Graduate Development Officer (Permanent) in Belfast

We are delighted that you are interested in applying for the Development Officer role with the Community Foundation for NI. Since we were established in 1979, we have awarded millions of pounds in grant funding to local charities and community groups, and we have also developed numerous programmes to support local communities build their capacity and sustainability. We have encouraged local philanthropy and facilitated donors with their giving, working in partnership with a range of donors, trusts, foundations and government to improve the lives of people in NI.

The Stronger Together Building Community Resilience programme is a new flagship initiative responding to the worrying rise in racist violence, hate crime, misinformation and disinformation across Northern Ireland. Building on over 46 years of experience in peacebuilding, social justice and human rights, the Community Foundation for NI is well placed to support and empower marginalised communities and work alongside them to drive meaningful change.

The Community Foundation for NI is a local, independent charitable trust that provides grants and support to local communities in Northern Ireland. We have offices in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry, although since Covid we have operated a hybrid working policy for all staff.

Mission: Working hand in hand with communities to build a better future.

Strategic Priorities:

• Engaging and supporting communities.
• Driving Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Not doing more but doing it smarter and better in a way that puts all communities at the heart of our work.

Passionate: Having or showing great excitement and interest in our work, our communities, our team and our impact on Northern Ireland society.

Kindness: We use kindness to drive our trust-based partnerships that support community-led change.

The Community Foundations aim is to be the best charity to work for in Northern Ireland. We treat our staff well, providing excellent salaries and benefits, prioritising staff health and wellbeing, encouraging hybrid working and supporting staff development and growth.

Development Officer

Responsible to: Programmes Manager

Hours: 35 per week. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly to meet the needs of the post; some evening and weekend work will be required.

Duration: Fixed term for 3 years from the date of appointment.

Location: The Foundation currently has a hybrid working approach and therefore your place of work will include both the office location and home-based working. You will be expected to travel extensively across Northern Ireland.

The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland is an independent grant-making trust, inspiring generosity and achieving impact. In a society where everyone can prosper and live in peace, we encourage and support those who want to give and empower the local community to effect change.

Programme Overview: Stronger Together Building Community Resilience is a grassroots, capacity-building programme for Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations.

Empower Community Leaders: Through trauma-informed leadership and conflict mediation training, the programme will equip 4560 community leaders and Champions for Change to foster resilience and agency within their communities. Media literacy workshops and fact-checking initiatives will help participants identify and counteract harmful narratives, reducing the impact of online hate and disinformation. Storytelling labs and creative projects will celebrate diversity, challenge stereotypes, and amplify marginalised voices. Cross-sector roundtables and showcase events will strengthen networks among VCSEs, statutory agencies and local councils, promoting shared learning and coordinated action.

Drive Policy Change: Advocacy training and community-led campaigns will focus on hate crime prevention, race equality and digital rights.

Role Description: As the Development Officer, you will support the design, delivery and development of community-based activity that strengthens resilience, builds local leadership and promotes inclusion. You will work alongside communities, partners and stakeholders to identify needs, support participation, develop responses to inequality and racism, and help ensure that programme activity is informed by lived experience and community voice.

The programme will strengthen the confidence, skills and resilience of community leaders by providing training in leadership, de-escalation and conflict mediation. Over three years, participants will be supported to apply these skills in real community settings, helping to build a stronger local response to tension, conflict and division. A core group of Champions for Change will be recruited, trained and supported to take practical action in their communities. These champions will help create safer, more connected neighbourhoods by leading conversations, signposting support and responding quickly to emerging issues at a local level.

The programme will help community members better recognise misinformation, respond safely online and understand how harmful narratives spread. Through workshops and practical learning, participants will gain the confidence and tools to challenge false information and make more informed decisions in digital spaces. Through storytelling labs and creative public outputs, the programme will amplify lived experience and promote more positive, inclusive narratives. This will help build understanding between communities, challenge stereotypes and create opportunities for people to connect through shared stories and experiences.

The programme will strengthen collaboration between community groups, statutory agencies and other stakeholders through roundtables, learning events and shared planning. This will lead to better coordination, clearer referral pathways and more joined-up responses to community tensions and emerging challenges. By combining community insight, lived experience and evidence from delivery, the programme will contribute to changes in policy and practice. Advocacy workshops, campaigns and learning papers will support communities to influence decision-makers and ensure that local realities are reflected in wider systems and strategies.

About You: You will be an approachable, dynamic and driven person who wants to help lead, grow and develop this important area of the Foundations work and strategy. You will be interested in creating a society where people are free from racist violence and harm and where communities co-exist peacefully. You will be someone with experience of working within this area and will be skilled in using community development approaches and managing programmes aimed specifically at building resilience. You will be able to show demonstrable creativity to resolve issues which may arise in the management and development of this programme. You will have proven oral and written communication and analytical skills, be a strong team player, and be passionate about the work and the Foundation, striving for excellence in all you do. You will be able to deal with people from diverse backgrounds using collaborative approaches and will excel at managing relationships internally and externally to develop and inspire trust and confidence.

Main Responsibilities:

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with community groups, grassroots leaders, statutory, government and other partner organisations, ensuring experts by experience shape programme priorities and solutions.
• Support delivery and management of core programme strands, including community leadership development, media literacy and misinformation awareness, storytelling and narrative change, advocacy training and community campaigns, and peer learning and community-led initiatives.
• Support the recruitment, development and ongoing engagement of Champions for Change.
• Assist in planning and coordinating workshops, events, roundtables and learning activity.
• Promote inclusion, challenge racism and misinformation, and strengthen social cohesion through programme delivery.
• Support delivery of advocacy activity, including community campaigns focused on hate crime prevention, race equality and digital rights.
• Work collaboratively with voluntary, community, statutory and other stakeholders to support joined-up responses and cross-sector coordination.

Programme Development and Delivery: Support implementation of the Foundations strategy in line with the Stronger Together programme. Contribute to research, evaluation and evidence gathering in relation to racial justice and community resilience. Contribute to the development of practice-to-policy outputs and policy papers, ensuring community insight informs wider systems and responses. Support engagement between programme participants and decision-makers, strengthening pathways for community voice and influence.

Communications and Networking: Work with the Policy, Public Affairs and Communications Directorate to build strong visibility and profile for the programme. Develop and maintain relationships with community organisations, funders, statutory agencies and key stakeholders. Contribute to effective communications, including report writing, presentations and stakeholder engagement.

Learning and Impact: Contribute to programme evaluation and continuous learning. Support the development of impact reports and funder monitoring returns. Use programme insight and evidence to help shape and inform policy and practice. Be aware of, understand and comply with all the Foundations policies and procedures. Manage their workload effectively while ensuring the efficient use of office resources and, in particular, Microsoft Office and the Foundations database, Salesforce. Attend and participate in staff meetings, team meetings and relevant training. Attend some of the Foundation events each year.

Experience:

• Experience using community development or participatory approaches, including working with lived experience.
• Experience of partnership working and building positive relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience working with diverse communities, particularly those experiencing inequality, exclusion or disadvantage.
• Significant experience of working on sensitive or complex issues in a community development context.
• Experience of designing and delivering community-based programmes, events or workshops.
• Proven experience of building and maintaining effective partnerships across the voluntary, community and statutory sectors.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong understanding of inequality, racism, exclusion and the barriers faced by marginalised communities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and presenting to different audiences.
• Experience of monitoring, evaluation and capturing learning or impact.
• Competent in Microsoft Office or equivalent and general administrative systems.

Personal Qualities:

• Commitment to the Foundations vision, mission and values and behaviours.
• Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and to working with a diverse range of people and communities across Northern Ireland.
• Inclusive and non-judgemental approach when working with individuals and communities.
• Interest in or commitment to racial justice, equality, inclusion or human rights.

Other Requirements: Available to work outside normal office hours, including evenings and weekends. Full driving licence and access to a form of transport. Consideration will be given to alternative travel proposals in respect of applicants with a disability who cannot hold a licence. We operate a hybrid working model whereby staff work both from home and the office. Experience of contributing to advocacy, policy development or influencing activity. Experience of supporting community campaigns or public engagement activity.

Office hours are Monday to Friday 9.00am-5.00pm. The post-holder will be required to be flexible and work unsocial hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet the needs of the post. The post is based in the Foundations Belfast Office. However, the Foundation is a flexible employer operating a flexible working policy and therefore some flexibility will be available. We are currently operating a hybrid working model and you will be expected to work both from home and the office.

Holidays are 25 days annually plus statutory customary days, pro rata for part-time posts. The post-holder may be eligible for membership of the Foundations Pension Scheme. The post-holder may be entitled to membership of the Foundations Health Shield Employee Benefits Scheme. The post-holder will not be entitled to on-site parking.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve and welcome applications from all genders, backgrounds, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, religions, disabilities and lived experiences.

Employee Benefits and Wellbeing Benefits: We offer all employees a rewarding career and value all that they can bring to the role to help us deliver our vision and mission. We want to have the best people working at the Community Foundation, staff who are passionate and ambitious about our work and who act with integrity. In addition to attractive and competitive salaries, we offer all employees a range of benefits, including our core employee benefits and wellbeing benefits. We hope that our benefits show our staff that we put their wellbeing first, to ensure that they are healthy, happy and motivated at work, have a good work-life balance and can perform at their best.

Core Employee Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after 5 years service.
• 11 statutory public holidays.
• Occupational defined contribution pension scheme salary sacrifice.
• Occupational sick pay scheme.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Paid carers leave subject to eligibility.
• Hybrid working arrangements.
• Working from home allowance.
• Flexible working.
• Online staff training portal.
• Financial support and time off for training and development.

Health and Wellbeing:

• Permanent ill-health insurance.
• Life insurance.
• Health cash plan.
• Staff wellbeing training, activities and events.
• Cycle to work scheme.

Reward and Recognition:

• Birthday leave and birthday gift.
• Rewards linked to financial wellbeing.
• Office Wellness Hub, with wellbeing resources.