Grants and Cohort Manager

Introduction

Afield is a brand new charity responding to environmental injustice. We do this by working with communities to rewild disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods; and by supporting artists to undertake ecological research. This exciting and demanding role will be right at the heart of making everything happen!

Objectives

You will work alongside Afield’s two co-founders to define and run the urban wilding and arts grants programmes, including managing the cohort of grantees. We are looking for dynamism, energy and experience of grant management to help us launch the first round of grants and a support programme.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the two co-founders you will set up the arts research and wilding programmes. This will include launching and running opencall and selection processes, and the cohort support programmes. Once established you will lead subsequent programmes, and plan for future cohorts. You will be:

• Feeding into the design of the arts & wilding programmes

• Taking responsibility for, and running, the arts grants grants and wilding programme (including involvement in the selection of grantees, continual learning and evaluation)

• Liaising with partners on programme delivery (eg. local councils for wilding)

• Managing selectors and mentors, supporting peer learning, and organising workshops for both programmes

• Taking responsibility for managing the cohorts

• Working with a second team member (to be recruited) to promote the programme

Requirements

We’re looking for someone who is: 

• Empathetic, has a positive attitude and a desire to help our grantees

• Energetic with a can-do, self-sufficient attitude, and with the ability to independently manage a busy workload, multiple deadlines and priorities

• Confident in their ability whilst self-aware and committed to ongoing development

• Interested (and perhaps experienced) in nature, ecology or the environment

We would also like to work with someone who has:

• Experience of running a grants or funded cohort programme (ideally in either arts grants or a pioneer-style programme)

• Ability and comfort in creating structure out of ambiguity; identifying challenges and opportunities; and expressing clear proposals for change

• Exceptional communication abilities, both verbal and written

• Good analytical and project management skills, and strong competency in setting up and using technology such as an application management platform

• Experience of line management or managing contractors. This is not essential, as there will not initially be full line management responsibility, but would be a benefit.

Compensation and benefits

• 4 days per week role, for which the salary is £34,500 (FTE: £43,000)

• 21 company holiday days (increasing with the length of service) in addition to 8 bank holidays plus discretionary Christmas closure days each year

• 20 days fully paid company sick leave

• Flexible working hours and location. We are ideally looking for someone who is happy working remotely and willing to regularly meet in person in London (work space provided if required)

• Family friendly practices, such as enhanced maternity and paternity leave

More about Afield

Afield was co-founded by Liz Orton and Mike Saunders in autumn 2025. Its core funding is through a family legacy, which supports a small organisation, the goal of which is to challenge environmental injustice The first round cohort will be small, supporting about 6 people with a programme that will include mentoring, peer learning and specialist support.

As a new organisation, we have invested in developing our organisation values, which are to be:

• Bold: we embrace risk-taking and learning 
• Just: we contribute to social & environmental equity
• Imaginative: we support and take creative action
• Caring: we prioritise personal and collective needs and wellbeing

Afield will be publicly launching including its website and programmes in Spring 2026.