CEPF Mediterranean Hotspot, Small Grants Manager

Birdlife International; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 30,000; Full time

Job description

Application deadline: Sunday, 04 May 2025 – 23:45
Location: Cambridge, UK (hybrid working, minimum one day per week in Cambridge)

Full-time: 35 hours per week
Contract: Open-ended

Salary: £30,000 per annum plus competitive 12% pension benefit
Annual Leave:

BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation partnership. Through our unique local-to-global approach, we deliver high impact and long-term conservation for the benefit of nature and people.

We are looking for a Small Grants Manager who will coordinate the Small Grant Mechanism for the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)’s investment in the Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot. In this role you will ensure the effective running of the Small Grant Mechanism by supporting all steps in the grant-making process and by providing administrative, financial, and compliance oversight of the programme.

How you will do this:

1. Supporting the Call for Proposals (CfP) process by updating documents, creating guidance, advising applicants, and giving presentations.
2. Tracking applications and managing the review and decision-making process, including responding to applicants.
3. Coordinating grant monitoring activities, supporting timely progress and compliance from grantees and the internal team.
4. Building the capacity of grantees by organising and leading meetings, webinars, and calls.
5. Conducting due diligence through financial, programmatic, safeguard, and security risk assessments.
6. Supporting Programme Officers and grantees in finalising applications, ensuring compliance and completion of all required documentation.
7. Responding to grantee queries and coordinating the disbursement of grant funds with the Finance team, in line with grant terms.
8. Conducting site visits and virtual calls with grantees to offer guidance and verify compliance with grant agreements.
9. Developing and refining RIT grant management tools, such as checklists, risk assessments, and tracking systems.
10. Ensuring accurate and high-quality record-keeping in the CEPF Conservation Grants (or equivalent) database.
11. Preparing and submitting financial and performance reports.
12. Maintaining a dashboard tracking small grant data, including financial and conservation outcomes.
13. Contributing to the development of the Mediterranean portfolio by attending strategic meetings.
14. Assisting with organising and coordinating logistics for RIT meetings and events.

Ideally you will have:

• Degree in environmental conservation and/or finance or equivalent experience.
• Professional qualifications in grants management (with specific financial training) are desired.
• Experience in grants management in the conservation sector or a similar field.
• Financial competency, administrative skills, and experience with donor compliance.
• A proven record of accomplishment in project management, grants management or financial management; this could also include experience with quality compliance from regulated sectors.
• High motivation, extreme attention to detail, excellent organisational skills, and ability to work to high standards with tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral.
• Willingness and openness to work with individuals and organisations from various social, ethnic and religious backgrounds across the Mediterranean Basin.
• Ability to analyse complex problems and generate pragmatic solutions.
• Flexibility, ability to work independently and with team members based in different locations and time zones.
• A creative problem-solver.
• Computer literacy in all standard Microsoft Office applications, especially Excel and Teams.
• Excellent written and oral English communication skills. Other Mediterranean languages desirable e.g. French, Arabic, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian.
• Ability to travel at least 2 times per year (normally 1 week per trip). Willingness to travel at short notice when required.

Some of our benefits:

• We are able to offer a hybrid model of working on-site and from home/remote for most roles, which helps to ensure a flexible work-life balance.
• A chance to work in the award-winning David Attenborough Building, which brings together much of the Cambridge-based conservation community on a ‘conservation campus.’
• A generous pension scheme, up to 12% company contribution.
• Holiday starting at 25 days excluding Bank Holidays and increasing for every year of service up to a maximum of 28 days.
• Full access to LinkedIn Learning with access to more than 13,000 high-quality, on-demand courses.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme, including access to Health Assured online health portal (webinars, nutritional advice, 4-week programmes, financial wellbeing and more).

BirdLife values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Find out more about our Diversity statement.

We are committed to building and maintaining an inclusive and supportive culture, a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We aim to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity.

We will consider putting into place appropriate reasonable adjustments for candidates who may have a disability.

Please note: Under the UK Government criteria this role does not qualify for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship.

Interviews: Interviews will be held in the week commencing 12 May 2025.