Funding Officer

As  Funding Officer, you will work with The Phoenix Way Partners (TPW), a national collaborative partnership created during the Covid-19 pandemic as a response to the structural inequalities which Black and Ethnic Minority communities and community-led organisations face in relation to influencing and accessing grant funding in the UK

You will assess requests for funding and manage grants using best practice, thematic expertise, and the experience of customers and stakeholders to improve our grant making and inform our decision making.

Funding Officers will ensure our grant management and 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 holders, partners, undertake project visits, identify and manage risk, supporting organisations to deliver their projects and measure their impact.

You will share learning from your conversations, project visits, grant holder reports and evaluations with other colleagues so that we can maximise our impact.

You will ideally live in the London or South East of England or have excellent knowledge of the area.  Being responsible for supporting local people and communities you will have a strong knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for the Black and Ethnic Minority communities and community-led organisations in that area.

You will have a passion for equitable grant making and be part of an inclusive team. You will be able to demonstrate a “can do” attitude and a solution focused approach. 

You’ll be part of a team, led by a Funding Manager, and comprised of several other Funding Officers.

You’ll also need to work within the Fund’s policies and procedures and the necessary legislation, and in a way that is in line with our vision and principles.

We particularly welcome applications from people who are from Black or ethnic minority communities. It will be advantageous if a candidate can demonstrate expertise working with Black and ethnicminority led groups and organisations, and/or involvement in delivering funding to Black and ethnic minority communities.

Visit The Ubele Initiative - The Phoenix Way to find out more about the The Phoenix Way and the Phoenix Way Partners. 

Interview Date: w/c 18th December 2023

Location: Hybrid working, mobile working contract, expectation to travel around the London and South East region.  Our London office is based near Kings Cross from January.

Essential criteria

• Strong understanding and experience of working with and for the Black and Ethnic-minority led voluntary and community sector and/or targeted funding programmes  
• Communication skills: Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on written communication for assessment purposes.
• Relational skills: Ability to nurture, develop and promote effective relationships and communication with colleagues, community organisations and partners, with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion
• Organisational skills: Ability to use your initiative and manage your own workload with minimal supervision, dealing with competing priorities and deadlines and demonstrating strong self-organisation and prioritisation skills.

Desirable Criteria

• Able to identify opportunities to share learning, knowledge and information, and make improvements by working with colleagues and partners.
• Sound IT skills and the ability to learn detailed processes.
• Analytical skills: Ability to assess a high volume of applications, make good judgements, challenge when appropriate and manage risk.
• Experience in working collaboratively within a team.

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.)