Senior Programme Officer (Commonwealth Civil Society)
The organisation
The Commonwealth Foundation is one of the three intergovernmental organisations of the Commonwealth. Our mandate – to work with and support civil society – reflects the commitment of Member States to a Commonwealth that is much an association of peoples as of governments.
Through our work, we aim to:
- Support the active and constructive participation of Commonwealth citizens in all aspects of their governance
- Nurture the growth of vibrant and free civil societies in all Commonwealth countries
- Advance the principles and ideals of the Commonwealth.
The Foundation’s work is delivered through three core programmes: Commonwealth Civil Society, Creative Commonwealth and People of the Commonwealth. Information on the Foundation’s current Strategic Plan, which details what we are doing, how and why, can be accessed here.
The role
The Commonwealth Civil Society (CCS) programme works to contribute to vibrant and free civil societies across the Commonwealth by enabling citizens to constructively engage in core aspects of their governance in pursuit of the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter.
The programme combines flexible grant-making with capacity strengthening approaches, applying both rigour and flexibility to widen access, especially for civil society groups in small and vulnerable States.
The Senior Programme Officer (SPO) will have responsibilities on the two CCS programme streams alongside duties to manage the legacy grants. Working under the supervision of the Senior Programme Manager (SPM), the SPO will be involved in refining existing systems and processes and shaping new ones to ensure the programme contributes to the Foundation’s vision and mission.
Establishing and maintaining strong working relations with partners, and with collaborating individuals and organisations, will be a key part of the role.
The SPO will be involved in other areas of the Foundation’s work relevant to their experience and expertise and organisational requirements.
Your key responsibilities will include:
- Managing a portfolio of grant projects and other elements of the CCS portfolio
- Building and maintaining relationships with grants partners and other external stakeholders
- Participating in the grants review to select future grants projects
- Working with colleagues to ensure the Grants Committee meetings (held twice a year) run efficiently
- Contributing to the delivery of cross-organisation work, including monitoring, evaluation and learning processes.
You must have an existing right to work in the UK to apply for this position.
What we offer
We offer a competitive salary based on what you bring to the role with an expectation band of between £36,000 to £39,000.
The Foundation is proud of our welcoming and accommodating working environment. We strive to be a great place to work.
We offer generous holidays (almost seven weeks a year excluding public holidays). Fifteen percent of your salary is payable tax-free at stipulated periods in lieu of a formal superannuation scheme.
All Foundation staff are enrolled in our private health scheme, including dental cover.
We operate from a wonderful office at Marlborough House in Pall Mall, London. The successful applicant must live within commuting distance of Marlborough House. We are currently operating a flexible working policy requiring staff to be in the office several days a week. While the policy is still being trialled, we expect to retain, over the longer-term, a measure of flexibility that enables the Foundation to maintain its high levels of productivity while preserving our team ethos and ensuring staff are happy.
Our commitment
The Foundation celebrates diversity, and we are proud of our diverse and welcoming team. All qualified applicants already eligible to work in the UK will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status or pregnancy. If you need us to make any special accommodation in the recruitment and selection process because of a protected characteristic, please let us know.
The process
Applicants should lodge their applications online.
The application requires you to provide a comprehensive CV as well as a motivation letter that clearly addresses the criteria as outlined in the person specification and the competencies bank below.
You must possess and declare the right to work in the UK at the time of application submission for your application to be considered.
Shortlisted applicants will be contacted within two weeks of the close of applications. We are expecting to hold first-round interviews via video link. Second-round interviews will be held in person.
