Grants Capability Lead

Job summary

We are seeking an accomplished grants professional and subject matter expert to lead the Grants Professions Capability offer and its ongoing development. Reporting to the Head of Profession and Capability, this pivotal role has responsibility for the Grants Profession’s cross-government and wider capability and training provision.

You will ensure high-quality learning from entry level to expert, covering four levels of training, delivering expert and credible programmes, upholding the Grants Profession’s reputation, and driving growth in grant‑making capability across government and the wider public sector.

As the intelligent client for grants subject matter expertise within the Grants Profession and Capability Team, you will provide SME input to all learning and professional interventions. The successful candidate will be responsible for training content and delivery across two government-wide hybrid learning programmes (Grants Licence to Practise Working-level and Advanced) and will oversee operations and content for three additional online programmes.

In this role, you will lead the Professions curriculum, continuously iterating and expanding our training provision. You will design and develop new programmes tailored to meet evolving cross-professional learning needs. You will personally deliver in-person and virtual sessions, acting as the profession's primary facilitator, while working with colleagues and building a trainer network to support.

Job description

As Grants Capability Lead, you will be responsible for shaping and delivering the Grants Professions training offer across government and the wider public sector. You will act as the subject‑matter expert for grants Profession and Capability; translating cross‑government learning needs into credible training across four progression levels from entry to expert, while owning end‑to‑end design, development and operational delivery of all training programmes.

This role includes responsibility for two existing government‑wide hybrid programmes (Grants Licence to Practise and Grants Licence to Practise – Advanced) and three online programmes, delivered through a mix of face‑to‑face, virtual sessions and self‑paced learning; As the primary facilitator for the Professions curriculum, you will personally deliver training while simultaneously building a robust facilitation and assessment support network. You will oversee the entire training delivery, from initial introduction through to formal assessment - ensuring the highest quality experience and learning outcomes.

You will manage up to two direct reports and partner with L&D and Grants colleagues to develop learning and collaborating with cross‑government networks by engaging senior leaders, policy teams, internal colleagues and external partners - ensuring training and developments are alert to the emerging needs of the grants community.

Continuous improvement will be central: you will conduct learning needs analysis, define design briefs, drive content refreshes, and implement an evaluation framework to measure learner satisfaction and capability impact, reporting outcomes and value to stakeholders; you will ensure accessible and inclusive delivery, maintain rigorous quality assurance.

You will provide subject matter expertise for the profession and capability team - utilising your experience and maintaining up‑to‑date grants knowledge, you will provide timely SME input into learning design across the team, and develop a robust continued knowledge base.

Note: this role involves responsibility for in-person training delivery. This will require some travel and overnight stays (if not based locally). Currently in-person training is delivered across 2-3 days, in York (occasionally London), on a roughly bi-monthly basis.

Person specification

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Training and capability - lead on all training delivery and development - deliver and further develop the grants professions entry-to-expert training aligned with the capability strategy; oversee 2 hybrid and 4 online programmes.
• Delivery and operations - manage end-to-end delivery, learner experience, and platform supplier relationships; ensure seamless operations and high-quality training delivery.
• Grants subject matter expertise - act as SME for training design/content; provide rapid SME input to learning design; ensure materials are accurate, policy-aligned, current, and illustrated with real-life case studies; keep grant knowledge up to date.
• Facilitation - personally deliver/facilitate training (face-to-face and virtual) drawing on experience and knowledge of grant-making to provide credible expertise and content delivery through an engaging facilitation style.
• Assessment and Accreditation- responsibility for the assessments, and operational running of online and portfolio-based assessment (leading a pool of cross-government assessors) - leading on learner experience, continuous improvement and ensuring reliability and validity.
• Continuous improvement and evaluation- use feedback, evaluation, and policy changes to identify opportunities for improvement; monitor grants landscape and translate insights into new or enhanced training.
• Local Government/Non-Government grants learning - responsibility for piloting, evaluating, developing and delivering learning for Local Government and non-central government grants.
• Stakeholder Management and collaboration - work with government and wider public sector stakeholders; adopt a consultative/ co-development approach to keep training relevant and ensure it meets profession needs..
• Community networks - build and sustain networks of grants SMEs to support training and capability delivery.
• Cross-government engagement - collaborate with Profession comms and engagement to promote uptake of training.
• Line management - Manage two direct reports.

Essential Criteria

• Substantial experience and expertise in grants-making across the whole grants life-cycle, including a deep understanding of government grant-making best practice, the functional standard and an awareness of the broader grants landscape.
• Experience providing bespoke, expert advice and support to developing grants schemes
• Highly confident and engaging presenter or facilitator with exceptional communication skills - ability to actively engage a diverse audience and impart complex content in a way that is easy to understand
• Demonstrated ability to develop others - through training, learning or coaching.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build purposeful, collaborative relationships
• Experience operationally delivering programmes, projects, training or events - proven track record of end-to-end successful delivery.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to evaluate learning impact, derive insights, and drive continuous improvement.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience in L&D and Training design and development, including advanced facilitation and training techniques
• Experience working government-wide and across departmental boundaries
• Grants LTP accreditation or willingness to work toward.
• Line management experience

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Developing Self and Others
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Candidates will be assessed on their CV and personal statement.

Selection process

At interview there will be some strength-based questions and candidates will be assessed on the following behaviours:

Communicating and Influencing
Developing Self and Others
Changing and Improving
Managing a Quality Service

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 4 May 2026

Expected interview date/s – w/c 25th May 2026

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Faye Austin
• Email : Faye.Austin@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 83kB)