Funding Officer

Job summary

We are recruiting multiple Funding Officers to support a range of initiatives across England, including Community Wealth Fund, National Lottery Awards for All, Programme Funding and Every Child Can. A mixture of permanent roles and fixed term contracts on a full or part-time basis are available.

As outlined in our It Starts with Community strategy, we are committed to placing community agency, power, and control at the heart of our England funding portfolio. We aim to stand alongside communities, supporting them as they tackle challenges and fulfil their potential. This is a great opportunity to take a mission-driven approach to funding while working flexibly across different programmes and priorities. We are looking for people who are collaborative, adaptable and passionate about putting communities first.

Job description

You will be expected to work on different initiatives across our England portfolio. This covers a broad range of thematic areas, from small grant funding up to larger scale projects, working with a wide range of different customers. As a Funding Officer you will work alongside fellow Funding Officers, supported by a Funding Manager.

We have a hybrid approach to working. Successful candidates will be required to attend meetings and training at our Birmingham or Newcastle offices.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with lived or working experience within under-represented communities.

Responsibilities & Expectations of the Role

• You will assess applications for funding and manage grants using best practice, thematic expertise and the experience of customers and stakeholders to improve our grant making and inform our decision making.
• You will provide clear, constructive feedback to applicants.
• You will manage your own caseload, liaise with grant recipients, undertake project visits, identify and manage risk, support organisations to meet their grant requirements and measure their impact.
• You will ensure that grant management and assessment play an effective part in contributing to the Fund’s knowledge and learning as a grant maker.
• You will be a proactive member of the England Funding Team. You will contribute your skills, knowledge and expertise to a range of work and programmes as need arises. Within an organisation and sector experiencing on-going change, an agile & flexible approach to the role will be essential for success.
• You will need to work within the Fund’s policies and procedures, and relevant legislation in a way that is in line with our vision and values.

Interview Details:

• Dates: w/c 14 September 2026, w/c 21 September 2026 & w/c 28 September 2026
• Format: Microsoft Teams
• Location: England with regular travel to Newcastle and Birmingham

How to Apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (max 1,000 words) to align with the criteria below. We will use this to score your application.

If you have any questions on the process, please email: [email removed]

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Communication skills: Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on written communication for assessment purposes.
• Analytical skills: Ability to assess a high volume of applications, make good judgements, challenge when appropriate and manage risk.
• Relational skills: Ability to build, develop, and promote effective relationships with colleagues and community organisations, with a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Organisational skills: Ability to use your initiative and manage your workload and time, juggle competing priorities and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Adaptability: Ability to adapt and respond to changing organisational priorities, working flexibly across a number of workstreams adapting quickly to new processes and ways of working.
• Demonstrable sound IT skills, in particular Microsoft Office products and the ability to learn detailed processes quickly and accurate.
• Values driven and passionate about the Fund’s purpose.

Desirable Criteria

• Understanding of financial planning and business plans, ability to analyse accounts and numerical data.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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.)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,000, The National Lottery Community Fund contributes £7,821 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

A full list of our benefits can be found on our website using the link:

• Generous Civil Service Pension scheme
• Flexible working
• Enhanced paid maternity/paternity leave
• Paid volunteering leave
• Season ticket loan

Watch this video to see a full list of benefits available.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Please click the link to apply and upload your supporting statement (1000) and CV when you are submitting your online application to us via our vacancies page. Any application sent to recruitment with your attached documents will not be cons