Funding Officer

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Wigan Borough Community First as a Funding Officer. Within this team you will help secure new investment for the sector and support local VCFSE organisations to access funding.

The Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector is unique, vibrant and diverse. It exists because people are moved and motivated to help and support their communities, places and neighbourhoods. At Wigan Borough Community First, we work alongside the sector to support it to do what it exists to do, as well as it possibly can and the role of the Funding Officer plays a crucial part in supporting groups to do what they do, as well as they possibly can.

The duties of the Funding Officer will involve working alongside organisations within the VCFSE Sector.

The Officer will:

• Provide comprehensive support to the Grants and Funding function, helping to ensure all processes run efficiently and smoothly.
• Provide assistance, advice and information to VCFSE groups and organisations requiring support to locate and apply for grant funding.
• Provide assistance, support and guidance to groups to help VCFSE organisations effectively manage, monitor and report on their grant-funded projects.
• Encourage better relationships and ways of working between organisations situated in the VCFSE sector

This role is perfect for someone who is passionate about the voluntary and community sector, enjoys connecting people and resources, and thrives in a collaborative environment.

The ideal candidate for this role will be able to demonstrate excellent communication, project administration and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work independently.

The Funding Officer is a challenging and rewarding role, and it offers the opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of people in Wigan and Leigh.

ROLE SUMMARY:

Working as part of the Funding and Grants Team you will help to oversee and support processes to ensure the smooth running of the grant and funding programmes - from application to final evaluation. You will also provide tailored support and guidance to the Wigan and Leigh sector to support them in identifying and accessing our grant funds.

Your role will include:

• Work closely with the Grants Funding Manager, the Infrastructure and Communications team to provide accurate and detailed grant administration support to ensure efficient delivery and processes at all stages of our funding programme, and support in the effective communications and promotion of funding opportunities to the sector.
• Play an active role within the voluntary sector ensuring flexible, local solutions are driven by the needs and priorities of VCFSE organisations, and their communities.
• Support Voluntary Sector organisations to create and sustain initiatives aimed at improving quality of life in the communities in the borough.
• Work in partnership with the community and voluntary sector, supporting individuals and groups in providing initiatives aimed at improving their quality of service delivery.
• Be a highly visible presence in the voluntary sector and be a key contact between public service staff and Voluntary Sector organisations.
• Support with the development and delivery of funding projects, engagement and consultation events
• Support community groups and organisations to access funding and investments linking in with the Wigan Borough voluntary sector and where applicable support the monitoring and evaluation of those projects funded through WBCF Funding.
• Ensure community and voluntary groups and activities are included in our CRM system.
• To liaise with a wide range of stakeholders and colleagues to ensure the smooth running of the grant programmes - this includes liaising with the team of volunteer grant assessors and helping to organise grant panel meetings, managing grant data and records, recording and communicating grant decisions, liaising closely with the Finance Team to organise grant payments, updating our CRM system and ensuring the appropriate monitoring, evaluation and reporting of all grants is carried out.

General duties and other responsibilities:

• Undertake any training required for the role.
• Take an active interest in ensuring WBCF operates effectively, according to best practice and fulfils its obligations.
• Work within the team to maintain and achieve high standards and understand the importance of time management and meeting deadlines.
• Help to ensure that WBCF embraces diversity, challenges discrimination, and reflects the communities of the borough.
• The post holder will be expected to undertake other responsibilities and tasks as reasonably requested by their line manage

We recruit for values, not just skills.

The Funding Officer will play a key role in the WBCF team, you will be joining us at an exciting time as we evolve and grows to support the needs of the Wigan and Leigh VCFSE sector:

• Are you a people person? The role will require you to communicate effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds - from small community groups to large charities, funders and public sector commissioners.
• Are you passionate about the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector? Ideally, we are looking for someone who understands the local VCFSE sector in Wigan and Leigh (or is keen to learn).
• Are you well organised with great attention to detail? The role will require you to be good at record keeping and to support in the writing of concise reports.
• Are you a good team player? You will need to work closely with other members of the wider team to ensure the complex grant processes and functions are working effectively as well as working with various stakeholders and funders from across the VCFSE sector.
• Do you have some experience of grant management? Ideally you will understand the grant process - either as an applicant or from previous experience of working for a funder.
• Are you a confident user of IT systems? Our ideal candidate will be an experienced user of MS Office applications - specifically Excel and Word and with experience of creating and managing spreadsheets.
• Do you have experience of working with CRM systems and databases? The role will require you to manage complex information and data in our CRM system. Training will be given on our systems.
• Do you have experience of training, mentoring or supporting others? The role will require you to work closely with groups and individuals to build strong relationships. You will be required to provide tailored, accessible information, advice and guidance about funding to a wide variety of groups and organisations.
• Are you creative and good at problem solving?
• Can you act on own initiative without close supervision and to prioritise your workload and work to tight deadlines?
• Can you also demonstrate a commitment to the values of WBCF and a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and challenging discrimination.

We'd love to hear from you if you like the sound of this role and are up for a challenge.

If your experience doesn't align perfectly with the person specification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate. We will provide tailored support and training for the right person to enable them to develop the expertise and skills needed to successfully fulfil this role

Key information

• Employer: Wigan Borough Community First
• Locations: Wigan
• Role Type: Permanent
• Working Hours: Full-Time

To apply for this role:

For full details, please see our website

If you believe you can fulfil the role summary, we'd love to hear from you!

• A Supporting Statement (max 1 page) explaining how you meet the things we are looking for.

The closing date is midday on 20th February 2026

Following receipt of application, short-listing will take place and Interviews for this post will take place w/c 2nd March 2026.

If you will not be available on this date, please note this in your supporting statement.

We will conduct post interview checks before an appointment is formally made. Please provide the contact details of two people that can provide employer references.

For an informal conversation regarding this post, please contact:

before submitting your documentation.

We are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. If you require adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.

ONLY applications that include a cover letter which demonstrates how you meet the job description will be considered for the post.

Deadline for applications: Friday 20th February (12 noon)

Deadline for applications: Friday 20th February (12 noon)

Please note: depending on the volume of applications we receive for this post we may not be able to respond individually to all applications. Candidates will need to be available to attend interview during w/c 2nd March. We reserve the right to close the application process early if we receive a large volume of applications for the post.

More about this role

• Closing Date: Friday 20th February 2026 at 12:00pm
• Anticipated Interviews Week Commencing: Monday, March 2, 2026 - 12:00
• Contact Name: Lacey Briscoe
• Contact Information:
• Employee Benefits: Onsite Parking
• Would You Consider A Job Share For The Role?: Yes