The post-holder will also interact regularly with colleagues working across the Fidelity Europe and Asia Pacific Foundations and therefore have the opportunity to learn about international grant-making.

The Candidate

The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge of and significant experience within the non-profit sector in the UK, ideally having a combination of significant experience of grant-making as well as direct experience of working within, and/or acting as a consultant to, mid to large sized non-profits that are active in the fields of interest to the Foundation.

In terms of subject matter expertise, candidates will have in-depth knowledge and experience within the Disadvantaged Children & Young People, and/or Health & Wellbeing sectors.

Given the Foundations’ focus on strengthening the capacity of non-profit organisations, and in particular their financial sustainability/resilience, the ideal candidate will also have the necessary analytical skills and knowledge to assess and analyse organisations across factors such as leadership and governance, impact, financial health and funding models, business and strategic planning etc. They will also be adept at analysing how proposed capacity building projects will strengthen the impact/efficiency and/or sustainability/resilience of organisations under consideration for receiving funding.

In addition to excellent analytical skills, the successful candidate will have strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to understand and articulate complex data and information clearly and concisely, especially in written form. Attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities will be key to success in this role. Finally, you will have a high degree of curiosity, humility and a collaborative style and will be able to proactively manage a diverse workload on your own initiative.

Please note only applicants with the right to work in the UK will be considered.

Key Responsibilities

Grants Management

• Oversee development of pipeline of grants
  • Pro-actively develop a strong pipeline of grants to ensure that grant-making targets for the UK Foundation are met and that proposals are well aligned to the Foundation’s strategic priorities.
  • Assess concept papers invited from charities providing in-depth analysis and recommendations regarding which could be taken forward to full application.
  • Undertake due diligence on applications, effectively applying the Foundation’s due diligence framework, analysing an organisation as a whole (looking at factors such as leadership and governance, impact, funding model and financial health and strategic/business plans) and assessing how a proposed project will enhance an organisation’s strategic ambitions.
  • Assess the appropriateness/relevance of organisational and project goals for grant proposals to support monitoring of progress and impact, ensuring that measures are meaningful and ‘owned’ by grantees.
  • Write clear and concise proposals with sound analysis for Trustee consideration.
  • Peer review grant proposals across the UK and international Foundations.

Portfolio Management

• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with grantees throughout the grant-making life-cycle - from application to monitoring progress, assessing progress reports and learning from grants made.
• Implement Trustee decisions, working closely with the Grants Administration team to ensure all aspects of grants administration are processed efficiently.

Monitoring, Impact and Learning

• Working closely with colleagues focused on monitoring, impact, and learning:
  • Review grantee reports and undertake periodic meetings/site visits throughout the grant period in the interest of developing positive relationships with grantees, monitoring progress and learning from grantees and from the impact of grants made.
  • Analyse the impact of grants, preparing papers for Trustees, as required.
  • Pro-actively connect grantees to facilitate shared learning.
  • Support learning across the wider Foundations’ team so all Foundations continue to enhance their knowledge, strategic thinking and practice.

Grant-making Strategy

• Support the Head of UK Programmes in keeping abreast of developments across the Foundation’s priority programme areas, with a particular focus on health and wellbeing and enabling disadvantaged children and young people fulfil their potential - tracking existing and developing trends, pro-actively sharing knowledge and insights across the team.
• Build and maintain relationships with, and knowledge of other grant-makers that have shared interests.

General

• Ensure compliance with all Foundation policies and effectively mitigate and manage risk.
• Ensure the Foundation’s grant-making database is kept up to date and accurate.
• Offer flexible support for the Foundations generally, as and when necessary, providing cover for other members of the team to ensure the work of the Foundations can continue effectively and without interruption.
• Represent the Foundations in a manner that is consistent with their values.

Qualifications

Experience and Qualifications Required

• Degree or equivalent experience (ideally in fields directly relevant to the role)

Knowledge and Expertise

• In-depth knowledge of the charity sector funding ecology, policy environments and socio-economic impact in the fields of health and wellbeing and/or children and young people.
• Experience of undertaking ‘landscape’ and data analysis to shape strategic thinking and decision-making.
• Significant grant-making experience working in the fields health and wellbeing and/or children and young people.
• Experience of working within operating charities (including as a Trustee).
• A sound understanding of how philanthropy can be effectively harnessed to strengthen the impact, efficiency and/or sustainability/resilience of organisations.
• In-depth knowledge of capacity/capability building needs of mid-large sized organisations across non-profit sector, including knowledge of the effective application of technology and insights regarding effective innovation that is supporting new business models, financial resilience and/or sustainability.
• Direct experience of providing capacity building/organisational development support to non-profit organisations e.g. as a consultant (desirable).
• Proven track record of producing clear, concise and insightful information for diverse audiences, including written materials to inform decision-making.
• Established network of contacts across the non-profit sector, including with other funders active in the field.
• Knowledge of and/or an interest in environmental conservation/arts, culture and heritage (desirable).

Skills, Abilities And Interests

• Strong research skills and ability to analyse complex information clearly and concisely to inform the assessment of charitable organisations as a whole (including reviewing and analysing business/strategic plans