Director of Grants and Operations

Jack Petchey Foundation; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charitable organization in Greater London seeks a Director of Grants and Operations to oversee operations and grant-making. The role involves strategic leadership to maximize social impact through financial oversight and partnerships. The ideal candidate has extensive operational experience, a commitment to youth empowerment, and the ability to drive transformational change within the organization.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of building effective operations in complex organizations.
• Experience in digital transformation and managing grant programs.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to translate strategy into action.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic operational infrastructure development.
• Oversee financial planning and compliance.
• Manage partnerships and grant-making processes.
• Foster a high-performing team culture.
• Contribute to strategic planning as a member of the executive team.

Skills

Strategic vision

Operational excellence

Leadership

Financial oversight

Digital transformation

Job description

About the Role

The Director of Grants and Operations is a senior role within the Jack Petchey Foundation with responsibility for leading our operations, partnerships and grant-making. You will ensure that our operations are agile, efficient, effective, forward-looking and robust. In addition, you will have strategic responsibility for ensuring our grants and partnerships teams deploy over £10m pa to benefit young people and strengthen the youth sector across London and Essex.

As a member of the Executive Team, you will play a crucial role in delivering our ambitious strategy, expanding our impact and investing more through JPF’s proven grants and partnerships. You will work to ensure that JPF programmes benefit more young people, particularly in areas and groups with the greatest need.

We are seeking an experienced, forward-thinking leader with a proven track record of building and improving highly effective operations functions within complex organisations. You will bring strategic vision and operational excellence, ensuring that our systems and processes are robust, inclusive and future-focused. With significant experience in digital transformation, financial oversight and people leadership, you will know how to create the infrastructure that enables impact at scale. At the same time, you will be motivated by our mission, committed to youth empowerment, comfortable leading high volume grant programmes, developing programmes to fill identified gaps, and skilled at translating strategy into practical action.

Main Areas of Responsibility

You will provide strategic leadership to our operations, partnerships and grant-making, ensuring that JPF achieves maximum positive social impact through our programmes, funding and operational delivery.

Strategic Operational Leadership

• Lead the strategic development and implementation of operational infrastructure, including HR, IT, digital systems and facilities.
• Lead and oversee digital transformation and the efficient and effective use of CRM systems to support effective decision-making and operational delivery.
• Ensure robust, efficient and inclusive systems, policies, and procedures that drive organisational effectiveness and resilience.
• Ensure systems are user-friendly and future proof.

Financial Leadership

• Provide executive-level oversight of financial planning, budgeting, reporting, analysis and reporting.
• Ensure compliance with statutory, legal, and regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with the Finance Manager to ensure strong financial controls and risk management systems.

Grant Making and Partnerships

• Lead strategic oversight of JPF’s small grants programmes (>£5m pa to over 1500 schools and youth organisations) as well as our 16 partnership programmes (>£4m pa) and paid youth sector internship programme.
• Identify and develop innovative partnership models that align with the Foundation’s mission, vision, values and theory of change.
• Lead the management and implementation of JPF’s c£2m new legacy grants programme.
• Ensure grant-making processes are efficient, from application to evaluation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with delivery partners, funders and with the sector.

People and Culture

• Lead, manage, and support staff across the Grants, Partnerships and Operations functions, fostering a high-performing, inclusive and collaborative team culture.
• Foster staff wellbeing and bring excellent judgement and good humour to your work.
• Champion continuous improvement, learning and data-driven decision-making.
• Work to embed youth-centred approaches, safeguarding, equity and inclusion across the organisation.

Organisational Leadership

• Actively contribute to strategic planning and organisational leadership as a member of the Executive Team.
• Represent the Foundation at events and engagements and act as an ambassador.
• Undertake other duties in line with the role as organisational needs evolve.