Funding Officer

Funding Officer, FTC to 31/12/2026

We are recruiting a full time (part time considered) Funding Officer working across Leicester and Leicestershire on a fixed term contract basis. You ll be part of a team of 9, led by two Funding Managers and working alongside 6 other Funding Officers, as part of a patch covering Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Coventry, within a larger Midlands team.

Ideally you will live in or near to Leicestershire or have excellent knowledge of the county. This role is classed as mobile working which means you will be expected to work from and visit several locations across the area, including your home. The ability to drive and have access to a vehicle is therefore beneficial, although not essential.

You will assess applications for funding and manage grants using local knowledge, best practice, thematic expertise and the experience of customers and stakeholders to improve our grant making and inform our decision making.

By working closely with people and communities from a defined geographical area, you will understand what matters to them and where our funding can make the biggest difference.

Being responsible for supporting local people and communities, you will have a strong understanding of our vision, our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and our funding products. You will also need to support our stakeholders, helping them to make connections that will help them achieve their goals.

Being responsible for a pipeline of projects you will need to understand and respond to the different needs of our customers by providing advice and considered feedback, and be willing to have challenging but constructive conversations.

You will also ensure that both grant management and assessment play an effective part in contributing to the Fund s knowledge and learning as a grant maker. You will manage your own caseload, liaise with grant recipients, undertake project visits, identify and manage risk, support organisations to deliver their projects and measure their impact.

You will also need to work within the Fund s policies and procedures and the necessary legislation, in a way that is in line with our vision and principles.

You will represent the Fund within your local area, including at funding fairs and external meetings, creating opportunities for people to come together. You will share learning from your role with other colleagues so that we can maximise our impact.

Interview details:

• Interview date: 4th February 2026
• Format: In Person
• Location: Leicester

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact the hiring manager David Nicklin.

Any questions about the recruitment process, please email the recruitment team.

How to apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (1000 words) with the following criteria, we will use this to score your application.

Essential Criteria:

• Lived Experience or working knowledge of the needs and priorities of communities across Leicestershire and the local third sector.
• Relational skills: Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, community organisations and other stakeholders at various levels, with a strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
• Analytical skills: Ability to absorb a wide range of information and to make judgement-based decisions with confidence, to challenge when appropriate and manage risk.
• Organisational skills: Ability to use your initiative and manage your own workload with minimal supervision, dealing with competing priorities and deadlines and demonstrating strong self-organisation and prioritisation skills.
• Communication skills: Strong listening, written and verbal communication with an emphasis on report writing for assessment purposes.
• Values driven and passionate about the Fund s purpose.

Desirable Criteria:

• Understanding of financial planning, ability to analyse accounts and numerical data and to identify and manage risk.
• Sound IT skills and the ability to learn detailed processes.

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.)