Conservation Programme Officer

Founded in 1995, the Sigrid Rausing Trust is a grant-making foundation based in London. The Trust runs ten grant-making programmes, organised under three themes: human rights, fairness and inclusion and the environment. In addition, we make occasional grants in other fields, including medical and humanities research. The Trust has so far committed approximately £450 million to organisations all over the world. Its grant-making budget for 2022 is approximately £37 million. The Trust is led by nine Trustees and currently employs 25 staff. More detail on the Trust’s work can be found on its website: .

The purpose of the role is to advise the Trustees of the Sigrid Rausing Trust on their conservation grant-making. The Programme Officer will support the Trust’s growing Conservation programme, which has a 2022 grant-making budget of £3.75 million. The programme seeks to deliver long-term biodiversity impacts for the benefit of nature and people. It achieves this by supporting conservation organisations, particularly those based in Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and Central Asia, to restore and safeguard biodiversity.

Relationships and reporting lines

The Programme Officer will report to the Programme Manager for Conservation, and will work closely with members of the Conservation programme team, as well as the Executive and Deputy Executive Directors on matters of strategy. Additional key relationships include interaction with Trustees, as well as collaboration with the Trust’s other programme officers and administrative staff.

Main duties and responsibilities

The post holder will be expected to manage all stages of the grant making process, from invitation to application, award and reporting.

Programme Officer Duties:

Contributing to the strategic direction of the Conservation programme; Liaising with staff and Trustees on the overall approach to the portfolio; Identifying potential grant applicants by researching organisations in fields of interest to the Trust, networking and attending relevant events; Reviewing submitted applications, interviewing potential grantees, undertaking due diligence and preparing analytical reports and recommendations to the Trustees; Reviewing reports submitted by grantees, evaluating and reporting on the impact of grants and signing off on grant payments; Managing the grant making pipeline to ensure efficiency of processes and an appropriate balance of recommendations across the Trust’s grant making meetings; Maintaining relationships and regular communication with grantees, including site visits and attendance at grantee events; Keeping informed of developments in relevant fields; Developing relationships with other donors and stakeholders in the field; and Representing the Trust externally at national and international conferences.

Other Duties:

Carrying out similar duties for other programme areas as needed; Conducting research into particular thematic or funding related issues relevant for the Trust as needed; Such other duties as the Trust may reasonably require.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field.

Experience:

At least five to seven years (for Programme Officer) or ten years (for Senior Programme Officer) of experience in the biodiversity conservation sector; Experience of developing and managing field conservation projects or programmes in different national and regional contexts, preferably within the Trust’s geographic focus areas; Demonstrable commitment to the Trust’s guiding principles; Knowledge of international and regional multilateral environmental agreements as they pertain to issues addressed by the Conservation portfolio; An understanding of current biodiversity conservation issues, and of relevant civil society fields, particularly across Trust geographies; Experience of developing and managing relationships with civil society and environmental stakeholders; Demonstrable interest in conservation and a commitment to supporting grassroots and national level conservation actors; Prior experience of working in the civil society or donor sector ideally on the issues in the portfolio. Experience of grant-making is desirable.

Key Competences and Skills:

Adaptability and flexibility; Organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage competing demands; Ability to think strategically about opportunities for conservation grant-making; Good judgement, demonstrating objectivity and self-awareness; Excellent written and oral communication skills; Analytical, with excellent research skills; An understanding of good grant making practice, including due diligence, effective grants management, legal compliance and monitoring and evaluation; Ability to meet deadlines and manage multiple tasks; Attention to detail; Collaborative, with good interpersonal skills; Takes initiative but knows when to seek advice and guidance; Integrity, humility and a sense of humour.

Salary: Grade D £50,278 (Programme Officer) or Grade E £60,758 (Senior Programme Officer), depending on experience

Working for the Trust

The Trust is committed to staff development. We offer various opportunities for staff to learn and develop, including an individual training budget, and management devoted to coaching and development of grant makers. We encourage staff to attend events such as conferences, expert and donor meetings, to keep abreast of the developments in the thematic and philanthropic fields.

The Trust is committed to being a good practice employer. We offer flexible working arrangements and are continuously reviewing staff benefits.

SRT is only able to consider applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the United Kingdom. The post will be based in London and will require travel a minimum of six weeks a year in the UK and internationally.

How to apply:

Please submit a 2-page CV and 2-page cover letter to jobs@srtrust.org to apply.