23685 - Community Projects Lead

Ministry of Justice; Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service pension

25 days annual leave

Public holidays

Learning and development

Flexible working options

Paid paternity/adoption/maternityleave

Job summary

The Methodist Church in Britain seeks a Community Projects Lead to manage community grant programmes across Northern Ireland, ensuring strong governance, financial stewardship and impact evaluation. You will coordinate ministerial submissions and engage with grassroots groups, councils and partners to align funding with peacebuilding and socio-economic aims.

Hybrid working is available with at least 60% in an office.

Qualifications

• Strong partnering with diverse, sensitive or hard-to-reach community organisations and senior stakeholders.
• Sound judgement and analytical skills to assess funding proposals and social impact data.
• Excellent written and oral communication, including conveying complex funding positions to Ministers.
• Self-motivated, able to manage ambiguity and competing priorities with meticulous attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day delivery, monitoring and performance oversight of community grant programmes across Northern Ireland.
• Ensure financial stewardship, risk management and governance across grant allocations under Managing Public Money principles.
• Monitor spend, scrutinise grant claims and conduct post-project evaluations.
• Lead end-to-end administration, governance and evaluation of community funds such as the Community Partnership Fund.
• Build relationships with grassroots leaders, the voluntary and community sector, councils and delivery partners to understand local needs.
• Draft ministerial submissions, briefings, Parliamentary Questions answers and correspondence on community funding at pace.
• Provide ministerial advice and handling strategies on community interventions.
• Collaborate with NIO policy teams, Cabinet Office and grant recipients to align investments with wider socio-economic and peacebuilding initiatives.
• Lead workstreams to foster community relations and drive social cohesion.

Skills

Relationship building

Analytical skills

Written & oral communication

Attention to detail

Job description

The Community Projects Lead sits in the Northern Ireland Office, part of the Ministry of Justice, and is a 24-month fixed-term post open only to existing civil servants and accredited NDPB staff. The post-holder runs community grant programmes for grassroots and voluntary groups across Northern Ireland, covering delivery, financial scrutiny and post-project evaluation. The post also covers ministerial submissions and Parliamentary Questions, with hybrid working needing at least 60% of time in an office. National Security Vetting at CTC level and five years' continuous UK residence are required.

What the job involves

• Lead day-to-day delivery, monitoring and performance oversight of community grant programmes across Northern Ireland
• Ensure financial stewardship, risk management and governance across grant allocations under Managing Public Money principles
• Monitor spend, scrutinise grant claims and conduct post-project evaluations
• Lead end-to-end administration, governance and evaluation of community funds such as the Community Partnership Fund
• Build relationships with grassroots leaders, the voluntary and community sector, councils and delivery partners to understand local needs
• Draft ministerial submissions, briefings, Parliamentary Questions answers and correspondence on community funding at pace
• Provide ministerial advice and handling strategies on community interventions
• Collaborate with NIO policy teams, Cabinet Office and grant recipients to align investments with wider socio-economic and peacebuilding initiatives
• Lead workstreams to foster community relations and drive social cohesion

Skills & knowledge

• Strong partnering and relationship-building skills with diverse, sensitive or hard-to-reach community organisations and senior stakeholders
• Sound judgement and analytical skills to assess funding proposals and social impact data
• Excellent written and oral communication, including conveying complex funding positions to Ministers
• Self-motivated, able to manage ambiguity and competing priorities with meticulous attention to detail

Checks & eligibility

• Existing civil servant or employee of an accredited non-departmental public body
• National Security Vetting at CTC level
• Five years' continuous UK residence

Nice to have

• Experience of grants governance, grant agreement design and public sector financial management
• Practical understanding of the voluntary, community and social enterprise landscape and community relations in Northern Ireland
• Experience of measuring social impact or conducting post-award programme evaluation

What's offered

• Civil Service pension
• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after five years' service
• Public holidays
• Access to learning and development
• Flexible working options
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave
• Season ticket advance and flexible benefits such as discounts and vouchers