Field Building Officer

About the role 

This role sits at the heart of UK Community Foundations’ ambition to build a strong, confident and connected community foundation field across the UK. You will help grow the field by supporting shared learning, strengthening our collective infrastructure and helping people connect with each other in meaningful ways. 

You will work across communities of practice, learning activity, digital spaces and shared resources. You will also curate the monthly newsletter and events bulletin, helping members stay connected to learning opportunities, insights and activity across the field. You will help gather insight, notice patterns and bring ideas together so that the community foundation movement can continue to learn, adapt and evolve. 

You will also play an important role in supporting a high quality member experience. This includes being a first point of contact for member enquiries, helping ensure members receive clear, timely and welcoming responses, and supporting continuous improvement of our membership offer. 

You do not need to have worked in community foundations before. We are interested in people who bring curiosity, transferable skills and a commitment to learning. 

The Field Building team leads work on leadership development, international learning, sector standards and shared knowledge. This role connects across all of that work and gives you a broad view of how the field operates and where it is heading. 

We know that strong field building depends on different perspectives, lived experiences and ways of working. We encourage applications from people who may not meet every requirement but feel excited by the role and believe they could grow into it. 

Your portfolio 

You will hold responsibility for three core areas. 

Communities of practice 

You will coordinate communities of practice so that they are welcoming, purposeful and inclusive spaces. This includes planning sessions, preparing content, facilitation, making introductions and helping conversations flow. 

You will listen closely to what participants are learning and feed insights back into the team. You will help track themes across groups and contribute to shaping future learning agendas. You will also support participation and follow up, helping ensure members feel encouraged and able to engage. 

Member Hub 

You will manage and curate the Member Hub (our online learning and networking community) so that it becomes a trusted, accessible and lively space for the network. This includes sourcing and sharing useful content, keeping resources up to date, highlighting emerging practice and making sure the Hub is easy to navigate. 

You will be a first point of contact for member enquiries through the Hub, responding to questions, signposting support, and working with colleagues across UKCF to ensure members receive timely and helpful responses. 

You will work closely with colleagues to ensure content is timely, relevant and accessible to a wide range of users, and you will help track engagement so we can understand what members are using and where further support may be helpful. 

Resource Library 

You will take ownership of the resource library and keep it organised, dynamic and responsive to member needs. You will bring together tools and learning from across the sector, identify gaps and help ensure resources reflect emerging practice. 

You will curate and summarise content so it is easy for members to find and use, and you will support benchmarking surveys and ad hoc requests for network wide data where needed. 

Your wider responsibilities 

Learning and events 

You will support the delivery of learning days, webinars and the national conference. This includes planning, communication, logistics, content coordination and technical support to help events run smoothly and feel welcoming and accessible. 

You will provide administrative and logistical support for in person and online events, including managing bookings, liaising with venues and suppliers, coordinating travel and catering, preparing materials, and communicating clearly with participants. 

You will play a key role in supporting the delivery of UKCF’s biannual conference, leading on administrative and logistical coordination to ensure the event is well organised, well attended and delivered to a high standard. 

You will also curate the monthly newsletter and events bulletin, working with colleagues to gather content, highlight opportunities and share learning in a clear and engaging way. 

From time to time, you may support or contribute to training sessions for UKCF colleagues or network members. 

Insight and field development 

You will help gather intelligence about what is happening across the field. You will notice patterns, spot emerging needs and contribute ideas that support UKCF’s thought leadership. 

You will help surface examples of innovation and learning from across the network and share them through the Member Hub, newsletters and other channels. 

You will also support the team in gathering and responding to member feedback, helping to improve learning, resources and the overall member experience. 

Collaboration across UKCF 

You will work closely with colleagues across UK Community Foundations to ensure field building activity, learning and communications align with wider organisational priorities. 

What you will bring 

We are looking for someone who brings a combination of skills, curiosity and a willingness to learn. You might recognise yourself in some, but not necessarily all, of the following. 

• Curiosity about how community organisations and networks work, and an interest in learning about community foundations 

• Ability to take responsibility for your work, while collaborating closely with colleagues and asking for support when needed 

• Willingness to build confidence using digital platforms and online learning spaces 

• Ability to listen well, build trust and work respectfully with people from different backgrounds and levels of experience 

• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail 

• Ability to communicate clearly in writing, including pulling together short newsletters, bulletins or updates that others find useful 

• Openness to experimenting with new ways of working and learning from what does not work 

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and climate justice, and interest in how these values shape learning design, participation and whose voices are heard 

• Comfort working with ideas and helping others engage with them in practical ways 

Essential experience 

• Experience in a coordination, administrative or project-based role, or transferable experience gained through community, voluntary, lived experience or informal leadership contexts 

• Experience supporting events, learning activity or group processes 

• Ability to gather, organise and share information in a way that others can use 

• Experience contributing to written communications such as newsletters, bulletins or member updates 

• Awareness of accessibility and inclusion when supporting learning activity, events or shared resources 

• Excellent organisational skills and strong attention to detail 

• Ability to take initiative and manage competing deadlines and a varied workload 

• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of people 

• Good judgement when working independently 

• Solid IT skills, particularly with MS Office 

• A strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and climate justice 

• Ability to travel occasionally, which may include overnight stays and multi day events 

Desirable experience 

• Experience working in or alongside networks or membership organisations 

• Familiarity with the charity, community or foundation sector 

• Experience curating online resources or supporting online communities 

• Interest in organisational learning or field building 

Inclusion statement 

UK Community Foundations is committed to building an inclusive organisation and a diverse field. We welcome applications from people from minoritised ethnic communities, disabled people, people from lower socio economic backgrounds and others who are underrepresented in the charity and philanthropy sector. 

Note: Interviews are scheduled to take place on 8th May.