PROGRAMME FUNDING MANAGER

Salary: £40,000 - £43,000 pro-rata’d, per annum (depending on experience)

Contract type: 1-year fixed term contract, with the potential to extend or convert to permanent.

Hours: Part-time initially (3/4 days per week) with the potential to increase to full-time in 2026

Work location: Hybrid working with the requirement to work at Embrace’s office, in High Wycombe, at least 2 times a month for team building purposes. 

Are you inspired to bring hope to some of the most excluded and marginalised people living in the Middle East?

Do you have the skills and passion to marry donor purpose with Embrace’s work through its Christian partners in the region and grow income to support this life transforming work?

Are you looking for a fresh new challenge in a role where your passion and experience would contribute to making a real difference to the lives of people and communities living in the Middle East?

If so, then we would like to hear from you.

ABOUT EMBRACE THE MIDDLE EAST

In 2024, Embrace the Middle East celebrated 170 years of close partnership and relationship with local Christians who, through their churches and local civil society organisations, are serving some of the most marginalised and excluded communities in the Middle East, of all faiths and none.

Ours is a vision of faith, hope and love in action: where there is a need for refuge, a home however temporary, for education, for safeguarding, for economic empowerment, for justice and human rights – we, with our partners, want to respond. We do this by building strong and lasting partnerships, nurtured by mutual respect and a shared commitment to excellence. To support this important work, we are looking for a Programme Funding Manager to secure significant and sustainable funding through matching donor’s purpose and values with Embrace’s programme and partnership strategy.

Recognising the philanthropy landscape is changing, we want to invest in building on the solid foundations that have been laid by the current major giving team with this new Programme Funding Manager (initially for 1 year).  The focus of this new role will be to shift our trust and foundation fundraising approach towards developing thematic proposals, specifically funding Embrace’s Christian Partners to provide support for services including but not limited to; refugees, displaced communities fleeing violence, enable women's empowerment, psychosocial support for young people, education services, community development and emergency humanitarian relief.  Never has there been a more poignant time to help and support people in this troubled region.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Programme Funding Manager will work closely with Embrace’s Director of Fundraising and Major Gift colleagues to secure £500,000 per annum from Major Donors, Trusts, Foundations and Corporates. 

Working collaboratively with Embrace’s Programme and Partnerships colleagues, you will create, develop and agree funding proposals to support our partners with programming developments, around thematic proposals that fund work in multiple countries.  This work will include producing compelling, persuasive and professional applications to secure and renew funding.  This will result in achieving substantial donations and long-term partnership with donors through excellent stewardship, characterised by clearly articulating to trusts, funder’s philanthropic interests, providing captivating reports to encourage the renewal and cultivation of potential and existing donations.  You will develop and maintain an exemplary understanding of the context and challenges of Embrace’s Christian partners, deliver high quality applications to either achieve or exceed targets and ensure donors are professionally thanked and their support acknowledged as appropriate.

ABOUT YOU

This role requires a proven understanding of successful programme design and ability to innovate our approach to fundraising from charitable trusts, foundations and corporate donors, coupled with pre-emptively writing pitch proposals that marry donor purpose, and an ability to present detailed reports illustrating the impact of Embrace’s work through its Christian partners in the region.  Suitable candidates will be motivated and inspired to support Embrace’s Christian partners to transform lives and restore the dignity of the most excluded and marginalised, helping change the lives of marginalised people living with poverty, injustice, disability, trauma and displacement caused by conflict, and other challenges.  You will have a sympathy for Embrace’s mission with the Christian faith and be comfortable working in a faith-inspired environment.

Suitable skills and experience include:   

• a track record in developing new funding sources, writing applications and reporting on projects raising 5/6-figure sums for multi-year projects 

• ability to identify potential new funding opportunities and have experience of writing detailed reports and delivering pitches on the phone and/or in person  

• a highly collaborative approach, a problem solver and lateral thinker  

• Willingness to travel to visit Embrace’s programmes in the Middle East (once or twice every 2 years)

• Ability to translate strategy into cases for funding support  

• Propositional / front-footed approach, proactively prioritising workload to deliver multiple projects at the same high standard  

• Strong written communication and interpersonal skills with proven track record in face-to-face pitching to prospects and the ability to present orally and in writing   

• Ability to influence, negotiate and persuade others to gain acceptance or agreement of ideas and approaches  

• Competent level of computer literacy, including use of Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and CRM system 

• Self-motivated, be able to work from home and be able to travel to London and other areas as required  

• Show a sense of responsibility and commitment to organisational excellence with integrity, honesty and professionalism 

STAFF BENEFITS AT EMBRACE THE MIDDLE EAST     

• To support every member of staff to work as effectively as possible, Embrace offers remote and flexible working arrangements. This includes flexitime and home-working arrangements

• Flexitime - start work between 7:30am – 10:00am and finish between 3:00pm – 6:00pm. Our core collaborative working hours are between 10:00am to 3:00pm

• Working from home allowance of £312 per annum

• Pension - option to join from day 1. Maximum employer contribution of 10%

• Holiday - 32 days, including 8 bank holidays and a day off work for your birthday – rising to 33 days after 5 years' service and 34 days after 10 years' service, plus 3 days leave between Christmas and the New Year

• Life Assurance - 3x salary

• Access to retail discount portal

• Employee Assistant Programme (confidential counselling, legal and financial advice) - available 24 /7, 365 days a year

• Training and development programme for all employees

• Commitment to staff health & wellbeing

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this role, kindly send through a completed online application form via the link below and attach a copy of your CV. We aim to contact all shortlisted candidates either before or shortly after the closing date for applications.

The closing date for applications is 9 January 2025.

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For further information about the role click here:

Equal Opportunities

Embrace the Middle East provides equal opportunity for all job applicants and employees and is committed to providing a work environment free of discrimination. We are dedicated to an inclusive culture, and we strive to create a workplace where teams of people with diverse backgrounds, characteristic, perspectives, ideas and experiences work together. We welcome applications from all individuals irrespective of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability. To monitor the effectiveness of this policy and for no other purpose you are invited to complete this questionnaire and email it to vacancies@embraceme.org. The information is exclusively for monitoring purposes and will be kept strictly confidential. If you decide not to fill out this form, it will have no impact on your application.