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.)
Non Charity Employer
501 - 1000
It starts with community.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
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Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Job Title: Equipment Advice and Outreach Officer
Reports to: Chief Executive / Practice Lead
Contract: Fixed term, 18 months
Hours: Part-time, approximately 22.5 hours per week (0.6 FTE)
Location: Home-based in England, with regular travel across a large region and occasional overnight stays
Salary: £20,556 (Full-time equivalent salary (FTE): £34,259)
About Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance
Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance is a user-led charity run by and for people with muscle-weakening conditions. We provide advocacy, peer support, information, training and campaigning to help disabled people live with greater confidence, connection and control.
We are developing a new service model to help adults with neuromuscular conditions identify practical needs relating to equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day transitions, and to connect them to people with relevant lived-experience expertise.
Purpose of the Role
The Outreach and Practitioner–Evaluator will help Pathfinders identify adults with neuromuscular conditions who may benefit from practical support around equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day challenges.
The role is not primarily to provide complex specialist advice directly. Instead, the postholder will:
- build relationships with services and organisations to identify potential clients
- hold structured conversations to understand people’s needs
- offer initial information, practical resources and signposting
- connect people to Pathfinders’ lived-experience specialists where more specific insight is needed
- support the development of reusable lived-experience resources, including short videos, blogs and written guidance
- collect routine feedback and help document and evaluate the service
Pathfinders’ lived-experience specialists are people with direct personal experience of neuromuscular conditions and of specific issues, transitions or practical solutions. A key part of this role is helping people access that expertise.
The role is to help people make sense of what might help, what routes may be available, and who they may need to speak to next. It is not to guarantee that equipment will be obtained, but to improve people’s understanding, preparedness and access to relevant expertise and pathways.
Main Responsibilities
1. Outreach and relationship-building
- Build and maintain relationships with clinics, hospices, charities, networks and other relevant services.
- Travel regularly to external settings to identify potential clients and raise awareness of the service.
- Confidently approach professionals, families and individuals to explain the offer and encourage engagement.
- Help create practical referral and engagement routes into the service.
- Prioritise outreach activity in line with project aims and agreed target regions.
2. Needs identification and support coordination
- Hold 1-to-1 conversations with adults with neuromuscular conditions and, where appropriate, family members or supporters, to identify practical needs relating to equipment, adaptations and wider day-to-day challenges.
- Provide initial information, signposting and relevant resources within agreed boundaries.
- Recognise when an issue would benefit from connection to a Pathfinders lived-experience specialist and facilitate that connection.
- Recognise when an issue requires statutory or clinical input and support onward referral or escalation where appropriate.
- Work with Pathfinders staff to help ensure people are connected to the most appropriate source of practical or professional support.
3. Working with lived-experience specialists and resource development
- Work with freelance lived-experience specialists to identify practical solutions, insights and examples relevant to the issues raised by service users.
- Support and encourage lived-experience specialists to share their expertise in accessible ways.
- Help coordinate and develop practical resources based on lived-experience knowledge, including short videos, blogs and written guidance.
- Contribute to ensuring these resources are accessible, organised and responsive to recurring needs identified through the service.
4. Documentation and evaluation support
- Maintain accurate records of outreach activity, contacts, needs identified, resources shared, onward connections and follow-up.
- Support the collection of routine feedback, including post-support forms and short follow-up conversations.
- Use agreed templates and systems to document contacts clearly and consistently.
- Share reflections and emerging themes with the team to support ongoing learning, evaluation and service development.
5. Teamworking and service development
- Participate in regular supervision, planning and reflective review meetings.
- Work collaboratively with the Chief Executive, Advocacy Officer, freelance lived-experience specialists and external partners.
- Contribute to the refinement of service processes, boundaries and referral pathways.
- Support dissemination of learning through briefings, webinars or other outputs as required.
Additional Requirements
- Regular travel across England is required, typically around once per week, with priority given to areas closest to the postholder’s base in the first instance.
- Some travel may involve overnight stays.
- The postholder must have access to and use of a car for work purposes, although train travel may be used for some visits.
- Travel expenses and mileage will be reimbursed in line with organisational policy.
Person Specification
Essential
- Confident, outgoing and comfortable starting conversations with new people in professional and community settings.
- Experience of outreach, community engagement, advice, advocacy, support work or case coordination.
- Strong organisational skills and confidence managing follow-up, coordination and documentation.
- Comfortable using forms, spreadsheets, databases or case-recording systems and completing paperwork accurately.
- Familiarity with equipment, adaptations or practical support issues affecting disabled people.
- Ability to identify needs and know when to seek support, connect someone to lived-experience expertise, or refer on.
- Strong communication skills and a sensitive, respectful approach with service users, families and professionals.
- Ability to work independently while remaining well connected to a small team.
- Able and willing to travel regularly across England, including occasional overnight stays.
- Access to and use of a car for work purposes.
- Commitment to inclusion, dignity and user-led practice.
Desirable
- Experience of working alongside people with lived experience to co-produce support or resources.
- Experience of gathering feedback or supporting service evaluation.
- Knowledge of health or social care systems.
- Personal or close lived experience of disability or long-term conditions.
We are aiming to recruit immediately for this role with the first round of interviews on 1st June, but will conduct further interviews if necessary until we identify a suitable candidate.
Please identify how you meet the person specification in your cover letter
