Grant Support Executive – Cymru Football Foundation

Full Time/Part Time:	Full Time – Fixed Term (3 years) with the potential to extend
Salary Range:	£23,000 – £27,000
Reporting to:	Facility Investment Manager
Location:	A hybrid of home working, travel to our main offices (Wrexham, Newport or Hensol) as well as other sites will be required.
Working pattern:	We are committed to helping our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance, so offer flexible working hours around core hours to help achieve that.
BACKGROUND TO THE JOB
The Cymru Football Foundation supports the development of football facilities through investment, assistance and guidance. Established in 2022, the charity delivers the Football Association of Wales’ (FAW) commitment to develop inspirational fit-for-future football facilities that will improve and grow Welsh football on and off the pitch. The standard of football facilities across Wales, particularly at grassroots level, requires coordinated and long-term investment to deliver the most accessible and appropriate environments for current and future members of the Welsh football family. The Cymru Football Foundation plays a leading role in addressing this challenge by delivering a series of grant programmes that will develop outstanding football facilities and help to deliver: improved experiences and environments enabling participation growth and retention; quality facilities meeting wider community needs and tackling inequalities;stronger and sustainable community focused clubs;more women and girls playing football; To date, the Cymru Football Foundation has invested over £6 million across 144 projects that have improved the experiences of players and volunteers, increased the quality of facilities, and enhanced the sustainability of clubs and communities across Wales. The CFF will commit a further £14m to facility projects over the next three years that will result in £20m being invested in Welsh football facilities in five years, the largest level of investment in Welsh football history.

THE ROLE

The Grant Support Executive will form part of a proactive team who support each other and work together to deliver the greatest impact wherever it is needed the most. The Grant Support Executive provides critical support to the Facility Investment Managers, wider organisation and grant applicants, across all grant programmes. The Grant Support Executive: Carries out the assessment of capital grant projects. Typically, these will be applications for our Equipment and Sustainability funding programmes. The assessment process includes critiquing and reviewing applications for compliance with fund criteria, preparing and formatting assessment reports and the ability to deliver anticipated outcomes.Liaise with applicants to arrange monitoring and evaluation meetings and assist with the monitoring and evaluation process and ensuring key information is captured within internal systems.Work together as part of a united team to provide support across the organisation and always delivering high levels of customer service. This includes being the first point of contact for external enquiries – be it via email, phone, letter or other means – as well as other ad hoc duties.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Conduct an assessment of grant applications for our Equipment and Sustainability funding programmes to ensure that criteria is met, anticipated outcomes are suitable and risks are identified and appropriately mitigated.Assess submitted applications with consistency and diligence utilising a thorough evidence review, within the agreed timescales and with a high level of customer service and the formatting of assessment reports. Record key application information within organisational systems so that a clear and auditable record of the application and assessment is recorded.Provide a recommendation on submitted applications to decision makers, based upon the assessment undertaken.Schedule and undertake selected monitoring and evaluation meetings remotely with grant applicants, identifying those projects requiring further support and complete written reports to record activity.Act as an ambassador for the Cymru Football Foundation and Welsh football as a whole – delivering the best experience for anyone you interact with – putting our applicants, partners and supporting the game at the centre of everything you do.Answer general enquiries relating to all stages of the application and funding process in a timely, friendly and efficient manner, making sure applicants can access funding as easily as possible.Undertake any other reasonable management request, including duties as can be reasonably expected to ensure the smooth running and efficiency of the funding programmes and wider organisation. Demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Ability to multi-task to meet the demands of the business;High level written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to provide advice to various applicants;Agile, flexible and open to new ways of doing things, innovating and modifying the way you work so the CFF continues to improve;Juggling a wide range of activities, prioritising your own workload, dealing with conflicting demands and meeting tight deadlines;A united team player within a small team, supporting the wider team to deliver the greatest impact wherever it’s needed the most, whilst being able to work independently;Excellent attention to detail;Maintaining an objective perspective, informed by an assessment of the facts and a need to communicate with diplomacy;Constantly striving for excellence;IT literate, including MS Office tools;A commitment to fair play, with an understanding of and passion for equality, diversity, and inclusion; Willingness to travel across Wales, as necessary;Spoken and written Welsh desirable .

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL TO THE JOB

Educated to A Level, equivalent professional qualification or professional experience in a similar role. Participating in peer-review exercises to ensure consistency and continuity of approach across a portfolio of projects. Coordinating work remotely via email, video conferencing and phone. You do not have to follow football or have a detailed knowledge of how to improve grass pitches to apply but it is expected that you appreciate the power of sport to change lives and have a genuine interest in using your skills and experience to help the Cymru Football Foundation achieve our charitable and strategic objectives.

To apply, please send a covering letter outlining your suitability for the role alongside your CV to [email protected] by 12pm on Thursday, 8^th August with interviews held on Wednesday 14^th August.

Find a full job description here.