Charging Up Change is our place-based approach to tackling inequality, strengthening youth and community voice, and supporting long-term change across the Black Country. Central to this is the Black Country Network (BCN), bringing together VCSE organisations, cultural partners, public bodies, funders and decision-makers to strengthen collaboration and collective impact.
The Place Development & Funding Officer will support investment and regeneration across the Network, helping communities access resources, influence decisions and shape the places in which they live.
Working alongside the Network Manager and partners, you will develop funding and investment opportunities, strengthen the resilience of Network members and help ensure community voices influence regeneration and investment across the Black Country.
We welcome relevant and transferable experience from a range of sectors and career paths.
Thematic Duties
Place-Based Funding & Development
- Develop place-based investment opportunities that respond to the needs and ambitions of children, young people and communities across the Black Country.
- Build and maintain positive relationships with funders, commissioners, philanthropists, businesses, anchor institutions and community partners.
- Identify and research funding, commissioning and investment opportunities that could contribute to long-term regeneration and systems change.
- Support collaborative funding models, consortium bids and shared investment approaches across the Network.
- Help partners understand and navigate relevant funding and investment opportunities.
Economic Readiness & Capacity Building
- Help Network members strengthen their economic readiness through advice, mentoring, workshops and one-to-one support.
- Support organisations and individuals to develop clear propositions, sustainable business models and investment or funding plans.
- Encourage community wealth-building approaches that support local leadership, responsible investment and reinvestment in place.
- Adapt support to the different needs, experience and capacity of Network members.
Influence & Regeneration Strategy
- Represent Powered by CAN and the Black Country Network in relevant regeneration, planning and investment forums.
- Help ensure the perspectives of children, young people and communities are represented in decision-making.
- Contribute to master plans, town centre strategies, cultural strategies and local investment frameworks.
- Support co-design and meaningful community involvement in regeneration processes so that local people can influence decisions affecting their lives.
Research, Insight & Impact
- Research and map regeneration activity, investment flows and economic opportunities across the Black Country.
- Identify gaps, emerging opportunities and potential connections between communities, organisations, funders and investment.
- Gather evidence of the social, cultural and economic impact of investment and regeneration activity supported through the Black Country Network.
- Work with the Network Manager and external evaluators to contribute insight to Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL).
Equity, Sustainability & Climate
- Support approaches to inclusive growth that consider equity, accessibility and long-term benefit for communities experiencing inequality or exclusion.
- Encourage environmentally responsible regeneration and climate-resilient approaches.
- Help identify and challenge investment practices that may create or reinforce inequality, and contribute to developing fairer alternatives.
Collaboration & Team Working
- Work closely with the Network Manager, programme colleagues and partners to ensure investment activity supports shared priorities and outcomes.
- Contribute to collective learning and intelligence-sharing across the Network.
- Support longer-term sustainability planning for the Network beyond 2030.
- Share knowledge, ideas and learning with colleagues and partners.
About you
This role would suit someone who enjoys building relationships, spotting opportunities and bringing people and organisations together around a shared purpose. You’ll be comfortable making sense of funding and investment systems and turning opportunities into practical support for communities and partners.
Your experience might come from regeneration, funding, economic or community development, the VCSE or cultural sectors, local government, philanthropy, social investment, or through community leadership, self-employment, voluntary work or lived experience.
We welcome transferable skills and experience gained outside traditional regeneration or funding roles. If you meet most of the essential criteria and believe you could do the role well, we encourage you to apply.
Deadline to Apply: 21st August 12pm (Noon)
To view the full job description, please copy and paste the link below: https://poweredbycan.uk.deputy.com/jobs#/39nstQEI9TQCFF35kDmNZlLI4Hd
Pay: £28,288.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Financial planning services
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: In person
