The Community Projects Lead sits in the Northern Ireland Office, part of the Ministry of Justice, and is a 24-month fixed-term post open only to existing civil servants and accredited NDPB staff. The post-holder runs community grant programmes for grassroots and voluntary groups across Northern Ireland, covering delivery, financial scrutiny and post-project evaluation. The post also covers ministerial submissions and Parliamentary Questions, with hybrid working needing at least 60% of time in an office. National Security Vetting at CTC level and five years' continuous UK residence are required.
What the job involves
- Lead day-to-day delivery, monitoring and performance oversight of community grant programmes across Northern Ireland
- Ensure financial stewardship, risk management and governance across grant allocations under Managing Public Money principles
- Monitor spend, scrutinise grant claims and conduct post-project evaluations
- Lead end-to-end administration, governance and evaluation of community funds such as the Community Partnership Fund
- Build relationships with grassroots leaders, the voluntary and community sector, councils and delivery partners to understand local needs
- Draft ministerial submissions, briefings, Parliamentary Questions answers and correspondence on community funding at pace
- Provide ministerial advice and handling strategies on community interventions
- Collaborate with NIO policy teams, Cabinet Office and grant recipients to align investments with wider socio-economic and peacebuilding initiatives
- Lead workstreams to foster community relations and drive social cohesion
Skills & knowledge
- Strong partnering and relationship-building skills with diverse, sensitive or hard-to-reach community organisations and senior stakeholders
- Sound judgement and analytical skills to assess funding proposals and social impact data
- Excellent written and oral communication, including conveying complex funding positions to Ministers
- Self-motivated, able to manage ambiguity and competing priorities with meticulous attention to detail
Checks & eligibility
- Existing civil servant or employee of an accredited non-departmental public body
- National Security Vetting at CTC level
- Five years' continuous UK residence
Nice to have
- Experience of grants governance, grant agreement design and public sector financial management
- Practical understanding of the voluntary, community and social enterprise landscape and community relations in Northern Ireland
- Experience of measuring social impact or conducting post-award programme evaluation
What's offered
- Civil Service pension
- 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 after five years' service
- Public holidays
- Access to learning and development
- Flexible working options
- Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave
- Season ticket advance and flexible benefits such as discounts and vouchers
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Contact Details:
The Methodist Church in Britain Recruitment Team
