Leicestershire and Rutland Community Foundation Grants Manager Reports to: CEO Purpose of role: Manage our grant-giving with and for family, corporate and public donors and funders, to local charitable groups, to improve local needs. Salary: £30,000 to £32,000pa, depending on experience, for a 30-hour week which must include Monday (£35,000 to £39,500 FTE, though we are only offering 30 hours). We also offer 8% pension contribution after one year, flexible working (within normal office hours) and a good holiday allowance. About Us We set up and manage grant-giving funds for families, individuals, companies and the public sector, and we revitalise historic trusts. We specialise in giving grants to vital local charitable groups that help keep our communities and our area thriving. Overview of the Role We manage 50/60 or so grant-giving funds for families, individuals, companies, and public sector bodies. We’ve given over £1m in grants each year to local charitable groups in the past 5 years and work hard to increase private philanthropy and funding for local needs. The role is a significant one in the Community Foundation. It requires both strong organisational skills and great people skills. You will use a Salesforce-based CRM daily and will sometimes manage several grants programmes at once. You will also work with some donors, funders and charitable groups, making them feel valued and supported within budget and time constraints. Our small, friendly, hardworking team meets every Monday in person, then works at home at or our small offices as preferred, with external meetings as required. You’ll have access to the national network of Community Foundations too. We are a place-based funder. A consistent presence in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and access to personal transport, are important. Support and training will be given but you will need the experience and ability to immediately start to carry out most of the tasks below. Main Responsibilities and Tasks Using our established grant giving systems, you will manage our grant-giving to meet both donor aims and local needs. We give grants via our general Making Local Life Better Fund and via standalone funds for specific areas or needs; occasionally, funds work differently, and you will ensure these are also covered. You will have some direct or indirect contact with donors and/or funders (whom we treat as clients) after their funds have been set up and agreed. We give mainly to local VCSE groups, and you will maintain and develop our knowledge of and reach to these, as well as grow our understanding of local needs and priorities, to share with donors and funders. You will write fund criteria for donor/funder aims and will promote available funds verbally and in writing, via networks, funding fairs, presentations etc. You will also update information about grants on the website and newsletters, and create brief summaries of applications so that donors/funders understand them. You will oversee and proof the assessment of grant applications by our freelance assessors and sometimes undertake assessments yourself. You will set up, support and chair decision-making panels, in person or online, supported in turn by an assessor and a note taker when needed. You will deal with any (occasional) complex declinations or grants complaints. You will manage formal and informal grant monitoring and create and present reports and presentations for Board and other audiences. You will support those who help our grant giving – e.g. our Advisory Group, assessors, panellists - and maintain our relationships with external stakeholders e.g. councils, infrastructure groups, other funders, other Community Foundations. You will eventually start to develop local needs analysis and impact measurement, to understand how our grants improve lives longer term. You will manage our grant-giving and your own administrative needs by maximising our CRM system (a version of Salesforce), and Microsoft Office tools. You will manage and support the Grants and Funds Co-Ordinator, who assists this work, and develop good working relationships with the whole team. Skills and Experience Needed Several years' experience of direct grant-giving management in the charitable sector, or demonstrably transferrable skills from another career to carry out the role: e.g. customer-oriented higher-level project management. Strong organisational, administration and project management skills: you will use Microsoft Office applications and our Salesforce database (currently being redeveloped, with some challenges) and will often need to meet deadlines. Excellent “people” skills; you need to be organised, but this is not a purely administrative role; communication is regularly needed with staff, donors, funders, trustees, and stakeholders. Line management experience preferred. Good writing and speaking skills; competent presentation skills. A strong understanding of inclusion, equity and diversity, and the ability to work effectively with people from a range of backgrounds, proactively seeking to reach eligible groups from all areas in the city and counties. Ability to manage workloads constructively; a flexible and calm approach. Ability to research relevant information and keep up with key developments; a real interest in the local charitable and voluntary VSCE and local area. Ability to learn internal and external policies and processes, in line with GDPR, Charity Law, and our own rigorous Quality Accreditation process to maintain good practice, review and update processes as necessary for a streamlined approach and best outcomes. A constructive, solution-focused approach to working in a challenging sector and environment, and within the opportunities and constraints of a small charity. To apply, please send us a CV of your career and experience that clearly shows us how you have the skills we need; together with a covering letter or email of 500-800 words summarising how you meet the Skills and Background Needed via the email application below. Deadline for applications 9am Friday 21 st March 2025. We currently plan first interviews to be held w/b 24 th March 2025 or w/b 31 st March 2025. Please note we are unable to review your CV without a covering letter.