Grants Officer
| Posting date: | 09 June 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £26,000 to £29,000 per year, pro rata |
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 18 June 2025 |
| Location: | King's Lynn, Norfolk |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | The Teaching Staff Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
The Grants Officer will dedicate most of their time to reviewing and assessing grant applications online from individuals seeking financial support. They will work closely with the Chief Executive to ensure an efficient and effective grant-making process.
The Grants Officer’s core role is to process applications within agreed timelines, following up with grant applicants on email, by phone and through the Lightning Reach portal for further information and clarification. They will record the results of these checks and enquiries clearly, applying TST’s policies and procedures fairly and transparently.
The postholder will support grant applicants by explaining our process and criteria, managing expectations about how we can help them. If a grant applicant is not eligible for support, the Grants Officer will tell them this and signpost to other sources of support. If they are eligible, the Grants Officer will summarise the key facts and make recommendations to the Chief Executive to meet the weekly deadline for Grants Committee consideration.
Role Responsibilities
Respond to applications and enquiries to TST for financial support, in a timely manner, providing empathetic customer service.
Methodically and fairly assess applications and supporting information, to ascertain the grant applicant’s eligibility, circumstances and financial situation.
Verify the grant applicant’s circumstances as far as possible, recording the results of checks undertaken and use a scoring system to make recommendations for awards, in line with the charity’s policies and procedures.
Escalate concerns to the Chief Executive as soon as they are identified.
Summarise grant recommendations to meet the weekly deadline, collaborating with the Chief Executive.
Support the Chief Executive to communicate grant decisions to applicants and signpost to other sources of support.
Help gather and record feedback to evidence the impact of TST’s work.
Gain understanding of the user experience and online application journey and suggest improvements, working with our trusted partner, Lightning Reach.
Support the Chief Executive in preparing and analysing grants data to produce meaningful reports for the Trustees and contribute to sector-wide learning.
Undertake any other reasonable task that the Chief Executive asks you to complete.
General responsibilities
As a representative of the charity to deliver a consistent brand tone (friendly, helpful, non-judgmental, inclusive) to all people in all dealings by phone, email and via the application portal, Lightning.
Comply with the Data Protection and Privacy Policy to ensure personal data is always protected.
Participate in team and sector meetings and training to share information and insight about application trends.
Person Specification
Experience: Working in an administrative and customer facing role
Some prior experience of grant making or similar assessment work.
Working remotely and/or in a hybrid team environment
Working knowledge of charity / third sector (D)
Knowledge of school, nursery and college working environments (D)
Awareness of the benefits system and the support available for vulnerable individuals (D)
Skills & abilities: A self-starter, able to act on own initiative and to organise, plan and prioritise own workload to meet deadlines.
Ability to grasp and consistently apply criteria and policies
Strong IT skills and confidence working with MS Word, Excel and CRM systems
Fluent written English and ability to communicate people’s circumstances and needs to support decision making
Great people skills and ability to cope with individuals in need in a calm and sensitive manner
Personal attributes: Diligent, self-motivated and values-driven
Logical and systematic, with strong attention to detail and accuracy
Compassionate, non-judgemental approach to others
Ability to work in a small team, with a flexible, positive ‘can-do’ approach
Download full job description and person specification here https://teachingstafftrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Grants-Officer-Recruitment-Pack-June-2025.pdf
The Grants Officer’s core role is to process applications within agreed timelines, following up with grant applicants on email, by phone and through the Lightning Reach portal for further information and clarification. They will record the results of these checks and enquiries clearly, applying TST’s policies and procedures fairly and transparently.
The postholder will support grant applicants by explaining our process and criteria, managing expectations about how we can help them. If a grant applicant is not eligible for support, the Grants Officer will tell them this and signpost to other sources of support. If they are eligible, the Grants Officer will summarise the key facts and make recommendations to the Chief Executive to meet the weekly deadline for Grants Committee consideration.
Role Responsibilities
Respond to applications and enquiries to TST for financial support, in a timely manner, providing empathetic customer service.
Methodically and fairly assess applications and supporting information, to ascertain the grant applicant’s eligibility, circumstances and financial situation.
Verify the grant applicant’s circumstances as far as possible, recording the results of checks undertaken and use a scoring system to make recommendations for awards, in line with the charity’s policies and procedures.
Escalate concerns to the Chief Executive as soon as they are identified.
Summarise grant recommendations to meet the weekly deadline, collaborating with the Chief Executive.
Support the Chief Executive to communicate grant decisions to applicants and signpost to other sources of support.
Help gather and record feedback to evidence the impact of TST’s work.
Gain understanding of the user experience and online application journey and suggest improvements, working with our trusted partner, Lightning Reach.
Support the Chief Executive in preparing and analysing grants data to produce meaningful reports for the Trustees and contribute to sector-wide learning.
Undertake any other reasonable task that the Chief Executive asks you to complete.
General responsibilities
As a representative of the charity to deliver a consistent brand tone (friendly, helpful, non-judgmental, inclusive) to all people in all dealings by phone, email and via the application portal, Lightning.
Comply with the Data Protection and Privacy Policy to ensure personal data is always protected.
Participate in team and sector meetings and training to share information and insight about application trends.
Person Specification
Experience: Working in an administrative and customer facing role
Some prior experience of grant making or similar assessment work.
Working remotely and/or in a hybrid team environment
Working knowledge of charity / third sector (D)
Knowledge of school, nursery and college working environments (D)
Awareness of the benefits system and the support available for vulnerable individuals (D)
Skills & abilities: A self-starter, able to act on own initiative and to organise, plan and prioritise own workload to meet deadlines.
Ability to grasp and consistently apply criteria and policies
Strong IT skills and confidence working with MS Word, Excel and CRM systems
Fluent written English and ability to communicate people’s circumstances and needs to support decision making
Great people skills and ability to cope with individuals in need in a calm and sensitive manner
Personal attributes: Diligent, self-motivated and values-driven
Logical and systematic, with strong attention to detail and accuracy
Compassionate, non-judgemental approach to others
Ability to work in a small team, with a flexible, positive ‘can-do’ approach
Download full job description and person specification here https://teachingstafftrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Grants-Officer-Recruitment-Pack-June-2025.pdf