Head of Grants

Prospectus is delighted to support our client as they seek to appoint a permanent Head of Grants to their small team. The position can be offered on a full-time or part-time basis (4 days a week), on a hybrid contract, with 4 days a week in the London office (3 days if part-time).

The organisation is a grant-making charity, established in 2020 by our founder with a vision to transform young people’s mental health support in the UK. The charity envisions a world where no young person is defined by their mental illness and where they have access to the right support at the right time.

The organisation invests in services and research that prevent and treat mental illness in young people, with a specific focus on the prevention and early intervention in anxiety and depression for 11–25-year-olds. They are interested in non-clinical approaches and building a stronger evidence base for what is effective. They want evidence to be translated into practice and believe in scaling solutions that are proven.

The trust awards grants of approximately £8 million a year. These grants support youth, mental health, and community charities working on the front line with young people, as well as universities and institutes researching better treatments for mental ill health and advocating for improvements.

As the Head of Grants, you will join a small team in a key strategic leadership position. The main purpose of the role is to develop and deliver the organisation's grants programme. Reporting to the Director and working closely with trustees, you will set the direction for grant activities and lead the team to both create new funding rounds and oversee the impact of the grants portfolio.

The organisation’s approach is to build long-term relationships with grantees – they want to develop both their competence and reputation as an expert funder. The Head of Grants will lead this effort to learn from grantees, listen to the needs of the sector, identify effective practices, and inform future funding activities.

This is a unique opportunity to join an organisation in the early years of its existence, to shape the organisation's grant-making process, and to make an impact in an area you are passionate about. Together with the Director and Head of Sector Engagement, this role will help lead the charity in building its reputation and impact in young people’s mental health.

The successful candidate will have significant grant-making and leadership experience, with a track record of setting the direction for grant-making and programme delivery. You will be an organised project leader with experience creating and improving processes in a small, growing organisation. You will be an empowering manager who sets direction clearly and has extensive experience managing relationships with advisors and board members.

As a specialist recruitment practice, we are committed to building inclusive and diverse organisations and welcome applications from all sections of society. We invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you throughout the application process. Should you require any assistance with your application, please do not hesitate to reach out to Matt at Prospectus.

To apply, please submit your CV in the first instance. If your experience is suitable, we will send you the full job description and arrange a call to brief you on the role.