Housing Project Mapping and Grants Officer Summary

The purpose of the Housing Project Mapping and Grants Officer role is to work with the newly-appointed Housing Project Manager to help set up and deliver the Church of England's first project designed to support dioceses and parishes in promoting solutions to the housing crisis. The Archbishops' Council has allocated £4.25m to this work over five years, starting in autumn 2024. Your role as Mapping and grants Officer is to (a) make use of the Good Steward Mapping tool to research national, diocesan, parochial and other land-holdings which offer potential for housing development, (b) manage a small grant scheme offering small grants (c.£10-20k) to help local initiatives surmount initial hurdles as they develop housing proposals. The core activities of the project are to give support to local housing projects and to advocate for housing initiatives as part of the church's mission strategy. Your work will be geared to delivering both these aims. About the DepartmentThe Housing Project team will comprise you and the Housing project Manager who will be the main adviser on housing to parishes, dioceses etc. The team will be supported by a half-time Executive Assistant who will be part of the Faith and Public Life Administrative team, ensuring that the project has full administrative support. What you'll be doingIn this role you will:

• + Work collaboratively with the Housing Project Manager to set up and deliver the project. o Build and maintain relationships with dioceses, parishes, cathedrals etc. to encourage interest and commitment to housing initiatives. o Use the Mapping tool to research housing opportunities at the request of dioceses. o Handle applications to the small grants programme, working with the Grants Panel to assess their merits and decide and communicate the outcome of applications.
  
  
• An understanding of the structures of the Church of England, its missional objectives and how housing initiatives fit within the church's priorities.
• Sufficient numeracy and financial literacy to deal with grant applications and help the grants Panel to reach informed decisions.
• Experience of local voluntary-sector social-action projects.
• Attention to detail - including planning for meetings, conferences etc.
For a detailed person specification, please see attached job description. What we offer Our benefits include


• A salary of £46,577 per annum plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of salary.
• 25 days annual leave (increasing to 30 days within 5 years) plus three additional days
• Flexible working hours and location.
• Structured induction programme and access to a range of development opportunities including apprenticeships
• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Opportunity to the Civil Service Sports & Social Club, and get involved in a range of staff networks, groups and societies
We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.