Funding Officer

Funding Officer - FTC until March 2027, We are looking for a Funding Officer to cover areas across London; however the role may also include working across different areas of the patch. The role will join a passionate, vibrant and friendly team and be part of ensuring our funding supports a wide variety of communities and places locally. You'll be part of the North and East London team, led by a Funding Manager, and comprised of 6 other Funding Officers, that sits within the wider team of London, South East and East. LSE & E is one of the largest teams in the Fund and distributes over £130m annually. The team is committed to learning and impact, and the role offers a chance to gain insight into and learn from the fantastic work communities are doing on the ground and how this can be used to help others. As part of our funding team, you will assess applications for funding and manage grants from our Reaching Communities programme. You will use your local knowledge and experience, and the experience of our grant holders and local stakeholders, to ensure we are making the best decisions on the grants we make. By working closely with people and communities from a defined geographical area, you will understand what matters to them and where our funding can make the biggest difference. You will gain an understanding of our vision, our commitment to equity and inclusion and our funding programmes. You will be responsible for your own caseload; liaise with grant recipients, visit projects, identify and manage risks, supporting organisations to deliver their projects and measure their impact. You will need to understand and respond to the different needs of our applicants and grant holders by providing advice and feedback and be willing to have challenging but constructive conversations. You may come from a voluntary sector background - many of our colleagues do, but we are also very open to transferrable skills from any and all backgrounds. Just reach out to us for an initial conversation if you're unsure.

• Experience working in the voluntary sector with an understanding of issues communities face.
• Ability to build and maintain excellent relationships at several different levels.
• Ability to absorb a wide range of information including financial health and make judgement-based decisions with confidence.
• Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on written communication for assessment purposes.
• Values-driven and passionate about the Fund's purpose, with a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Demonstrable experience of using initiative to manage competing priorities and deadlines with a can-do attitude, while proactively supporting colleagues to meet deadlines through practical cover (e.g., triage, clear handovers, sharing tools/templates, or co-working on complex tasks) and continuing to deliver own responsibilities to a high standard.
• Ability to assess a high volume of applications and manage a caseload; analyse accounts and numerical data; write reports, challenge when appropriate and manage risk.
Desirable criteria
• Be responsive to emerging issues and trends which impact on your work, the work of your team, or the Fund.
  
  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.)