December 2017  

Dear Applicant

Programme Advisor

Thank you very much for enquiring about the above post.

I enclose further details, an application form and an equal opportunities monitoring form. The application pack can be obtained in other formats on request. Application forms can be word processed or manually completed.

Completed, signed applications must be received by 12 noon on Wednesday 24 January 2018. We will contact shortlisted applicants by 5pm on 26 January. If you have not heard from us by then, unfortunately your application has been unsuccessful. Interviews for shortlisted applicants will be held on Thursday 1 February 2018.

The information you give in your application will not be held by us longer than is necessary and will not be used for any purpose other than to assess your suitability for the advertised post in accordance with the Community Foundation’s Data Protection policy.

Please include all relevant information on the application form. Do not send CVs, references or other materials as they will not be used in the selection process.

You can find more information about the Community Foundation on our website www.communityfoundation.org.uk

If you have the experience and skills we are looking for, I hope you will apply and look forward to receiving your application. Yours sincerely

Rob WilliamsonChief Executive

Appointment of Programme Advisor

Background Information

Overview

The Community Foundation is a charity that champions giving to make a difference to people’s lives in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, and across North East England. We focus our work on three things:

Giving and philanthropy: helping anyone become a philanthropist through starting a fund with us or giving collectively alongside like-minded others.

Funding and support: finding and supporting effective voluntary groups and talented people through the funds set up by our donors and partners.

Knowledge and leadership: using our expertise and reach to benefit our communities by shining a light on vital issues, and working with others to make change happen.

There are nearly 1,800 community foundations across the globe. All are independent charitable organisations dedicated to making a difference to a particular city, county or region. We are the largest of 46 in the UK.

Our website has lots of information about our work and us and can be found at www.communityfoundation.org.uk.

Our governance and management

We are a registered charity and limited company governed by a high profile board of trustees, chaired by Fiona Cruickshank OBE. Individuals, voluntary groups, businesses and public bodies in Tyne & Wear and Northumberland are all eligible to become members of the Foundation. Members elect and nominate representatives to the Board. The full Board meets four times a year and delegates certain responsibilities to sub-committees and staff. The Duke of Northumberland is our honorary President and serves alongside our Vice-Presidents and Patrons who act as ambassadors for our work. The staff team of 22, led by our Chief Executive, Rob Williamson, manages the organisation. We have our own building – Philanthropy House in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne – a beautifully converted former Methodist Chapel which serves as our office and space for meetings and events

Funding, philanthropy and leadership

By total annual grant-making the Community Foundation is the largest independent funder serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. We receive around 2,500 applications a year. In the financial year to March 2017, the Foundation awarded £6.8m through 1,509 grants to over 800 groups and nearly 200 individuals.

Individuals, families and companies set up philanthropic funds at the Foundation to support causes they care about. In almost all cases, major donors are introduced to us through someone they know, and sometimes through a professional advisor. We handle all the administration and advise donors to ensure their giving is effective. Most funds are held within our endowment but we also manage gifts given and used annually. Many funds are donor advised, meaning there is an active relationship with one or more people – sometimes a panel – who are involved in recommending groups to support from a fund.

Other donors have specified a field of interest (which might be a beneficiary group or a place) and allow the Foundation discretion to award grants accordingly. We match grant applications to relevant funds, but we also have specific calls for applications where appropriate. Our Vital Community funds are entirely unrestricted and we use them to support priorities linked to those in our Vital Signs reports.

The Foundation also works with public and charitable funding partners who rely on our expertise to deliver their aims in our area. Our work includes promoting funding opportunities, acting as a local referral route for applicants, grant assessment and running devolved grant programmes. Our partners include Newcastle and Gateshead Councils, Henry Smith Charity, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Northstar Foundation, the Ridley Family Charity, Comic Relief and the 1989 Willan Charitable Trust.

Our funding reaches a very wide range of groups and causes. While grassroots groups are a core focus, many grantees are small-to-medium voluntary organisations whose income might range from £50,000 to £500,000. We also occasionally fund bigger charities for specific projects or capital requirements. Most of our grants are for amounts up to £5,000, although we are able to make larger awards through some programmes and our unrestricted and field-of-interest funds. Grant-making to individuals is a small part of what we do. Such grants are almost always designed to nurture creative or athletic talent or to invest in education.

The role

This is an important post in our team which leads on grant-making from programmes and discretionary funds. The remit includes dealing with enquiries from applicants, promoting funding opportunities through outreach events, assessing applications against programme/fund criteria, presenting reports to panels, reviewing and collating feedback and inputting information on the Foundation’s grant management system. The varied demands and timescales required by our programmes mean that workload is not evenly distributed in any year, so the post-holder is required to adjust accordingly and, where necessary, use the Foundation’s flexible working arrangements to respond to peaks and troughs. There is also an expectation that in a small team, everyone will help out their colleagues.

It is essential that the post-holder is a team player who works effectively with colleagues and on their own initiative. The successful candidate will have an understanding of voluntary sector activities, governance and finance, and have experience in grant-making or similar assessment work. They must be able to communicate well in person and in writing with everyone from a volunteer in a community group to a senior manager from a funding partner. They will be able to deal effectively and efficiently with high-volume grant-making, adjusting their assessments and reporting to suit different audiences without compromising quality. Above all, they must bring enthusiasm, flexibility and a positive attitude to a demanding workload and multiple priorities.

Closing date: 12 noon on 24 January 2018Interviews to be held 1 February 2018

Programme Advisor

Job purposeTo assist the Director of Community Knowledge and Funding in ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of internal and external Community Foundation programmes by undertaking grant-making and other activities.

ReportsDirector of Community Knowledge and Funding

Job description

1. To provide programme advice through assessment, monitoring and evaluation of grants.2. To organise and oversee other programme activities. 3. To undertake outreach and to deal with enquiries about programmes.4. To assist the Director of Community Knowledge and Funding in maintaining good

relations with and advice for partners and funders.5. To represent the Foundation at events to promote programmes.6. To be informed about voluntary sector and relevant policy issues.7. To provide grant-making support to and cover for other funds as necessary. 8. To undertake other similar duties as required.

Person Specification

Essential

1. Ability to analyse grant applications and make recommendations on them.2. Prior experience of grant-making or similar assessment work.3. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills4. Ability to manage workload to deadlines5. Understanding of the voluntary sector6. Computer literate and able to be self-servicing7. Strong commitment to the values of the Community Foundation including equal

opportunities.8. Enthusiasm, flexibility and the ability to cope well under pressure.9. A good team player who is able to support colleagues.10.Willingness to undertake occasional evening/weekend duties and travel outside of the

region.

Desirable

1. Experience of working on externally funded programmes.2. Graduate-level education or evidence of comparable ability.

Terms and Conditions

1 Salary Community Foundation scale point 13, currently £26,221

2 PensionThe Community Foundation makes a matching contribution of 6% of staff contributions of 5%. From April 2017 the Community Foundation operate an auto-enrolment policy.

3 Hours 35-hour working week normally based on a 9am-5pm working day with one hour for lunch.

The post-holder may occasionally be required to attend Community Foundation events in the evenings.

The post-holder may be asked to work additional hours on occasion to accommodate work demands. Such overtime is voluntary and is paid at the normal salary rate.

4 Leave25 days a year plus public holidays.

5 ProbationThe post is subject to a six-month probationary period.

6 Offices The Community Foundation has spacious offices in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne which are accessible for disabled people. The offices are non-smoking.

7 TravelThe office has excellent public transport links and there is on-site staff parking which is available by arrangement.

The Community Foundation will pay business travel expenses and post holders would require business travel insurance if they use their own vehicle on company business

Equality and diversity

Community Foundation is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals are able to make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit. We do not discriminate against staff on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation (protected characteristics).

We ask that you include all relevant information on this formPlease do not send CVs or references

Post applied for: PROGRAMME ADVISOR

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL DETAILSThe information in this section will NOT be used in the shortlisting process

Name:      

Address:     

      Post code:

Home telephone:       Work telephone: (if convenient)      

Email:      

Support Needs

Do you have any support needs if asked to attend an interview? Yes No

If yes please give details below - e.g. use of an interpreter, wheelchair accessibility:

     

Are you entitled to work in the UK? Yes No

DeclarationI declare that the information on this form is true and complete. I understand that any wilful mis-statement or omission renders me liable to dismissal if engaged.

Signature:       Date:      

SECTION 2 – EMPLOYMENT HISTORYPlease give details of your current or, if unemployed, most recent employment

Job title:      

Brief descriptions of your duties and responsibilities:

     

Date started:       Date ended:       Salary:      

Employer’s name and address:      

Reasons for leaving or wishing to leave:      

Notice required:      

References:Please give names and addresses of two people who we may approach for a reference. One of them should be your present or most recent employer.

It is company policy to request references for candidates who are shortlisted. Please indicate clearly if you do not wish a particular referee to be contacted prior to interview

Name:       Name:      

Job title: (if applicable)       Job title: (if applicable)      

Address:       Address:      

Telephone:       Telephone:      

Contact prior to interview? Yes No Contact prior to interview? Yes No

Previous employment history Please duplicate this sheet if more space is required and include paid and voluntary work

Dates Employer’s name and address Job title Salary Brief description of main duties Reason for

leaving

                                   

                                   

                                   

SECTION 3 – EDUCATION AND TRAININGPlease start with the most recent secondary school attended

Dates School Qualifications

                 

Dates University / College Qualifications

                 

Dates Further education or formal training Qualifications

                 

Any other relevant courses attended:      

Details of any professional membership:      

Details of activities relevant to the post applied for (e.g. hobbies):      

SECTION 4 – INFORMATION IN SUPPORT OF YOUR APPLICATION Why do you want this particular post? What qualities and experience do you think you can contribute? How do you meet the person specification? (continue on ONE separate sheet if necessary)

SECTION 4 – INFORMATION IN SUPPORT OF YOUR APPLICATION (continued)

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES MONITORING FORMThe Community Foundation is striving to be an equal opportunities employer. To ensure that our policy is operating effectively, and to identify groups that may be under-represented or disadvantaged in our organisation, we monitor applicants' ethnic group, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion and age as part of the recruitment procedure. We ask you to complete this form and send it back to us with your completed application.

Provision of this information is voluntary and will not adversely affect your chances of recruitment or any other decision related to employment. The information is removed from applications when received and before shortlisting, and is treated as strictly confidential, and not used at any time during the selection process.

Gender Male Female

Are you married or in a civil partnership Yes No

Age 16-24

45-49

25-29

50-54

30-34

55-59

35-39

60-64

40-44

65+

What is your ethnicity?Ethnic origin categories are not about nationality, place of birth or citizenship. They are about the group to which you as an individual perceive you belong. Please indicate your ethnic origin by ticking the appropriate box.

White English

Irish

Welsh

Gypsy or Irish Traveller

Scottish

Northern Irish

Other White background

Mixed/multiple ethnic groupsWhite and black Caribbean

White and Asian

White and Black African

Any other mixed background

Asian/Asian BritishIndian

Bangladeshi

Any other Asian background

Pakistani

Chinese

Black/African/Caribbean/Black BritishAfrican

Any other Black/African/Caribbean background

Caribbean

Other ethnic group Arab

Prefer not to say

Any other ethnic group

Do you consider yourself disabled? Yes No prefer not to say

Any information you provide here will be used for monitoring purposes only.

What is your sexual orientation?Heterosexual/straight

Gay man

Other

Gay woman/lesbian

Bisexual

Prefer not to say

What is your religion or belief?No religion Buddhist Christian

Hindu Jewish Muslim

Sikh Any other religion Prefer not to say

Do you have caring responsibilities? If yes please tick all that applyNone

Primary carer of a child/children (under 18)

Primary carer of disabled child/children

Primary carer of disabled adult (18 and over)

Primary carer of older person (65+)

Secondary carer

Prefer not to say

How did you find out about this job?LinkedIn Fish 4 Jobs

Word of mouth Community Foundation site/e-news

VONNE website Other please specify

By completing this form you have helped us better understand how we, as an employer, ensure equality of opportunity for all.

Thank you for completing this form.