Job Description

This post sits in the Development Team, which is responsible for delivering income to sustain and grow The Reader’s work and developing the relationships that can help make that work happen. You’ll be working in a small, fast-paced team that needs to be flexible to opportunities as they arise.  This role will work across income streams, developing funding bids, cultivating and stewarding funders and partners and actively supporting the work of the Development Managers.

Key Responsibilities

Knowledge and Skills

• To shape service delivery models and assemble appropriate and accurate budgets and project plans in collaboration with wider teams.
• To shape, design and write high quality and compelling bids and proposals to secure funding for a range of audiences, including from Trusts and Foundations, public sector organisations through contracts or commissions and in the development of packages for potential partner organisations.
• To shape, design and write high quality, well-informed funder reports, using information drawn from across the organisation and including both qualitative and quantitative data.
• To support the team to put together draft, project-specific budgets for sign off where appropriate or required.

Initiative and Problem solving

• To lead the team to respond quickly and efficiently to matters relating to lead responsibilities, including making decisions that impact high level funder relationships (e.g., Arts Council England) and large and growing areas of work (e.g., Children and Young People).
• To support the team in responding quickly and efficiently to reactive funding opportunities, designing budgets and bespoke proposals where required.
• To work closely with the Head of Development to redesign income tracking and reporting processes, to ensure consistency in costing approach and to input Development insights into strategic discussion.

Team working and Collaboration

• Support the work of the Development Managers, helping to develop multi-year trust applications, large public-sector commissions and proposals for grant donors – by providing research, content drafting or information gathering assistance.
• Conduct regular horizon scanning to spot opportunities for profile raising with key influencers or funders. Support Directors and Development team to secure opportunities to meet with key influencers or to engage in key events.
• Support the team to refine internal processes, by participating in ongoing consultation, testing and review.

Decision Making and Freedom to Act

• To manage and lead on Development related decision making with regard the Children and Young People area of work, which is of significant contract value. Including managing the Development team’s relationship with the CYP team; coordinating monthly meetings; maintaining an understanding of projects, plans and fundraising needs; deciding on and building project budgets; identifying funders; packaging, developing and writing fundraising bids including budgets for funders; building products and drafting quotes for commissioners; managing commissioning contracts; drafting quarterly reports for this area of work for the Board.
• To manage the Development Team’s internal relationship with the People and Partnerships team, coordinating monthly meetings, maintaining an understanding of their ongoing fundraising requirements, drafting relevant project budgets, keeping in the loop with commissioned contracts, drafting re-commissioning contracts.
• Working closely with the Head of Monitoring & Evaluation and across the organisation to manage the successful completion of annual and interim reporting to Arts Council England, as a National Portfolio Organisation – this requires effective managing up to support and steer senior managers across the organisation in order to fulfil the requirements of this contract.
• To lead on decision making in relation to significant bodies of work (e.g., Development / CYP relationship and funding stream, and significant funders (e.g., Arts Council England) – these are both high value areas for the organisation.

Communication

• Support the stewardship and reporting for major funders, ensuring that we continue to maintain and develop strong relationships with our key partners and funders. This includes timely updates, maintaining ongoing communication tailored to funder preferences and seeking opportunity for relationship building and providing insight into the funded work.
• To input into briefs for the Communications team to identify promotional opportunities related to funded areas of activity, liaising with the funder to ensure all permissions are secured.
• Work across the organisation to obtain the necessary information for bids, proposals and reports coordinating the process and managing up when appropriate in order to make sure deadlines are met.
• Coordinate key contracts of work, being clear on funder expectations and communicating those to others by preparing agendas for staff meetings, providing further briefs where required whilst ensuring teams are operating in accordance with funder requirements.

Liaison and Networking

• Conduct meetings with funders or key partners, pitch new ideas, respond to funder queries or requests, clarify requirements or terms of agreement where changes may occur.
• Work with both the Events team and the Communications Team to support and deliver engagement and cultivation events for current and prospective funders and partners. This may include being an ambassador for the organisation at both internal or external networking or engagement events.

Planning and Organising

• Proactively identify and research prospective funders and partners to drive pipeline growth, qualify leads and prioritise and appropriately respond to opportunities as they arise.
• Support the implementation of the development and partnership pipeline, ensuring that information is kept up to date and actions completed.
• To keep up to date records on the CRM and record all arising actions.
• To contribute to the writing of quarterly board reports, providing updates on progress towards funding targets, work completed and work underway.

People Management and Leadership

• Prioritise and manage the work of senior leaders as part of the management of significant funder relationships (e.g., Arts Council England) and significant bodies of work for the Development team (e.g., strategic NHS Trust commissions and Shared Prosperity Fund bids (central pillar of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda).

 Other

• To undertake other reasonable duties as directed by the Head of Development and as the Department’s work develops and new needs emerge.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade, including taking part in, or leading a Shared Reading group.

Person Specification

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities.
• A team player with a positive and flexible attitude with a willingness and ability to learn on the job and work collaboratively with colleagues.
• An effective influencer and negotiator with a demonstrable ability to sell concepts in a clear and engaging way.
• Strong IT skills with experience of or willingness to be trained on our CRM system and ability to process data and run reports.
• Highly motivated with the ability to work independently and use initiative.
• Experience of researching, collating and presenting information in a clear format.
• Experience of working in either a fundraising, account management, business development or marketing/sales role.
• Experience of working for a voluntary, arts or social enterprise role.
• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the wider work of The Reader.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Temporary. Job Tags: bid, charity, development, Funding, Fundraising, and income. Salaries: 20,000 - 40,000.

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