Division: London’s Communities

Job Grade: Band D

Reporting to Strategic LeaDivision London’s Communities

Job Grade Band D

Reporting to Strategic Lead: Strategic Policy and Grants

Contacts London Councils Grants Committee and its sub-committees; London Councils staff; senior members and officers in London boroughs, the Greater London Authority (GLA), Mayor’s Office and wider GLA family; national and London-wide bodies in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including relevant government departments and other funders

Location 59½ Southwark Street, London SE1 0AL

Job Purpose

·       You will work collaboratively with a colleague Grants Manager (Part-time) 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 and helping develop closer relationships with London boroughs. You will also lead on improving reporting systems.

Principal Accountabilities

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[2].

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.

9      To take care to uphold health and safety at work for self and others, observing London Councils Health and Safety policy, and adhere to London Councils’ corporate policies, procedures, regulations and protocols.

10   To uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in line with the expectations of a local government officer and to ensure staff adhere to such standards to uphold the reputation of London Councils and local government in London.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Job title : Grants Manager

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

·       Experience of using Windows-based software applications, including Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel

·       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

Contractual obligations

·       An agile and flexible working scheme is in operation, allowing a mix of remote and office based working.

·       In general, and when representing London Councils at meetings, staff are expected to maintain a smart physical appearance

·       Employees have a duty to behave in a way that reflects well on London Councils, working always within the law and according to London Councils policies, procedures and regulations, including the Data Protection Act 2018

Note

This job description may be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances. It is not intended to be rigid or inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the post-holder works. Other duties

[1] Section 48 of the Local Government Act 1985 empowers boroughs to establish a grants programme to make grants to the voluntary and community sector

[2] Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972 requires every Council in England and Wales to "... make arrangements for the proper administration of their Finance affairs and shall secure that one of their Officers has responsibility for the administration of those affairs".