Grants Manager

Package Description

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Grants Manager to join our team on a 10-month maternity cover basis. In this role, you will work closely with a colleague Grants Manager to oversee the London Councils’ grants programme. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure the efficient and high-quality delivery of services within budget. This position involves significant collaboration with the Grants Committee, London boroughs, the Greater London Authority (GLA), and other funders.

Applications are welcomed from candidates within London boroughs who are interested in exploring this as a secondment opportunity.

If you have any queries, please contact Doug Flight, Strategic Policy Lead - doug.flight@londoncouncils.gov.uk or 020 7934 9805.

Please be advised that this role will close at 12:00 noon on Monday, 7th October 2024.  

Job Introduction

You will work collaboratively with a colleague Grants Manager and, together, will take day-to-day responsibility for managing the London Councils’ grants programme (under Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985[1]), working in partnership with the Grants Committee, the London boroughs, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and other funders:

• to manage the resources allocated, to manage the grants programmes and deploy and control these to ensure efficiency and quality of service within budget and in accordance with London Councils’ grants priorities
• to seek added value by convening and connecting organisations we fund, focussing on learning and making the connection with policy development. You will also lead on improving reporting systems and relationships with London boroughs.

Main Responsibilities

1. To manage the London Councils grants programme, ensuring effective scrutiny and evaluation arrangements of the programme through:
   • regular review of systems, processes, risks and controls, based on key documentation (funding agreements, Performance Management Framework etc.) to provide operational and financial reassurances, and a plan of action for the work of the grants team;
   • a continuous quality improvement approach to identify and understand any root causes of problems, taking into consideration reputational risks and controls;
2. Under the direction of the Strategic Lead (Strategic Policy and Grants), manage grants resources efficiently, effectively and within budget to secure London Councils strategies and objectives.
3. To work with the Grants Committee, London boroughs and other partners to ensure the successful delivery of the London Councils grant programme, using the resources in place to ensure high-quality, effective and efficient delivery.
4. To ensure that London Councils’ grant making is carried out with due regard to statutory responsibilities and to the highest standards of public service, and that all necessary financial processes are carried out to fulfill the designated authority’s section 151 responsibilities[1].
5. To ensure that the grants programme provided on boroughs’ collective behalf by London Councils benefit from common high standards of financial management, customer care, public and borough communications and reputation management.
6. To provide operational management and direction to the small grants-team, using coaching and other activities to support the development of team members, and provide feedback through appraisal and other supervisory activities.
7. To ensure that the Strategic Lead (Strategic Policy and Grants) is briefed as necessary to ensure that decision-making and strategy formulation is based upon accurate and up to date intelligence.
8. To develop and sustain positive relationships with Grants Committee members, borough sponsors and key London stakeholders and contacts to maintain and advance the reputation of London Councils and the grants programme.

The Ideal Candidate

Experience, knowledge and skills

• Experience of end-to-end grant management - research and planning, award/fund distribution (good grant making practice for application and assessment procedures), post-award performance management and reporting
• Experience of relationship management and partnership work, ideally with voluntary and community sector
• Experience of working at pace and to a demanding schedule
• Good management information analysis skills
• Excellent communication, literacy and numeracy skills
• Demonstrable ability to manage, develop and appraise staff, and to lead and motivate a team to deliver the standards required of it
• Ability to produce detailed and accurate reports
• Ability to negotiate and achieve high performance levels and efficient and continuous improvement

Other factors

• A desire to learn and build on that learning to improve work-related performance
• Resilience, resourcefulness and ability to cope calmly with a busy workload
• Good understanding of and commitment to equal opportunities, and their application within London Councils
• Good understanding of London Councils’ core objectives and the financial, legal and political context of local government, especially in London
• Ability to build positive relationships with elected members and colleagues, and to provide advice and guidance, which is well respected

About The Company

London Councils is the collective of local government in London. We work in collaboration to deliver shared ambitions for London and Londoners, which are agreed, cross-party, at our Leaders' Committee. We run a number of services on behalf of our members, providing opportunities for all residents. They include the Freedom Pass, Taxicard, Health Emergency Badge and grants programme for voluntary sector organisations.

London Councils has over 160 employees working in local government policy roles or providing services to London residents as outlined above. 

We work flexibly in the organisation, dependant on work and meetings, so you don’t need to attend the office 5 days a week.