Community Funds Manager
Foundation Scotland, Scotland-wide
Community Funds Manager
Salary Not Specified
Foundation Scotland, Scotland-wide
- Full time
- Permanent
- Remote working
Posted 2 days ago, 11 Nov | Get your application in today.
Closing date: Closing date not specified
job Ref: c0e4b46c39f44c3b9a7cdd3c24c4c9f5
Full Job Description
- Contribute to the management, development, quality assurance and coordination of the Communities Team national portfolio of place-based community funds.
- Oversee the implementation and development of a portfolio of place-based funds, often but not exclusively within a certain region of Scotland.
- Manage a team of staff delivering place-based funds.
- Deliver tailored consultancy projects linked to new or established place-based funds focused on high quality community engagement and stakeholder management.
- Develop, promote, and model good practice in community-based fund arrangements which influence and contribute to policy and practice, internally and externally.
- Lead and contribute to practice development of donor and community partner stewardship in community benefit work.
- Identify, cultivate, and deliver new business opportunities.
- Deliver quality outcomes and build Foundation Scotland's reputation., Support colleagues with the delivery and development of existing funds, and ensure the design and approach is fit for purpose in response to changing community and donor needs, and the team's quality standards in place-based funds
- Deliver a limited number of community fund arrangements in line with Donor Agreements, needs of the Team, and business opportunities at the time. The allocated portfolio is necessarily dynamic.
- Design, manage and deliver the facilitation, consultation, research, review, and communication processes which engage all stakeholders with community benefit opportunities.
- Establish new community funds, based on high quality engagement with communities, stakeholders, and donors.
- Develop fund frameworks and strategies, and distribution arrangements, taking account of the community context and of good practice in asset-based community development. 2. Practice and Policy
- Maintain knowledge of relevant activity, national policies, standards of good practice and research into community funds. Update team members and translate this into practice regarding the Communities Team scope of work.
- Maintain knowledge of funding eligibility and restrictions, regarding charitable law, donor contracts, and principles of good practice in relation to place-based funding.
- Identify and contribute to regional and national policy development, including advisory group representation and/or public affairs liaison with other relevant Foundation Scotland colleagues. Provide information from Foundation Scotland and wider practice and liaise with external stakeholders.
- Represent Foundation Scotland at regional or national events, share our approaches and learn about developments in community-led funds and place-based approaches.
- Develop and implement approaches to enable learning from, and amplification of, community led perspectives and insights via, e.g. panel Hot Topics, Panel Bulletins, and thematic round tables. 3. Grantmaking, Fund Distribution and Decision Making
- Oversee the range of grant-making across an allocated portfolio, ensuring it reflects the Communities Team approach and adheres to standards. This will include timely and accurate information to applicants, oversight of assessment activity, and guidance to colleagues on technical queries.
- Develop and test methods of fund distribution, and support team members to do so. For example, to develop strategic projects or commission activity alongside regular grant programmes. Promote these approaches via case studies, support material and toolkits.,
- Ensure that the bodies established for funds, and their decision-making processes, are fit for purpose, including full transparency for decisions.
- Ensure effective and proportionate support is provided to the decision-making body and that systems are in place for monitoring, documenting, and reviewing the work of these bodies. 4. Donor Stewardship and cultivation
- Scope opportunities for new business. Work with the Head of Communities on developing these opportunities, and on creating new business proposals.
- Design and deliver services to meet the requirements of a range of donors, for short-term consultancy and long-term fund management work and support team colleagues to do likewise. Provide general donor stewardship services in line with donor agreements.
- Ensure procedures and operational detail for the implementation of donor agreements are followed and reviewed in line with Foundation Scotland's practice and quality standards.
- Be the first port of call for a named group of multi-fund donors, responding to general queries, troubleshooting, and convening any tailored feedback from across their respective portfolios alongside annual donor reporting.,
- Provide routine management support for team colleagues: monitor the quality and focus of their work, provide guidance where required, review and set tasks and workload against objectives.
- Provide a quarterly review for team colleagues: review the quality, consistency, and timeliness of their work against the work-plan. Set objectives, tasks, and workload for the year ahead and agree training and development opportunities.
- Contribute to the leadership of the team through planning and delivering team-wide activity including regular team meetings and online communication and support activity.
- Work with the Head of Communities to support effective deployment of work required in line with resources available. Celebrate accomplishments and learn from success and failure.
- Identify training and development opportunities.
- Contribute to wider Foundation Scotland initiatives, such as cross-organisational working groups, Manager Meetings, and all colleague gatherings.2. Project Management
- Contribute to Communities Team planning, which cascades from the Foundation Scotland Strategy.
- Contribute to planning, organising, and managing resources against a timeline to successfully complete project objectives.3. Financial Management
- Monitor time and resource allocation of self, team colleagues and other resources to assist with cost control and income management.
- Where relevant, monitor and manage budgets in relation to projects, external resources, and partnerships. 4. Communications
- Contribute to externally facing activities and communications, particularly those that support the development of improved practice in community funds and place-based funding approaches.
- Contribute to marketing and communications materials, such as leaflets, presentations, online copy.
- Contribute to internal news updates for colleagues.
- Support the Team Head in creating reports for colleagues and the Foundation Scotland Board.
Education / Experience - Degree level qualification or five years equivalent relevant experience. Specialist Expertise - Community Funds
- Proven expertise and a strong track record in facilitation of community forums and community-led practice.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with proven application in community-led, social justice and/or social change contexts.
- Demonstrated competence in developing and implementing grant programmes.
- Experience in commissioning, co-production and/or developing research and evaluation processes.
- Proven expertise in leading strategic relationships with donors and other stakeholders with demonstrable track record in building and sustaining multi-sector relationships across a range of settings.
- Tenacity and ability to influence, persuade and negotiate with stakeholders and partners towards shared outcomes.
- A demonstrable understanding of the significance of place in community funds, and what this means for the work in terms of relationship management with donors and communities. Interpersonal, Communication and Management Expertise
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, highly competent in bringing data to life in both verbal and written communication.
- Capable of developing trusting, collaborative and effective relationships with external stakeholders and across an organisation, including the line management of team staff members.
- Ability to plan and manage team workload effectively.
- Skilled at working in evolving situations, and able to think laterally about how to move work forward. Digital Expertise
- Capable in the use of a range of digital platforms for productivity, management, and delivery of the role, with a particular focus on MS Office suite, Salesforce or other CRM databases, and relevant communications platforms and tools.
- Capable in project management skills, including use of related digital platforms. Flexibility and Eligibility
- Eligibility to work in the UK.
- Able and willing to work flexibly, including some evening and occasional weekend work.
- Able and willing to travel for work within Scotland, with access to transport for getting to remote and rural areas not served by bus/rail.
- All colleagues including via working groups.
- Donors and partners: e.g. commercial companies, community companies, community councils.
- Infrastructure and civil society organisations, local authorities, and other public bodies
- Community organisations, charities and social enterprises that may be local, regional, or national.
- Community Panels/Boards.
- Applicants and grantees: community organisations of all types and sizes.
- Other funders and sector specialists
- Elected members, politicians, and government officials.
In addition to a sense of fulfillment and an opportunity to meet a wide range of people, FS offers the following benefits. - A progressive pay system with benchmarked annual increases
- Life Assurance at 3 times annual salary
- Defined contribution scheme with 6% Employers contribution
- MS Office license to use on a personal device whilst employed by Foundation Scotland
- 35 days annual leave [all public holidays need to be taken from this allowance]
- Training and development opportunities
- Working pattern flexibility and homeworking
- Employee Assistance Plan
- Equivalent 2 days paid to undertake volunteering opportunities The role level is defined at Grade G (of 10 grades), a Function or Service Manager.
Making a difference throughout Scotland Since 1996, Foundation Scotland has distributed significant funding to charities and community groups across the country, creating happier, fairer, and more sustainable communities. We support philanthropists to help their personal giving make the most difference. We work with donors to invest in community action that enables people and places to flourish. We work alongside communities to ensure that local funds are distributed by communities themselves. We offer social investment opportunities to enable social enterprises, community organisations and charities to grow and deliver positive social impact. For a quick introduction to how we make a difference, watch our animation. The Communities Team Foundation Scotland's Communities Team designs and delivers place-based funds linked to specific geographies and where decision making is usually devolved to residents. We bring fund distribution expertise, along with administrative and governance support; the local decision makers bring their deep knowledge of their community and its needs and aspirations. The team currently stewards a high volume of these types of funds across Scotland on behalf of a wide pool of donors. We cultivate strong relations with communities and donors, test different approaches and practice and share learning to influence practice and policy. Our work has been most concentrated in the renewables sector, where we seek to develop and share best practice and learning about community benefit funds from commercial wind farms. Our approach takes a long-term view, promotes, and harnesses community strengths and supports decision-making processes that are inclusive, accessible, accountable, and community-led. As a national team we have staff located across Scotland, recruited for their expertise in facilitation, fund distribution and grant-making, informed by a solid understanding of community development principles., Working with: