Location
Wandsworth Town Hall/Richmond Civic Centre, London

Hours
Full-time

Salary
£46,206 - £62,451 per annum

About the Role
Are you an experienced funding professional who can turn ambitious ideas into funded projects that make a real difference? Richmond and Wandsworth Councils serve 500,000 residents across South-West London and are determined to make the most of external funding opportunities to improve places, support communities and deliver better outcomes. In this role, you will help shape and drive our approach to external funding, build strong partnerships and lead the development of compelling bids for projects that matter across both boroughs.

This is a chance to bring new investment into projects that improve places, strengthen communities and make a lasting difference for residents across Richmond and Wandsworth. At a time when councils need to be more ambitious and creative in securing investment, this role will be central to helping us identify opportunities, build stronger proposals and bring additional resources into our boroughs.

Key responsibilities include:
- Building powerful partnerships by uniting people, services and information to strengthen bid prospects and maximise funding outcomes.
- Shaping the pipeline by assessing proposals prior to funding announcements, creating a pipeline of robust project proposals aligned with Corporate Plans.
- Turning ideas into investment by leading the development of high-impact funding bids, identifying funding opportunities and creating compelling, evidence-led proposals.
- Exploring new income strands such as sponsorship, social investment and other funding approaches to expand projects delivering for residents.
- Communicating emerging opportunities with senior stakeholders and councillors, overseeing active bids to monitor performance and ensure corporate oversight.
- Acting with pace and judgement by reacting to funding announcements and providing clear recommendations on whether to bid.
- Strengthening proposals and outcomes by identifying risks, resources and match funding requirements, assessing chances realistically and providing constructive challenge.

This is a two-year fixed term contract until 30/09/2028.

Experience
Proven experience in securing external funding, ideally within a local authority setting.
Comprehensive knowledge of major UK, regional and NGO funding programmes and emerging funding initiatives, including understanding of central government policies such as Pride in Place.
Experience working with senior stakeholders and elected members in a political environment, providing evidence-based recommendations for critical bidding decisions.
Effective communication skills with the ability to build relationships across internal and external services, partners and stakeholders.
Ability to manage competing priorities, balancing the needs of different services and project proposals using project management tools.

About You
You are an ambitious and creative funding professional who can spot opportunities, bring people together and secure investment where it is needed most. You are confident working in a complex political environment and able to provide clear, evidence-led advice. You thrive in a fast-paced setting and can act with pace and judgement to maximise funding outcomes for the boroughs.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications or demonstrable experience in external funding development or related fields are desirable but not essential. A strong track record of successful funding bids and partnership working is key.