Programme and Community Development Lead
£34,100
Full-time
9am, 7th October 2024
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Details
Salary: £34,100 p/a
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Location: Remote/Hybrid
Application deadline: 9am, 7th October 2024
About SCN
At The Social Change Nest (SCN), we’re radically transforming the funding landscape and strengthening civil society. We remove the financial and administrative barriers – like bank accounts and legal structures – that often prevent communities, grassroots groups and informal movements from accessing funding and focusing on their core mission. We also work closely with funders, providing Grant Distribution and Fund Management services, enabling them to support social action with confidence and transparency.
We currently support over 600 groups across the UK and abroad addressing issues such as social injustice, climate, housing, wellbeing and animal rights. We are at the forefront of Fiscal Hosting in the UK and, since our inception in 2021, we have supported groups in securing over £23m in funding, helping them take advantage of opportunities that may have otherwise been unavailable.
The Social Change Nest is part of The Social Change Group. We are a Disability Confident Employer, and an accredited Living Wage Employer. In addition, we were listed as one of the top social enterprises in the UK in the SE100 for the last three years.
How we work
You’ll be joining a close-knit team, supported and developed to be the best you can be. We believe that every member of our team brings a unique perspective from their experiences and abilities and we encourage everyone to be a curious soul about how we can improve everything we do, from how we interact as a team to how we deliver for our clients and communities.
Underpinned by our values of collaboration, curiosity, courage, and creativity, we work closely and with care with our partners because we believe relationships are the glue that hold us all together.
We’re a growing business and operate at pace to keep up with the challenges that the sector faces. We have established a lot, but as we grow, we’re still working some things out. The right person will thrive in this environment and feel a level of ownership to support the build out of things we need as we need them.
The ideal person will enjoy working towards building something new and exciting for our clients, and be able to thrive when things change quickly which you need to adapt to. You’ll be the type of person that will intuitively look at the entire system and how your role and function fit into it, always looking to collaborate and make sure there’s great communication across each part of the business.
About the role
We are looking for a community organiser with a strong project management background, or a project manager who has trained as a community organiser to help us grow a new project, The Help Desk, while overseeing our Open Collective service. Open Collective is a platform which enables groups to transparently and collaboratively manage their funds. We fiscally host around 600 groups using OC – they are supported by a Programmes Assistant, who would be managed by this role. This will give you oversight of the service and provide you valuable insights into the needs of groups.
The Help Desk is a new project in SCN which will support our growing community of grassroots groups and movements within our ecosystem. Over the next 4 years, we are planning to build a strong, vibrant and supportive community amongst our groups, with access to resources, training and mentorship/networking and fundraising opportunities. You will be responsible for project managing the build-out of the Help Desk and developing and organising the SCN community. This includes monitoring progress and reporting against the funding secured. While some plans and activities have already begun, you would be expected to further shape the vision of the Help Desk, pivoting in response to feedback and learnings.
You will work closely across the Delivery Team to ensure that the Help Desk is relevant to the different types of groups we host, as well as the Head of Programmes, who you will support in consolidating insights for sharing with partners. Together with the Business Development team, you will also be responsible for exploring the income streams required for the following 5 years. You will also be managing the overall project budget alongside managing mentors, staff, volunteers, interns, and leaders, where appropriate.
About you
The role would suit someone that understands the needs of community groups and the pressure and challenges they face as they scale their impact, while also having agile and creative project management skills. A large part of the role is getting to know the groups and to support both the development of network weaving across the groups and building out the resources they need. Because of this, you will enjoy connecting with people from different backgrounds, and have good problem-solving skills.
As you will have oversight of our Open Collective service, you will need to have some understanding of how community groups could use tech platforms to support their infrastructure and how this can relate to their impact. You will also be managing one member of staff and while you will be given training and support, some management experience is desirable.
The ideal candidate will have a positive attitude and be open to learning and growing with us as we build our programmes and services. On top of seeking out partnerships and opportunities that will help SCN better support its community groups, you will be regularly holding spaces for groups to connect and feeding back any relevant insights to the team. You should have a good understanding of the power dynamics and community trauma that exists at this level of organising and be able to act as a bridge between SCN and the social impact of the groups.
As a small team working directly with the groups and to a project plan, you will be outgoing, proactive, very organised and good at managing various tasks at the same time. You will be keen to make an impact in a small team and be hungry for searching out opportunities to develop yourself, the Help Desk and the business.
Skills and experience
Person specification includes:
- Experience of community organising or development within a community or network, ideally with people from varied backgrounds
- Strong and agile project management skills
- Exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail
- Strong and creative problem-solving skills
- Experience of organising resources for both digital and physical spaces
- Demonstrable experience of facilitation and event planning
- Ability to increase community activity and engagement
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Experience with line management, and ideally matrix management
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, GSuite, online booking and meeting systems
- An understanding and/or experience of working with project management software and CRMs
- An interest in social change and innovation
We will give you full training on our internal systems and processes and other methodologies that will be relevant to your role.
Key responsibilities
As Programme and Community Development Lead, you will be responsible for supporting and building out the community of grassroots groups and movements across all of SCN. This may involve organising events, further developing our communications, seeking out and maintaining partnerships with relevant service providers. Note that this is a new and emerging role and you will also be expected to help input on its direction depending on the needs of the groups and the opportunities in the sector. The role will involve:
- Project Design, Planning & Reporting – 25%
- Be responsible for the build-out of the Help Desk (project plans, timelines, and budget etc.) and coordinate across SCN to ensure timely delivery
- Monitor the outreach and impact of the Help Desk
- Report back to internal stakeholders (primarily the Head of Programmes and the CEO) on progress, risks, and learnings
- Draft any financial and narrative reports required by grants funding the Help Desk, with the support of the Head of Programmes
- Work alongside the Business Development team to build SCN’s profile and raise awareness of the Help Desk, e.g., by presenting at relevant events
- Together with the Business Development team, explore the income streams required for the Help Desk
- Community Building and Support – 60%
- Build and maintain networks, e.g., SCN Facebook group for grassroots groups, Founders’ Mailing List
- Directly support SCN’s groups where possible, e.g., short calls to help diagnose their challenges and signpost them to relevant resources
- Plan and host regular convenings, trainings, and workshops, both virtual and in-person, to help groups connect with each other and to other relevant service providers
- Further develop SCN’s Resource Hub and keep it updated
- Develop and maintain strong partnerships with other relevant service providers, creating a network of infrastructure support for SCN’s groups
- Develop and support mentoring networks for groups as needed
- With the comms team, develop and oversee a comms strategy to ensure regular communications with networks and stakeholders
- Management and Programme Oversight (OC) – 10%
- Manage the Programmes Assistant (OC), overseeing their duties and responsibilities and mentoring their development in their role and the organisation
- Oversight of Fiscal Hosting on Open Collective and reporting back on performance and escalating any risks and issues to the Head of Programmes
- Teamwork and collaboration – 5%
- Work with the rest of the SCN team to ensure there is sharing of knowledge to improve systems and practice across all services, making sure the services are aligned
- Work alongside and support the full SCN team to ensure we are delivering the vision and strategy
Terms and benefits
Terms: The role will be full-time (37.5 hours/week) permanent contract – we will consider well-structured JobShare applications. As we often work with volunteers occasional evening and weekend work will be required and compensated through TOIL. Occasional but limited UK or European travel will be required (by arrangement).
We are open to exploring flexible working arrangements and supporting you to meet commitments you may have.
Salary: £34,100 p/a
Location: You must be based inside the UK. We have an office in Kings Cross, London which London-based staff are in 3 times a week or more, but if you are based out of London you will be home based.
We hold quarterly all-staff strategy meetings and annual away days which you will be required to attend in person which we will cover the cost of your travel. You will be required to come together with the team occasionally and these travel costs will not be covered, we try our best to keep these to when only necessary.
Language skills & visa status: Candidates must be fluent in English. You must have the right to work in the UK independently, as we are unable to provide visa sponsorship.
Holiday: 22 days plus bank holidays. We close the office in the days between Christmas and New Years – this time is paid for all staff and is in addition to your annual leave entitlement.
Employer pension contribution: We offer a 3% employer pension contribution, that you will auto enrol for after 3 months of employment with SCA.
Additional Paid Time Off: We offer 2 days of paid voluntary time off, encouraging all staff to serve as trustees or any equivalent voluntary positions to contribute to their communities
Mintago: The health and wellbeing of our staff is very important to us. We offer all of our staff access to Mintago which offers a 24 hour support line, structured counselling with external support, and a bank of online resources such as webinars and articles tailored towards health and wellbeing for both you and the members of your family, and access to some types of legal advice. You can see their website for details. They also offer access to a 24hr virtual GP.
Financial Wellbeing: The financial wellbeing of our staff means a lot to us. We offer the following to our staff to help them reach their financial goals:
- Salary sacrifice/exchange schemes for groceries (and pensions will be coming soon!). Staff members can choose a set amount to be taken out of their gross pay (before being taxed) each month, to be put towards purchasing groceries from all major grocery retailers.
- Financial wellbeing platform allows staff to check their pension dashboard, plan for retirement and search for forgotten/lost pensions. There is also a smart saver plan and we provide access to financial advisers for free.
- Benefits app – retail discounts. Select from over 80 brands.
Start Date: ASAP
How to apply
To apply please fill out this application form. Please note that CVs, cover letters, and/or copies of the question outline will not be considered. You can also view the questions and draft your answers here before submitting it through the Google Form.
We recognise that AI tools are becoming increasingly prevalent in various aspects of professional life, including the job application process, view our AI use guidance for some points to consider.
Applications will close at: 9am, 7th October 2024
First round interviews will be held between 14th and 18th October 2024.
Second round interviews will be held between 21st and 25th October 2024.
Hiring process
We strongly encourage applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We are committed to our staff representing the wide variety of backgrounds represented in the communities we work with. If you are concerned that you may not fit 100% of the job specification – please throw your hat in the ring. We never put formal education requirements on any role as we value lived experiences as highly as formal education and training qualifications.
We follow a blind recruitment process, which means that hiring managers for the role can only see your work history and answers to application questions when deciding to progress to the interview stage.
If you need any accessibility accommodations for this application please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@thesocialchangenest.org or by calling +44 7958 298 727 and we will be happy to provide you with those accommodations.
Please visit our main vacancies page for our equal opportunities statement.