Funding Administrator FTC- Application Pack
To apply for this position you will also need:
- Personal Application Form (see separate Word doc)
- Role Specific Competency Questions (see separate Word doc)
- Equal Opportunities Form (see separate Word doc)
Barnwood Trust: Background
Making sure everyone feels at home in Gloucestershire is at the heart of what we do at Barnwood Trust. We work alongside disabled people and people with mental health challenges to make the county a more inclusive and enjoyable place to live.
This involves us in a wide range of activities. We give small grants to encourage community initiatives or help people with day-to-day living. We share knowledge and ideas to help people in Gloucestershire find new ways around familiar problems. We also open doors to new directions and experiences by encouraging people to learn a new skill or re-discover an old passion, or to join or start groups in the community.
All our work is about building belonging. Something wonderful happens when people gain a sense of being part of a community. Togetherness is empowering. Togetherness means people can take control of their lives and then support others in similar situations, through sharing their experiences. Everything we do works towards creating closer communities in Gloucestershire by sparking that sense of belonging.
Importantly, we don’t work in isolation. We have long-established relationships with organisations across the county. Through sharing ideas and experience we support them to think about disability, community, housing and opportunities differently.
We view our relationship with disabled people and people with mental health challenges as a partnership. We don’t run services. Rather, we offer the know-how for people to develop their own community groups and initiatives. Similarly, while we add funds, ideas and energy, the community provides the focus. Together, we support change in communities, encouraging people’s diverse strengths and bringing the county closer together.
Barnwood Trust was set up over 200 years ago to support people with mental health challenges living in Gloucestershire. Today, we help thousands of people every year and we are a financially independent organisation that doesn’t rely on fundraising. What really sets us apart today is our focus on building belonging across the county – recognising the contribution everyone makes to Gloucestershire.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Barnwood Trust is a long-established charitable trust in Gloucestershire. Its vision is that Gloucestershire is a better place for disabled people and people with mental health challenges to make the most of their lives, through acting as a catalyst for lasting change.
By enabling possibilities within communities, sharing ideas and providing grants, we enable people to shape where they live and discover new opportunities.
Our work is focused on four strategic goals:
- Disabled people and people with mental health challenges follow their passions and take up opportunities and no one feels excluded
- Disabled people and people with mental health challenges live in well-designed homes in welcoming sustainable communities
- Disabled people and people with mental health challenges are fully involved in creating welcoming communities, spaces and places
- Disabled people and people with mental health challenges influence people, places and organisations to make positive changes on disability issues and inclusion
PURPOSE
1. To administer the different funding programmes, whilst keeping within the Trust’s criteria in an efficient and effective way.
2. To contribute to the development of the funding programmes as they evolve.
POSITION IN ORGANISATION
The Funding Administrator reports to the Head of Funding and is a member of the Funding Team.
The Funding Team is part of the Supporting Operations Directorate and comprises: Funding Administrators, a Lead Funding Administrator, Funding Policy
Co-ordinator and the Head of Funding.
The Funding Team administers all the funding programmes, which are:
• Individual grants
• Place-based funding
• Commissioned projects
• Strategic partnership funding
The Funding Team is part of the Supporting Operations Directorate which led by the Chief Operating Officer and has oversight of the following functions: Funding, HR, finance, governance, facilities and project management.
OUTLINE OF FUNCTION
• The main functions of this role relate to the processing of, and support for, funding applications and are:
• Receive and review all applications receive via the online application portal and process accordingly.
• Respond to all enquiries from applicants, referrers and other connected parties in an appropriate manner, showing consideration and patience for callers who maybe distressed, or have communication or learning challenges.
• Support applicants throughout and following their application, liaising with suppliers, and referrers to provide continued support throughout the process.
• Source and purchase approved items online within the agreed framework of the permitted award. Make reasonable adjustments to awards where anomalies arise, within the agreed tolerance.
• Report all complaints to the Lead Funding Administrator for recording in the complaints log and handle all complaints and issues which arise with a professional and empathetic approach.
• Approve invoices for payment within the agreed funding amount and forward to finance for payment.
• Assist all Trust employees in understanding the Funding Policy and Programmes and decisions that have been applied to awards, advising on why Grants have and have not been awarded.
Contribution to the Trust’s overall programmes of work
• Contribute to activities organised to support the development of Barnwood Trust and its Teams
• Contribute to events and activities organised to promote the work of the Trust
• Participate in and, where relevant, contribute to the Trust’s internal and external Learning Programme, and to activities designed to evaluate the work of the Trust
General
• Uphold, safeguard and promote the Trust’s values, principles and policies through personal conduct, approach to all tasks undertaken and conduct of relationships with everyone engaged with, inside and outside the Trust
• Participate in routine tasks required to maintain a high-quality environment for everyone using Barnwood Trust’s premises.
• Take responsibility for working in accordance with the Trust’s policies, with special regard to the safeguarding policies, taking reasonable care for your own health and safety, and that of other people, and to comply with all health and safety legislation.
• Ensure the Chief Executive is kept informed of all important matters related to the work of the Trust across the county.
• Maintain confidentiality at all times and ensure compliance with the Trust’s Information Governance Policy and suite of policies.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Commitment to disabled people and people with mental health challenges
• Passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of disabled people and people with mental health challenges
Education and training
• Education to A level or equivalent and GCSE English and Maths at C/5 grade or higher, or equivalent standard.
Essential Knowledge and Experience
• Experience working in customer service on a busy phone line or a similar environment is essential.
• Experience of working as part of a team
• Experienced in organising, prioritising and work planning
• Experienced in working to deadlines
• Experience in an office environment including photocopying, organising meetings and preparing letters / meeting papers
• Experience of using a database, either as part of an IT qualification or in the workplace
Skills
• Exceptional interpersonal and organisational skills
• Ability to communicate in a personal, patient and sensitive manner
• Good numerical and analytical skills
• Ability to work meticulously and methodically, demonstrating attention to detail
• Ability to work in a positive and flexible manner
• Capacity to manage a varied workload, establishing priorities
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Strong IT skills (demonstrable proficiency in using MS Office, Word and Excel)
Work ethic and approach
• A positive attitude and an ability to generate goodwill and build relationships with collaborators and colleagues
• Ability to manage parallel tasks, prioritise work and cope with the unpredictable and manage time effectively to meet internal and external deadlines
• Displays the utmost integrity and an ability to hold and respect confidential and sensitive information
• Dependable and resilient
• Commitment to working as part of a team
• Self-motivated, resourceful and proactive in taking initiative
• Concern for, and commitment to, delivering high quality work
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- 6 month fixed term contract, starting asap. The position is full time at 37.5 hours a week. Usual working hours to be worked Monday to Friday, there may be some evening and weekend working, as required.
- This position is based in a fully accessible building in central Cheltenham, with parking and is close to train station.
- Salary – £23,789
GUIDANCE ON APPLICATIONS
We would like you to answer a few role specific competency based questions which will be used by the hiring manager to shortlist applicants for interview – see separate word document.
In addition to this, please complete the basic application form and equal opportunities form (see separate docs) – your application form will not be shared with the hiring manager until after shortlisting. Your equal opportunities form is separated from your application at source. Answers to the competency based questions, and the two forms should be sent together to: recruitment@barnwoodtrust.org
Should you have any questions or require a hard copy please email the recruitment team directly as well.
We want our application process to be right for you as an individual, so if there’s anything you think we can do to make this process more straightforward for you
please email recruitment@barnwoodtrust.org directly to discuss what support we might be able to provide. Our career page on our website has some examples of things we may be able to put in place for people who request extra support.
Deadline for applications is 5pm Wednesday 3rd November 2021.
First interviews will take place 11th and 12th November and second stage interviews 16th November 2021, with a view for the successful candidate to start asap.
If you would like any of this information in a more accessible format, please let us know and we’ll arrange this with you.
Barnwood Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of disabled people and people with mental health challenges and expects all employees to share this commitment. Therefore, all offers of employment are subject to a number of checks including DBS.
Barnwood Trust welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. As a committed equal opportunities employer the Trust guarantees an interview to any disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for this role.