Funding Officer – Our Natural World

Salary: £34,500 to £38,500 per annum

Location: Kings Cross, London with hybrid working arrangements. We have ‘core days’ when all employees are expected to work from the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The office is open all day every working day and employees can use the working space as much as is helpful to deliver their role. Some UK travel is required, costs of which are covered by the foundation.

Hours: Full-time, working to broadly standard office hours (35-hour week). We welcome applications from individuals requiring flexible working hours. During core days, staff should work broad office hours (usually encompassing 10am – 4pm).

Reports to: Director of Our Natural World (ONW)

Applications close: 3pm, Monday 4th November 2024

About Esmée

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is a leading independent funder.  We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK.  We provide c. £50million annually in grants to organisations and initiatives with brilliant ideas who share our goals.  We also provide social and impact investment for organisations with the aim of creating social and environmental impact.

In 2020, we launched a new strategy with a focus on three interdependent aims: improving our natural world; tackling injustice to deliver a fairer future; and nurturing creative, confident communities.  Under the new strategy we will be playing a more active role ourselves our range of tools to effect change. In addition to funding, this includes convening and brokering alliances, commissioning research and using our influence to achieve our goals.

Our strategy is underpinned by the need to tackle structural inequity, racism and the causes and impacts of climate change – both as an organisation and through the work we support. We believe that we need bold action and impact like never before so as well as funding brilliant organisations we will work alongside partners and collaborators to remove barriers and secure progress ourselves, using our voice to quietly influence and effect change.

Useful links to learn about us:

• Our values
• Working for Esmée

About the role

This role will be focused on our aim to improve Our Natural World. We have three goals under the Our Natural World aim; preserved and improved species health and habitats, clean and healthy freshwater and sustainable and ethical food. To meet these goals, we have a developed roadmap based on where we believe we can make the biggest impact and how our funding and tools can be most effective.

The role will provide support to the Foundation’s assessment and management of applications, funding and development of road map programmes and projects development.  This will involve undertaking research, speaking to our partners and learning from their work, helping to assess funding applications and writing summaries for our Trustees. The role will also provide some administrative support – including helping to arrange our funding decision meetings, events and visits.

The Foundation aims to be an engaging employer and a good place to work.  All members of the team have opportunities to learn more about how we work and to join colleagues in visiting relevant projects and attending appropriate meetings. You will be part of a vibrant organisation with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Contributions to the Foundation’s strategic direction are encouraged throughout the organisation.

The Foundation has an executive team of 42.  You will work within the Our Natural World team. There are 12 trustees who oversee the work of the Foundation via regular board meetings and committees.

Purpose of Job:

To provide support to the Foundation’s assessment and management of applications, funding and programme and project development.  In particular to:

• Manage a large and broad portfolio of grants and funding relationships.
• Gather learning from funded work through consideration of reports, telephone interviews and other evidence to inform future funding activity.
• Assess funding applications as delegated by senior members of the funding team.
• Support the development and commissioning of roadmap activities, such as new projects, research, convening events and organising visits.

Why apply:

We are seeking individuals who are passionate about the natural world and eager to enhance their skills and experience in the environment and/or philanthropic sectors. If you are proactive, organised, and naturally curious with a positive, solution-oriented mindset, this opportunity could be for you. We welcome candidates with knowledge or experience in the environment—whether gained through work, study, volunteering, or personal interest—who are excited about making a real contribution to our work. This role offers a unique chance to build networks across the environmental movement and further develop your career. If this resonates with you, please get in touch.

Core responsibilities:

1. To ensure the effective management of a large and mixed portfolio of grants and funding relationships through liaising with applicants, reading reports and attending to appropriate administration using the Foundation’s database and supporting the Foundation’s decision-making committees.
2. To maintain contact with supported projects and monitor their work in line with the Foundation’s learning and impact strategy.
3. To manage a caseload of funding applications under supervision from senior members of the funding team, including analysing written proposals, seeking further information, giving advice to and taking advice from colleagues, advisers or other funders.
4. To write up assessment reports on applications with recommendations for consideration adhering to agreed timeframes.
5. To undertake scoping, research and development of programmes and projects in line with the Foundation’s strategy, under supervision from other members of the funding team (including convening events and organising visits).
6. To be a positive and active member of the Foundation team working with and supporting colleagues in helping the Foundation deliver the strategic plan.
7. To undertake any other duties in support of the Foundation’s business as may reasonably be required, including administrative support to the ONW team.

Significant interfaces:

• Internally: all staff and trustees, in particular senior members of the funding team
• Externally: potential and existing applicants and recipients of funding, other sector partners

Skills and experience:

1. Experience of grant-making or working for a funder or in a related environment can be helpful but is not essential.
2. Demonstratable interest in one or more areas of one or more of the Foundation’s priorities relevant to the Impact Aim working on (Our Natural World for this role).
3. Experience of database use as part of job role (the Foundation uses Salesforce, experience would be ideal, but any mainstream database experience helpful).
4. Naturally curious and interested in the work and the people supported by the Foundation.
5. Understanding of the context in which NGOs operate. (for example the activities undertaken by charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises in this sector).
6. Understanding of the range of activities undertaken by charities, voluntary organisations, community organisations and social enterprises in this sector.
7. Ability to interpret and resolve complex information including financial information and business plans.
8. Good listening and communication skills, including the ability to understand and follow colleagues’ instructions and present information clearly and concisely in oral and written form.
9. Strong administrative skills and an ability to prioritise that demonstrate a capacity to organise and manage workload to deadlines.
10. Competent IT skills including experience of using a database.
11. Report writing skills.
12. Ability to use initiative and work autonomously but within a supportive environment.

Personal qualities:

• Able to deal in a helpful, friendly and professional way with a wide range of people
• Analytical – an ability to identify what is relevant
• Sound judgment – an ability to weigh the options and reach the best solution
• Practicality with a ‘can do’ approach
• Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• Flexibility
• Diplomacy
• Self-motivated with high energy levels
• Highly developed sense of personal integrity
• An empathy for and commitment to the Foundation’s ethos and values

Benefits:

12.5% employer pension contribution (with a 5% employee contribution) and a range of benefits including: season ticket loan, income protection scheme, life assurance, (taxable) private medical insurance scheme, Give as You Earn scheme, cycle to work scheme, Employee Assistance Programme.

The Foundation has a strong commitment to the professional development of all staff.

Our commitment to DEI in recruitment:

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation believes that a greater diversity of views, skills, and lived experience will help generate better ideas, and will lead to better decision making. We want to encourage applicants with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. In particular, those with lived experience of racial inequity, disability, or poverty.

You can read more about our commitment following the link below:

https://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/about-esmee/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/

Applications close: 3pm on Monday 4th November 2024

Interview dates:      

• First stage interview: Wednesday 20th November 2024 (virtual)
• Second stage interview: Thursday 28th November 2024 (in person)

Apply today via the button below! For a chat about the role, you can reach out to Dom in the Inclusive Recruiting team. Call 0203 397 8333 or email dom@inclusiverecruiting.co.uk.