Responsibilities

Heart of Bucks is the Community Foundation for Buckinghamshire, providing a broad range of funding to charities and not for profit organisations across Bucks.

We are looking for a Programmes Officer to join our team to help us make sure that generously donated funds get right to the heart of our community, where they are most needed and can do the maximum amount of good.

This is a multi-faceted role, working collaboratively with our other Programmes Officers to deliver grant and loans programmes throughout the year. You will have your own programmes to lead on, and will be involved at all stages of the process, right from early development, through promotion of funds to groups, due diligence and assessment of the applications, supporting our volunteer independent decision makers and following up with groups at the end of their funding period.

You will need excellent communication and interpersonal skills and the role also calls for good technical skills as you will be involved in the development of systems to enable efficient administration of the applications.

Hours: 15-22.5 hours per week

Salary: £26,228 - £31,026 per annum (pro-rata to 37.5 hours)

We are happy to offer a hybrid working pattern, with some time in the office and some home working each week, with more time in the office whilst you are learning the role.

To apply, please email your CV and covering letter to [email protected] outlining how your knowledge and skills are a good fit for this role.

Specific Responsibilities:

Grant and loan programme management:

• Grants and loan programme management including:

• be the team “expert” on your programmes

• pre-launch development of programme and systems

• Salesforce/CRM recording and programme related development

• application enquiries

• due diligence and eligibility assessment and enquiries

• support for relevant decision-making mechanism

• communication with groups and preparation for payment.

• Sourcing applications and making recommendations to donors as required

• End of grant monitoring assessment and reporting

• Work with the Head of Development to support private donors and philanthropists to ensure that the priorities for their fund are met

• Work as a team to ensure that group mailboxes and telephones are monitored throughout working hours

• Work with the Finance Team to ensure that the grant and loans programmes are delivered within the available budget.

Community Engagement/Outreach

• Undertake VCSE engagement to extend and maximise impact of our grant making, including online and in-person funding advice, new programme promotion, occasional site visits to grantees and potential grantees and other meetings with groups

• Support grantee user testing as required

Communications, Marketing and Events

• Identify appropriate case studies and news stories

• Provide content for the promotion of your programmes

• Contribute to the smooth delivery of HoB events

Record keeping and reporting

• Use of our Salesforce database to ensure records are accurate, up to date and GDPR compliant

• Provide activity and other reports on your area of work as required

General

• Develop a good working knowledge and understanding of the local VCSE sector

• Develop a good working knowledge of external funding and other information and advice sources

• Ensure compliance with all HoB policies and relevant external legislation (eg GDPR)

• Other reasonable duties as required.

Person Specification

Essential:

• Financially literate
• Ability to interpret and analyse applications
• Strong IT skills, particularly MS Office
• Tactful, clear communication skills, including a good command of written English
• Excellent interpersonal skills, able to work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills, able to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Self-motivated, flexible and responds positively to opportunities
• Confident addressing/presenting to groups of people on work-related subjects
• Able to work collaboratively
• Ability and willingness to identify when to seek support and when to use initiative
• Able to identify and articulate own development needs
• Comfortable with and able to undertake lone working
• Access to independent travel

Desirable:

• 4 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), level 2 NVQs or equivalent
• Previous experience in a similar role
• Knowledge of GDPR and the need for confidentiality and discretion with sensitive information
• Salesforce (or similar CRM system)
• Not for profit sector governance
• Not for profit sector funding
• Not for profit sector in Buckinghamshire
• Ability to occasionally work out of hours (time off in lieu)