Funding Manager

We have an opportunity within our London, South East and East Region for a Funding Manager who is passionate about communities and the wider voluntary sector.

The post holder will lead on strategic and programme funding initiatives, coordinate our regional learning function and ensure that our grant making in the region is learning informed and equitable. The role will also support our transition to our new Strategy particularly working to embed a new approach to partnership at a regional level. The regional team consistently delivers innovative, game changing solutions for some of the most pressing challenges the region faces and you will be expected to be able to continue that work.

Working across the region (three sub regions and 9 patches); engaging with teams across our England Directorate a typical day can be fast-paced and highly varied. Funding Managers are responsible for coordinating the whole lifecycle of our grant-making, placing communities and an equity-based approach at the heart of what we do; managing a portfolio of grants, working in support of regional strategy, leading on learning, and managing an individual team. You will be able to think outside the box , be confident working in an innovative and experimentation space to help deliver equitable and measurable support for the sector within the region.

You should be experienced in Grant Management and Stakeholder Management processes and systems or confident in your ability to quickly learn how to use them as key management tools.

Responsibilities include

• Working across the region to support the design and delivery of Funding and Partnership and specific programme focused initiatives, ensuring strong project management and coordination
• Leading the LSE&E learning function; promoting a culture of learning and a commitment to ensure we are data, evidence and learning informed in our grant making.
• Designing and coordinating project delivery teams as needed in support of our partnerships and strategic grant making ambitions; defining the skills, capabilities and resource needs to deliver on initiatives.
• Supporting the strategic delivery of regional strategy, working collaboratively with senior funding staff.
• Engaging with other regions and directorates in support of multi region funding requests and initiatives.
• Supporting the transition of a regional team to deliver against our new England strategy including work to define the scope of team activities; ways of working and effective team building.

The ideal candidate will be able to deploy their sector knowledge, funding and management skills to manage a portfolio of regional grants and support grant making across the region; manage project teams and strategic initiatives (including the direct line management of a small team of Funding Officers and matrix management of short-term project teams). The post holder will work alongside 9 other Funding Managers working across the Region. You will report into our Senior Grant Making Managers in a matrix management relationship and work collaboratively with teams and peers across the organisation at various levels.

Interview Date: 11th and 13th March virtual

Location: London, South East & East

We have a hybrid approach to working, work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate. The regional office is based in London.

On application, please align your supporting statement to the criteria below

Essential criteria

• Working knowledge of the Third Sector in London South East and East Region
• Experience of working in grant making ideally linked to at least one of our mission areas; supporting communities to come together, supporting babies, children and young people to thrive, environmental sustainability, and/or enabling people to live healthier lives.
• Strong team, people and project management skills, with an ability to lead, motivate and manage staff, driving high performance and support a team through change.
• Experience in driving a culture of learning with strong co-ordination skills to support the Learning Function across the Region.
• Experience in equitable grant making and driving forward our EDI ambitions.

Desirable criteria
• Experience in managing complex budgets and processes and ability to use Grant Management Systems
• A deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities for the VCSE sector.
• Ability to act as more than a funder and bring together partnerships within the sector