Grants Officer

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 41,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking passionate Grants Officers to support their vital mission in heritage conservation and sustainability. These roles focus on managing grant schemes that empower communities and enhance the Church of England's historic buildings. Join a dynamic team dedicated to making a significant impact on the environment and church heritage. With opportunities for growth and a supportive work culture, this is your chance to contribute to meaningful projects that aim for Net Zero Carbon by 2030. Be part of a forward-thinking organization that values diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Age-related pension contributions

Flexible working arrangements

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Commitment to recruiting disabled people

Qualifications

• Experience in historic and natural environment conservation or sustainability.
• Good analytical and communication skills are essential for both roles.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Grants Manager with oversight of grant schemes.
• Provide a knowledgeable service to dioceses as the first point of contact.

Skills

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Analytical Skills

Knowledge of Conservation

Experience in Sustainability

Education

Degree in Environmental Studies

Degree in Heritage Management

Job description

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We have two exciting opportunities for Grants Officers to join our team!

We are hosting a Recruitment Webinar on Wednesday 14th May 2025 where you can find out more about these roles.

Please note that there are 2 Grants Officer positions available within different teams:

• Grants Officer within the Buildings for Mission team, 12 month contract
• Grants Officer within the Net zero Carbon Programme, 12 month contract

If you have a preference as to which role you would like to apply for, please write this at the top of your application. Any applications that do not specify a preference, will be considered for either position.

About the Departments:

Both roles sit within the Cathedral and Church Buildings (CCB) Department, which supports the care and sustainable development of the Church of England's 42 cathedrals and 16,000 church buildings, of which 12,500 are listed, to help fulfil the vision and strategy of the Church of England. It also supports dioceses with the disposal of church buildings no longer required for worship and finding them a new future. Through advice, guidance, advocacy and fundraising, the Department provides strategic support on conservation and caring for historic church buildings, making change to support worship and communities, and working towards Net Zero Carbon 2030. Members of the Department engage with dioceses, parishes and cathedral teams, as well as nationally with government, agencies, charities, funders, General Synod and across the National Church Institutions to make the case for church buildings and their vital role in worship, community and national life.

Buildings for Mission team

The Buildings for Mission project is an initiative of the Department funded by the Church Commissioners from the 2023-25 triennium allocations. It is providing £11m of support to dioceses and parishes through advice and grants, structured around three main activities. The Church Buildings Support Officers (CBSO) Grant Scheme supports salary and related costs for new posts to provide advice to parishes on repair and maintenance and on developing the wider use and support for churches through community engagement. The Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants Fund is devolving £6.2m to dioceses to distribute in the form of grants for urgent and necessary small-scale repair projects or improvement projects. The Church Buildings Management Partnerships (CBMPs) initiative aims at the formation of partnerships to provide maintenance and insurance services to member churches. Pilot projects are being grant-aided over the period 2025-26.

The Grants Officer role within the Buildings for Mission team will provide a responsive service for the grant schemes under the Buildings for Mission initiative:

• The Church Buildings Support Officers (CBSO) Grant Scheme,
• The Minor Repairs and Improvements Grants Fund, and
• The Church Buildings Management Partnerships (CBMP) pilots.

The Net Zero Carbon Programme was established to help the Church of England to deliver its commitment to reaching Net Zero Carbon by 2030. It aims to aims to equip, resource and support all parts of the Church to reduce carbon emissions from the energy used in its buildings, schools and through work-related transport by 2030. The team manages the distribution of a grant portfolio worth £190 million across 2023-31, aimed at supporting and equipping dioceses, parishes and other parts of the Church to reach the milestones set out in the Routemap to Net Zero 2030.

The Grants Officer role within the Net Zero Carbon programme will play a vital role in supporting the work of the Net Zero Carbon Programme's grant streams, supporting it in delivering a consistent and responsive service to grantees.

In both roles, duties will include:

• Assisting the Grants Manager with general operation and oversight of the schemes
• Providing a knowledgeable and responsive service to dioceses as first point of contact for the grant schemes
• Handling general enquiries and pre-application engagement, assessing and responding to expressions of interest from prospective applicants
• Handling a caseload of live grants

Key role requirements:

• For the Buildings for Mission role, the post-holder will be required to come into the primary office location (Church House) or another NCI or diocesan office location (subject to agreement with relevant office management) a minimum of one day per week.
• For the Net Zero Carbon Programme role, the post-holder will required to be home-based, with regular meetings in Church House Westminster and occasional travel elsewhere (up to two days per month).
• These are both fixed-term contracts, Buildings for Mission team (12 month contract) and Net Zero Carbon Programme (12 month contract). There is a possibility that these contract lengths could be extended to the end of 2028, but this is dependant on further funding being agreed.
• You will need to have knowledge/experience of historic and/or natural environment conservation or heritage management OR experience working in the environment or sustainability sector (depending on which role you choose to apply for).
• Both roles require good written/spoken communication skills, good interpersonal skills, ability to work well both on own initiative and good analytical skills.

About You

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information about the role and person specification.

What we offer

• A salary of £40,572 per annum, plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.