External Funding Specialist

SNG Formerly Sovereign Housing Association

Do you have a passion for supporting community groups to thrive?

We have a fantastic new opportunity to join the Communities Team as an External Funding Specialist at Sovereign Network Group.

About Sovereign Network Group (SNG)

We are thrilled to have joined forces with Network Homes in October 2023, which now places us as the 6th largest housing association in the UK. Sovereign and Network Homes have come together as SNG (Sovereign Network Group) – an organisation that takes the best of both and makes it even better.

The Role

You’ll be based out of our Wembley office with some travel across Central London and boroughs such as Lambeth and Brent as well as East Hertfordshire. The role will combine both home and office working to ensure a positive work/life balance.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting into the Funding and Innovation Manager you will support and develop a fundraising strategy that enhances and adds value to the aims of SNG’s Thriving Communities and Customer Impact strategies. The Funding Specialist will work across localities and directorates to lead a number of funding project teams to bring funding into Sovereign communities and to charities we work with.

• To take responsibility to deliver the right outcome for our customer in a safe and timely way
• To support the Fundraising and Innovation Manager to implement a fundraising strategy demonstrating impact across the localities
• Support implementation of governance oversight for fundraising and systems and processes
• To bring in external funding to benefit Sovereign communities and customer facing teams around the following themes: Financial & Digital Inclusion, Employment and Training, Community action and Engagement
• Lead projects, bids and programmes that bring in external funding to Sovereign Communities and to our charities
• Innovate by supporting the testing and piloting new programmes and partnerships and identify opportunities to the Head of Partnerships and Funding
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with stakeholders, including funders, businesses, local authorities and national agencies

What we need from you

The Specialist will be responsible for maintaining high data quality in our Community Investment data sources. Ensuring that data is held centrally for full transparency and that suitable contract arrangements are in place for the continued management all compliance elements within your defined areas.

You should have demonstrable experience in a similar role or have knowledge within funding, employment, or training. We’re also looking for:

• Experience in previous roles of securing external fundraising bid writing and or public sector tenders and contracts
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong innovation mindset
• Confident with budget management and financial systems
• Ability to validate and impact assess, to escalate data issues as required
• Understanding of data breaches, associated implications and industry standards of preventing/triaging a breach.
• Ability to impact assess and to understand the difference between ‘major’ and ‘minor’ data issues.
• Clear communication skills, with the ability to form effective relationships with multiple stakeholders at various levels

What’s in it for you? Amazing benefits!

• Company pension scheme will be matched up 12% (that’s around £3k on top of salary into your pension per annum)
• Life cover 4x your salary
• 25 days paid holiday plus bank holidays + extra day every year up to 30 days
• Opportunity to buy / sell up to 5 days holiday per year
• Private medical insurance with options for family cover dental insurance & critical illness cover
• You’ll also get £450 flex-pot annually to spend on what other benefits you like.

At Sovereign Network Group, we are passionate about inclusion for all and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. We encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger.