The Financial Inclusion Manager is part of a team of Financial Inclusion Managers who will play a central role in helping us achieve our vision for an end for the need for food banks in the UK. This role will provide essential financial inclusion expertise and support to our area managers and the food bank network to reduce, prevent and eventually end the need for food banks in Northern Ireland.

This is a varied, proactive and fast-paced role responsible for managing financial inclusion activities across Northern Ireland. This includes the day-to-day coordination of projects and partnerships, as well as providing direct support on financial inclusion to food banks. The role will focus on delivering financial inclusion support and services to Trussell Trust food banks and partner organisations to develop and optimise timely access to financial inclusion to those visiting (or at risk of needing to visit) food banks, including through individual meetings, development visits, regional events, training sessions and national conferences.

Role responsibilities

·       Assist food banks to develop their financial inclusion offering by providing advice and support to develop new initiatives and partnerships, optimise existing ones and/or develop referral relationships with advice sector partners

·       Support good practice in service models, quality assurance processes, governance, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, referral pathways and engaging volunteers and promote a culture of learning and improvement and participation of diverse communities with lived experience.

·       Work closely with the Northern Ireland team, and in alignment with wider strategic initiatives in Northern Ireland, to build and maintain strong relationships with food bank staff and volunteers, as well as establishing effective partnerships with a range of stakeholders including (including those that work with specific diverse groups who are affected by poverty). This would include working with advice providers, local authorities, community organisations and churches (which are often involved in the governance and running of food banks) to build understanding of and commitment to the importance of effective financial inclusion provision in contributing to ending the need for food banks in local communities.

·       Work closely with the Network Lead and Area Managers in Northern Ireland to ensure that financial inclusion support is well-aligned and integrated with Trussell Trust’s wider support offer.

·       Organise and chair training, clusters or events for managers, advisers and volunteers to promote co-operation and sharing of good practice in Northern Ireland around financial inclusion.

·       Contribute to the understanding of the Financial Inclusion team of the good practice, opportunities and challenges taking place within Northern Ireland and support the development and promotion of UK-wide financial inclusion initiatives.

Person Specification

Technical skills and minimum knowledge:

·       Excellent knowledge of the advice and financial inclusion sector in Northern Ireland

·       Experience of delivering training and presentations

·       Experience of planning and managing innovative projects

·       Experience of designing and leading participation of people with lived experience and utilising data and insight to tailor delivery to the needs of diverse communities

·       Experience of managing stakeholder relationships, particularly working with local community organisations in a community development context

Behaviours and competencies:

·       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

·       Excellent problem-solving abilities

·       Well-organised and able to juggle competing priorities

·       Demonstrate a commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust and in particular, empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds.

·       Able to build effective relationships in contexts where Christian faith plays a major part, and in which people of all faiths and none collaborate to make a difference together.

Key Stakeholders

·       Food banks

·       Area Managers, Network Lead and the Head of Scotland and Northern Ireland

·       Financial Inclusion Leads and Managers across the UK

·       Network Services

·       Volunteering

·       Policy & Research

·       Partner organisations

Our Values

The Trussell Trust is a charity that works to end the need for food banks. It is founded on and shaped by Christian principles.

Our values of dignity, justice, compassion and community, are central to all that we do and therefore supports our aim to be an organisation where the diversity of all employees is valued.  We welcome people of all faiths and none and those that are committed to these values.

We recognise that we have under-represented groups within our workforce. As part of our commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity we are actively encouraging applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering work after a career break, people who are LGBTQIA+, from racially minoritised communities such as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions and those with a lived experience of poverty as well as any other under-represented group in our workforce. We are committed ensuring the safety and protection of our employees from all forms of harm.