles and long-term advocacy opportunities to advance Open Society values, influence public discourse and shape policy relevant narratives.

• Strategically position key Open Society leadership, experts and thought-leaders across top-tier domestic, regional and international media, cultivating relationships with influential journalist and editorial boards to expand reach, credibility and thought-leadership impact.

• Author and oversee high-impact written communications, including Op-Eds, policy commentaries, thought-leadership pieces, and other press materials—ensuring clarity, narratives coherence and alignment.

• Design and lead strategic media engagements, including press briefings, editorial meetings, high level media convenings and background discussions that deepen understanding of Open Society work and priorities.

• Oversee integrated content strategy and production across digital and print platforms, ensuring strategic coherence, audience targeting and performance impact; manages and coordinates external creative and PR partners to deliver high quality outputs.

• Co-design and delivers communications trainings for program staff, leadership, and partners to strengthen message discipling, media readiness and narrative alignment across the network.

• Contribute to global communications leadership initiatives, partnering with communications colleagues across regions to drive cross-portfolio collaboration, institutional consistency and shared strategic objectives across the highly-matrixed global environment.

Key external relationships

Media partners including journalists and editors; and Public Relations firms; grantees and partners; human rights and legal experts; public intellectuals and academics

The ideal candidate

Key Considerations and Requirements

This is a fully remote position operating within a highly distributed, global team. The role requires exceptional self-direction, disciplined time management, and the ability to independently prioritize and execute against strategic objectives without day-to-day supervision.

Given the global scope of the Communications function, this role requires significant flexibility in working hours to ensure effective collaboration across multiple time zones. Regular availability during late afternoons and evenings will be necessary to align with colleagues and leadership in Africa, the United States, and the Middle East, including participation in cross-regional meetings scheduled during New York morning hours.

Qualifications

Essential:

• Educated to a degree-level (or equivalent) relevant to Communications

• Evidence of continued professional development in media strategy, crisis communications, geopolitical analysis, or digital strategy.

Experience

Essential:

• Substantial relevant communications experience driving strategic communications in complex political and international environments, including journalism OR experience as a communications professional in the not-for-profit or private sector

• Established and active network of high-level media, editorial, and digital influencers across regional and international levels

• Experience managing crisis communications and high-risk reputational environments.

• Experience leading integrated communications strategies across media, digital, and stakeholder engagement platforms.

• Proven track record advising senior leadership on reputational risk, media engagement, and public positioning

Desirable:

• In-depth media knowledge of open society issues

• Established relationships with journalists, editors, producers and creative partners

• Proven skills in the development of communications strategies in regional and/or international contexts

• Excellent skills in writing for and pitching to media

• Demonstrable social media and digital campaign and management expertise

• Ability to provide strategic guidance around communications opportunities (media interviews, public events, campaigns) for senior officials and others

Functional Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of open society issues

• Established relationships with journalists, editors, producers and creative partners

• Proven skills in the development of communications strategies in regional and/or international contexts

• Excellent skills in writing for and pitching to media

• Demonstrable social media and digital campaign and management expertise

• Ability to provide strategic guidance around communications opportunities (media interviews, public events, campaigns) for senior officials and others

Personal Competencies:

• Demonstrates commitment to OSF’s core values of humility, commitment, collaboration, respect, inclusivity and integrity

• High level of self-motivation, initiative, and creativity

• Willingness to travel extensively for work

• Substantial knowledge of organizational and project management

• Ability to work with minimal supervision, and solve problems independently or collaboratively a needed

• Diplomatic manner and ability to adapt to a range of cultures and experiences in interacting with program management, colleagues at all levels, contacts, and the public

Languages:

An excellent knowledge of English. Knowledge of French or Spanish desirable.

What we offer

• Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.

• Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:

• Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.

• Employer-paid health insurance and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).

• Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.

• Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.

• A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.

About the organization

Open Society Foundations aim to establish vibrant and inclusive democracies where governments are accountable to their citizens. Our operating model organizes grantmaking around specific, time-limited projects, developed alongside support for established partners, enabling us to respond swiftly to emerging needs. We are committed to promoting human dignity, equality, and rights; reimagining democratic ideals and practice; and advancing equity in governance systems.

Guided by our founder’s values and the belief in the art of the possible, we engage directly with global entities, individuals, and policymakers through grants, advocacy, impact investing, and strategic human rights litigation to drive positive change. At the heart of our mission is a deep commitment to rights, equity, and justice, inspiring every action we take.

Additional information

Open Society Foundations is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We actively seek applications from talented individuals across all backgrounds, identities, and life experiences. Each candidate is evaluated solely on their unique qualifications without regard to race, age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, or any other legally protected characteristics.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities.

Competitive rates of pay apply.

Open Society Foundations is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and to building a diverse staff that reflects the movements, issues and communities that our mission serves. Candidates from all underrepresented backgrounds, identities and communities are encouraged to apply.   

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and colleagues with disabilities.

The National Lottery Community Fund – Climate Action Fund Decision Panel Appointments

Climate Action Fund- Food Systems - Expert Panel Member Role Specification

Term of Appointment: Three Years

Time Commitment - 9 Days per year

The National Lottery Community Fund (The Fund) wishes to recruit an external member for the Climate Action Fund Decision Panel. The Chair of the UK Funding Committee (UKFC) accordingly invites applications for the position of external member of The National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund Decision Panel.

Background

The Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It launched the Climate Action Fund in 2019 as a long-term commitment to support communities across the UK to act on climate change and involve more people in positive environmental action. Since its launch the Climate Action Fund has awarded over £182m to communities across the UK. This includes over 175 larger projects, predominantly delivered through partnership approaches and over 440 small grants that were delivered through Together for Our Planet, a funding programme in support of COP26. The programme has always had a test and learn ethos and each strand of funding has built on learning to date.

In January 2026 the Climate Action Fund launched a new strand of funding - Food Systems, focusing on strengthening food systems across the UK, while reducing food insecurity for people and communities, without harming the planet. It will achieve this through supporting partnerships that can deliver long term solutions and transformational systems change. Funding will enable large and long term interventions with the capacity and time to deliver progress against their intended aims and ambitions. We will support agroecological approaches which work with nature to create resilient, sustainable and equitable food systems. Projects can apply for a minimum of £2.5 million over three years, and we expect to fund up to ten projects in the first year. More information about funding aims and criteria can be found in Annex A (attached).

Through the Climate Action Fund we support projects based in all four countries of the UK and a combination of place based, cross country, regional, national and UK wide.

Role Specification

The Climate Action Fund is seeking a subject matter expert in food systems, who will complement our existing panel and support our work across the UK. They will have an understanding of the holistic aims we seek to address in supporting long term solutions that will have benefits for both climate, environment and nature, and to people and communities.

The Climate Action Fund Decision Panel has delegated authority from the UK Funding Committee (UKFC) to make funding decisions on Climate Action Fund Programmes.

The purpose of the Climate Action Fund Decision Panel is to make funding decisions, review the performance of the Climate Action Fund portfolio, and make recommendations where appropriate to UKFC. Funding decisions shall be taken in the context of the UKFC Delegation and shall undertake its duties within the framework of overall National Lottery Community Fund policy and procedures.

 Person Specification

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the food system across the UK, with a particular focus on agroecology and long term, systemic ways to strengthen our food system and reduce food insecurity for people and communities.
• The ability and skill to contribute effectively to the development of this strand of funding and wider work of The Fund in relation to food systems, with a strong track record of achievement in this area. 
• Ability to work on a Panel with excellent interpersonal, team working, communication and representational skills.
• The ability to engage and influence in relationships with stakeholders to ensure the Fund is well represented and externally impactful.
• Personal and operational integrity, the ability to work with people from different backgrounds, and a commitment to improving equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Clear understanding and commitment to building strong and connected communities, that reflect the whole of the UK.
• Ability to deliver operational transformation and culture improvement in a large organisation.
• A strong commitment to engaging communities across the UK, and factoring UK-wide perspectives into all decision making. 

Interview details:

• Date: Interviews will take place in early July with appointments confirmed by the end of July.
• Format: Online

How to apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement with a maximum of 1000 words. Your supporting statement should explain how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable criteria below.

Essential Criteria 

• An advocate and ambassador for The Fund and a demonstrable commitment to its mission and purpose. 
• Understanding and experience at a senior level of community organisations and track record in creating an environment where communities are connected and supported. 
• Experience of systems change work and how that translates to community centred funding.
• Experience and understanding of food systems, particularly in alignment with our funding aims and the conditions required to influence and shape long term solutions that start with communities.
• Experience of influencing or shaping food systems policy from a community perspective. 
• A demonstrable commitment to and experience in equity and equitable practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 

Desirable Criteria  

• An understanding of funding, philanthropy or public sector systems. 

If you are excited about the opportunity to help communities drive lasting change, we would be delighted to hear from you.

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.) 

Head of Media Relations

Upto £55,000 per annum

Homebased with easy access to our Newark Office

Full time: 35 hours per week

Permanent contract

This role is predominantly home-based with regular travel to locations across the UK. Office facilities are available at our Newark office (Tuesdays to Thursdays) for those within easy travelling distance. There is a requirement to attend in-person the monthly team meeting at the Newark office.

Closing date for applications: 31st May 2026

First interview: 15th June 2026 (In person at Newark office)

Second interview: 26th June 2026 (Online)

About Us:

The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots movement of people from a wide range of backgrounds and all walks of life, who believe that we need nature and nature needs us. We have more than 945,000 members, over 33,000 volunteers, 4,100 staff and 600 trustees. There are 46 individual Wildlife Trusts, each of which is a place-based independent charity with its own legal identity, formed by groups of people getting together and working with others to make a positive difference to wildlife and future generations, starting where they live and work.

Every Wildlife Trust is part of The Wildlife Trusts federation and a corporate member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, a registered charity in its own right founded in 1912 and one of the founding members of IUCN – the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Taken together this federation of 47 charities is known as The Wildlife Trusts.

The next few years will be critical in determining what kind of world we all live in. We need to urgently reverse the loss of wildlife and put nature into recovery at scale if we are to prevent climate and ecological disaster. We recognise that this will require big, bold changes in the way The Wildlife Trusts work, not least in how we mobilise others and support them to organise within their own communities

About You

Can you use your expertise in shaping powerful media narratives to help drive nature’s recovery with one of the UK’s best-loved environmental charities? The Wildlife Trusts’ experienced Media team plays a vital role in shaping the public conversation about nature.

We create compelling, authoritative stories for broadcast, print and online national media outlets and generate billions of opportunities each year for people to see, hear and read about The Wildlife Trusts’ important work to restore wildlife and reconnect people with nature. Our work spans a wide and ambitious agenda. We respond to and comment on Government policy, we champion bold solutions for nature’s recovery, and we spotlight the impact of our work across issues as varied as peatland restoration, nature for mental health, and whale and dolphin conservation. Through interviews, opinion pieces, press releases, video content and expert commentary, we regularly appear on flagship programmes including BBC Countryfile, Springwatch, ITV News and BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, as well as international media.

Our high-profile coverage ensures that The Wildlife Trusts remain at the heart of the national conversation about the urgent need to tackle the nature and climate crises. Our work continues to grow and adapt. The scale and pace of the challenges facing our wildlife demand even greater ambition, clarity and leadership in how we communicate. We are now seeking a strategic and operationally experienced Head of Media Relations to lead the next phase of our media work – who can continue to strengthen our national profile in the media, identifying new opportunities for The Wildlife Trusts, and ensuring our message continues to cut through to drive awareness and meaningful action.

You are an experienced and credible media professional with a track record of leading and supporting high-performing teams in a fast paced, high-profile environment.

You will have demonstrable expert knowledge of the media landscape, with a wide network of trusted media relationships that you use thoughtfully and effectively to achieve impact. You are equally confident developing and placing softer news stories as you are managing complex or high-stakes situations, exercising sound judgement and acting decisively when it matters most.

You will have substantial experience of reputation management, including advising senior leaders and stakeholders on sensitive or contentious issues. An understanding of the issues affecting UK wildlife and nature recovery is highly desirable, alongside a commitment to using the power of media to inform, engage and drive positive change