Venesky-Brown’s client, a public sector organisation in Cheshire, is currently looking to recruit a Business Grant Officer for a 6 week contract with potential to extend on a rate of £15.17/hour PAYE for the first 12 weeks and £15.56/hour PAYE post 12 weeks. This role can be hybrid or fully remote. The working hours are 37 hours per week.

Responsibilities:

- Undertake assessments of grant applications and recording of grant decisions on the grant monitoring log.
- Ensure that grant applications are verified and assessed in an efficient and compliant manner.
- Ensure that verification checks are made and that grant decisions comply with the grant scheme policy.
- Ensure all evidence for grant decisions are recorded properly for compliance and audit purposes
- Liaise with other organisational services to ensure that pre-payment verification checks are made, and payments are made to successful applicants.
- Support the Grant Team Leader with the recording and reporting on key metrics such as number of grant applications received, assessed, awarded and paid.
- Support the Grant Team Leader to ensure that decisions on grant awards or unsuccessful applications are sent out to applicants  
- Support the Grant Team Leader to ensure appeals against grant decisions are dealt with efficiently and effectively
- Support the Grant Team Leader to ensure that enquiries from grant applicants, members and MPs are dealt with efficiently
- Assist in the identification of issues, dependencies and risks across the teams’ services and initiatives and ensure timely escalation via the Business & Growth Manager

Essential Skills:

- Degree level qualification in a finance, IT, business management or another relevant field, or an equivalent level of experience/knowledge GCSE or equivalent in maths, English and IT 
- Some experience of processing financial information and managing data.
- Project quality assurance and compliance
- Experience of using Excel and SharePoint
- Good knowledge and technical capability of using SharePoint and Excel to manage and analyse data
- Awareness and understanding of financial processes and procedures
- Data collection, collation and analysis principles and processes
- Some commercial acumen
- Keen interest in collaborative working
- Developed written and verbal communication skills – able to convey complex, including financial information, to a wide a range of individuals in a clear and concise manner
- Proficient in use of MS Office, particularly SharePoint, Word and Excel
- High levels of literacy and numeracy – including ability to produce and present financial and performance metrics information
- Developed interpersonal skills – able to develop effective working relationships with a wide range of individuals from a variety of organisations/professions
- Strong organisational and planning skills
- Developed advisory, guiding, negotiation and persuasive skills
- Able to effectively and appropriately utilise social media to deliver and drive engagement
- Tact and empathy – e.g. to understand organisation and residents needs etc.
- Fact finding, research, and analytical skills
- Able to organise own workload, working within defined procedures, to meet deadlines
- Flexible and adaptable approach to work
- The ability to converse at ease with customers and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post
- Willingness and ability to travel throughout the borough

Desirable Skills:

- Professional Qualification
- Extended relevant practical work experience
- Administering complex grant programme(s)
- Knowledge of grant schemes
- Technical knowledge of data systems

If you would like to hear more about this opportunity please get in touch.