Senior grants officer jobs in birmingham

Tom’s Trust, a charity dedicated to providing clinical psychology support to children, with brain and central nervous system tumours, and their families.  We currently have services in East Anglia, the North East, North West of England and Thames Valley and have ambitious plans to extend our reach but need your help to do so!

Are you a passionate, highly motivated and organised individual? Do you have brilliant application and report writing skills and are able to build effective relationships with donors? If you are, we are seeking a Trusts & Foundations Manager to be an integral part of the Fundraising team where you will be responsible for submitting applications to Trusts & Foundations for our services in the UK.

You will have a minimum of 3 years' experience at management level and will be working to deliver Tom’s Trust’s ambitious targets for trust and foundations income for the coming years and beyond. The post-holder will help to research and explore new avenues for funding and building a strong pipeline of new donors who have the potential to support the charity over multiple years. You will be building and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders at charitable trusts and corporate foundations and preparing and delivering targeted funding applications to those organisations.  You will be able to build upon and develop a compelling case for support for both the services we offer as a whole and for specific projects that reflect our work.

Applications are open until 9am on Friday 24th July but we will interview on a rolling basis and will appoint sooner should we find someone suitable so please apply at your earliest convenience.

Tom’s Trust actively welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds. We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with consideration and respect. Tom’s Trust is committed to achieving a truly inclusive environment for all, by developing better working relationships that release the full potential, creativity, and productivity of each individual.

Reports to: Director of Fundraising & Communications
Closing date: 24th July (We’ll be interviewing for the role on a rolling basis until the position is filled so please apply early to avoid disappointment)

Preferred timezone: GMT -/+ 5 (for meeting purposes, but all applications welcome)

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About Climate Catalyst

Climate Catalyst is a U.S. based non-profit dedicated to galvanizing the collective power of business, investors, and civil society to influence and accelerate policy change in Asia and Europe. Our vision is a just, prosperous world in which global warming is limited to 1.5°C.

Climate Catalyst works to strengthen collaboration and mobilise new actors on pivotal climate challenges to build power and compel political leaders to act at the speed and scale needed to tackle the climate crisis. We do this by: 

• Working behind the scenes with stakeholders in Europe and Asia to identify critical climate issues where action to date has been limited and the potential for collaboration is high. 

• Bringing together renowned experts and new entrants to share ideas, and design and deliver creative campaigns that secure decisive changes in national and regional policy to deliver sectoral tipping points and secure significant emissions reductions. 

• Advising on strategy, offering grants and bringing creative communications, advocacy and business expertise to build power across the climate community and catalyse action. 

To date, we’ve used this model successfully to mobilise the business community in support of the EU Nature Restoration Law, the first legislation for peatlands protection across Europe, and spark collective action in India that led to commitment from the Ministry of Steel to develop a green steel policy. Our vision is of a just, prosperous world in which global temperature rise is limited to 1.5°C. 

About The Role

The overall remit of this role is to:

1. Lead prospect research and funding trends analysis, identifying strategic opportunities and informing fundraising strategy

2. Strategically map, expand, and cultivate high-value supporter networks, taking ownership of key relationships

3. Design, implement, and optimise comprehensive stakeholder engagement journeys, ensuring a high-quality donor experience

4. Support good governance in Climate Catalyst by planning and organising the work of the board, with direction from the CEO

5. Lead and manage high-level stakeholder engagement strategies, including direct engagement with members of the Strategic Council to foster sustained partnerships.

What you will do

Strategic stakeholder relationship management, engagement and mapping (70%)

• Strategically identify, research, and qualify high-net-worth individuals, foundations, and corporate prospects, developing robust pipelines for major gifts.

• Identify, cultivate, and steward significant donor relationships, focusing on securing major gifts and sustained funding. 

• Design, implement, and lead comprehensive donor cultivation and stewardship strategies, ensuring effective pipeline management and successful solicitation of significant contributions.

• Develop and execute sophisticated communication plans tailored to specific donor segments, ensuring compelling messaging and impact reporting.

• Prepare and deliver high quality briefings, proposals, and presentations for senior leadership to use in high-stakes donor meetings and engagements.

• Support the development and updating of core project materials including key messages, Q&A, response lines, briefings and presentations, tailoring messages to specific audiences, to be used across multiple channels 

• Proactively analyse philanthropic trends, competitor activities, and funding opportunities to support the Director of Fundraising & Communications in adapting Climate Catalyst’s fundraising strategy 

• With support from the Digital Communications Manager, lead the strategic utilisation and optimisation of CRM and fundraising management tools to ensure data integrity, generate actionable insights, and support reporting on fundraising performance.

Board and Strategic Council support (30%)

• Support good governance in Climate Catalyst - by developing the board workplan, organising meetings, securing inputs to these meetings, minute-taking, and ensure follow up on agreed actions (all with direction from the CEO)

• Drive and support pro-active engagement between Climate Catalyst senior staff and individual members of the Strategic Council, with direction from the CEO

• Drive and support pro-active and effective relationship management by the CEO with high-level partners and allies of Climate Catalyst, by planning, preparing and tracking engagement 

What You Would Bring

1. Experience in managing and supporting the governance functions of boards or similar high-level advisory bodies, demonstrating autonomy and initiative.

2. Demonstrated success in managing complex stakeholder relationships, including foundations, high-net-worth individuals, institutional funders, and senior advisors

3. Exceptional project management, organisational, and administrative skills with a proven ability to independently manage multiple priorities and complex workflows.

4. Demonstrated track record of independently identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major donors or high-value foundations, resulting in significant grants or partnerships.

5. Strong understanding of philanthropic trends, fundraising best practices, and donor lifecycle management.

6. Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Hubspot, Salesforce, Raiser's Edge) for donor management, pipeline tracking, and reporting, with an ability to leverage data for strategic decision-making.

7. Experience, comfort with, and preference for working across various regions and cultures.

8. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft compelling proposals, presentations, and reports for diverse audiences.

9. Ability to schedule work and deliver to tight deadlines

How You Work

• Results-driven with a strong focus on achieving fundraising targets and strategic objectives, while maintaining meticulous attention to detail.

• Collaborative leader who actively supports and champions colleagues, fostering a positive and productive team environment.

• Strategic thinker who can actively listen, synthesise complex information, and contribute to elevating the overall thinking and strategy of the team.

• Humble, with low ego and ready to roll up your sleeves

• Committed to our values of courage, collaboration, diversity and learning

Additional Information

• Currently, our main working language is English. Fluency in another language is highly valued.

• This position requires travel

• If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment tasks or otherwise participating in the interview process, please inform us of that in the relevant application section. 

Compensation + Benefits

• Pay is competitive in all hiring regions.

• The salary band for this role in USD is $70,000 - $86,000

• Benefits include: wellness stipend, professional development, co-working space coverage, generous pension contribution and more.

For more information about working with us at Climate Catalyst, including compensation and benefits, visit our website.

Diversity at Climate Catalyst

Climate Catalyst aims to design inclusive strategies to meet our objectives. We recognise that the only way to deliver on this is to build a diverse team composed of individuals with varying backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We encourage applicants from historically marginalised and currently underrepresented groups in the climate movement to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunities

Climate Catalyst is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable employment opportunity laws prohibiting discrimination. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

How to Apply

To apply, please upload a cover letter of no more than one page outlining interest in the role and your CV to this application page.

We are seeking a part-time Finance Manager for Energy Sparks, a charity working towards a sustainable future in which the school community is at the heart of measurable action to tackle climate change. Energy Sparks equips children and young people with the knowledge, skills, and tools to take practical action in their school and wider community to reduce carbon emissions. We enable school leaders, staff and communities to better understand and reduce their school’s energy consumption and introduce wider measures to reduce their carbon footprint. 

This is an exciting, new role in our growing team and provides a great opportunity to apply your financial accounting and management skills to help our charity flourish. As the only finance employee within a small organisation, this role will be a blend of weekly bookkeeping tasks alongside the preparation of management accounts and strategic oversight of Energy Sparks’ finances. The successful postholder will embrace the varied responsibilities. 

• Salary: £40,000-£42,000 pro rata dependent on experience

• Role initially offered 0.2 FTE. This can be worked 7.5 hours per week across the year or 8.75 hours per week term time only, with the opportunity for future growth, subject to income. Hours can be worked flexibly from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

• Home working with occasional team meetings in Bath (typically 1 visit per year, although for local employees there may be the opportunity to meet more often)

• Post holder must already have the legal right to work in the UK. 

Application deadline: 11:59pm Thursday 24th July 2025

To start September 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

About us

Energy Sparks is an online energy management tool and energy education programme specifically designed to help schools reduce their electricity and gas usage through the analysis of smart meter data. Energy Sparks helps pupils and the wider school community to reduce their school’s carbon emissions, and make a real contribution to addressing the 'climate emergency'. Energy Sparks started in 2017 in Bath, and is now working with over 1000 schools across the UK. 

Current annual income is £500,000 to £600,000 with expected growth in the 2025/2026 financial year. To date, the responsibilities in this job description have been delivered by the CEO. All staff work remotely with the core staff team based in the Bath area.

Key Responsibilities

Note: Energy Sparks currently uses the Xero accounting package to deliver most of the tasks below. 

1. Financial Reporting 

• Prepare monthly/quarterly management accounts, ensuring accurate reporting of income and expenditure.

• Provide financial reports to the CEO and Board of Trustees 

• Track restricted vs unrestricted funds and ensure proper allocation and reporting.

• Prepare the annual financial statements (in line with charity SORP).

2. Transaction recording and bank and payment reconciliation 

• Reconcile bank accounts weekly, including card payments

• Match incoming payments to invoices or grants

• Authorise and categorise supplier invoices

• Maintain accurate coding of income and spend to specific funders or grants (restricted/unrestricted funds), including apportioning staff salaries with manual journals

3. Accounts Payable and Receivable

• Process supplier payments

• Monitor supplier invoice due dates and ensure timely payment

• Issue sales invoices to schools, Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) and other partners

• Monitor accounts receivable and flag and chase overdue invoices with schools, MATs or partners.

• Monitor Energy Sparks account renewals and work with the wider team to issue renewal notifications.

4. Payroll 

• Check and post monthly payroll on Xero

• Post HMRC payments (PAYE/NIC)

• Process and post pension contributions

5. VAT

• Record input VAT on supplier payments including reverse charge VAT

• Correctly charge VAT on sales invoices

• Prepare quarterly VAT returns including accurate business/non-business apportionment for input VAT recovery

6. Record-Keeping

• Maintain digital records of receipts, invoices, and approvals

• Ensure proper documentation for charity finance compliance

7. Internal Controls & Risk Management

• Comply with Energy Sparks’ internal financial controls and policies to manage risk.

• Monitor cash flow and reserves and recommend adjustments for financial sustainability.

8. Strategic Financial Leadership

• Provide strategic financial insights to help inform decisions about growth and expansion.

• Assist with long-term planning, forecasting, and cost analysis for sustainability.

• Support organisational change, ensuring financial stability and compliance as the charity grows.

• Suggest improvements to financial processes, including optimising our use of accounting software to increase efficiency.

This will be a varied role within a small staff team and an ability to embrace a diversity of tasks is essential. There are currently no line management responsibilities for this post.
 

Person Specification

Experience & Knowledge

1. Significant experience in a senior finance role, ideally in the charity sector.

2. Strong knowledge of charity financial compliance, SORP, and statutory reporting

3. Experience of fund management and management accounts

4. Experience of preparing VAT returns and business/non-business apportionment 

5. Proficiency in Xero or similar accounting software, including manual journals

6. Confident running a Payroll function using Xero or other accounting software

7. Skilled in financial planning, reporting, and budgeting

8. Advanced use of Excel and Google Sheets.

9. Experience preparing for audits and liaising with external auditors/independent examiners

10. Strong communication skills with the ability to engage effectively with staff, funders, trustees, schools, Multi-Academy Trusts and suppliers. Happy to pick up the phone and chase schools or MATs for invoice payments!

11. A self-starter mentality with the ability to work independently as well as within a team.

12. Excellent organisation, efficiency, and attention to detail.

13. Strong problem-solving abilities and a solution-focused approach.

Nice to have

1. Strong interest in sustainability

Benefits

1. £40,000 to £42,000 pro rata dependent on experience 

2. 12% employer pension contribution

3. 38 days paid annual leave pro rata including bank holidays

4. 0.2 FTE. This can be worked 7.5 hours per week across the year or 8.75 hours per week term time only, with the opportunity for future growth subject to income. Hours can be worked flexibly from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.

5. The opportunity to make a difference in reducing carbon emissions and helping young people to live sustainable lives.

Application deadline: 11:59pm Thursday 24th July 2025

To be considered for this role, all applicants must currently have the right to work in the UK.

Energy Sparks is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications regardless of race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

At Children’s University Trust, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive through learning beyond the classroom. We’re a small, passionate team with bold ambitions to expand our impact – and we’re looking for an equally ambitious Business Development and Community Partnership Manager to lead the way.

This is more than just a development role. It's about building sustainable growth strategies, forging powerful partnerships, and shaping a future where opportunity is no longer defined by postcode or circumstance.

As our Business Development and Community Partnership Manager, you will take the lead in shaping and implementing visionary, data-driven growth strategies across three vital areas:

• Place-based memberships with schools, universities, councils’ departments, and third sector organisations.
• Individual “at home” subscriptions for children in areas without direct Children’s University provision or those who do not engage with traditional education.
• Strategic business partnerships with corporates and SMEs, securing vital funding and in-kind support.

You’ll be a key figure in our next phase of growth — identifying new opportunities, building meaningful relationships, and helping us scale our reach across the UK.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive new business activity and revenue growth across all three strategic areas.
• Build a strong, inclusive pipeline of potential members, partners, and funders.
• Manage and nurture relationships from first contact through to long-term collaboration.
• Use data and insight to shape decision-making and report progress to the board.
• Be a passionate ambassador for Children’s University at events, conferences, and online.

We’re Looking for Someone Who:

• Has a proven track record in income generation, partnerships or sales – all sector’s welcome!
• Is passionate about improving the lives of children and young people.
• Is a strategic thinker with the energy of a new business developer.
• Has the confidence to influence senior stakeholders and the empathy to build trust.
• Brings a creative, collaborative, and resilient mindset.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, flexible, remote-first environment.

Why Join Us?

• A unique chance to shape a growing national charity’s development strategy.
• A collaborative, driven team that values innovation and purpose.
• Flexible working, with one day a week in Manchester.
• An opportunity to truly change lives through education and opportunity.

If you’re excited by the chance to lead sustainable growth with purpose, and you want your work to matter, we want to hear from you.

Apply today and be part of a team creating a brighter future for children across the UK.

The Research Manager will work in a small team that is responsible for commissioning and managing high quality, robust social research, and for synthesising and disseminating evidence of what works to support the most disadvantaged young people into good jobs.

About the role:

The Research Manager will support all aspects of Youth Futures research, from project development to impact.

This will include:

• helping to develop our research strategy
• identifying research questions alongside colleagues in Youth Futures
• working closely with our research partners and suppliers so that projects are delivered on time and to budget; and ensuring that all research outputs are consistently high quality and make clear, practical and impactful recommendations for practice and policy.

This role can be based at any of our hubs located in Birmingham, Leeds or London.  We currently operate a hybrid model of two-days per week in the office and three-days from home.

How to apply:

Apply via our website. A full job description and person spec can be found in the job recruitment pack. 

Due to receiving high volumes of interest in our opportunities, this vacancy may close earlier than the advertised deadline. To ensure your application is considered, please submit it as soon as possible.