Innovation Manager/Rheolwr Arloesedd

The National Lottery Community Fund

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 3 weeks

Community

Part time

£39,000 - £45,000 per year

Job summary

We are recruiting two Innovation Managers to join our Innovation Team.

Role 1: Permanent – 0.5 FTE

Role 2: FTC until 26/04/2028

Please state clearly in your supporting statement if you wish to be considered for the FTC, Permanent or both roles.

The role

Ever wanted to join a team where innovation feels accessible, energising and genuinely meaningful? We create safe, structured spaces for bold ideas, help people navigate complexity with confidence, and turn creativity into sustainable practice with equity at its heart. If the idea of working in a major funder and shaping futures that matter excites you, we’d love you to be part of our journey.

In this role, you’ll move fluidly between designing and facilitating creative sessions, collaborating with colleagues to unpack complex challenges, and turning insights into clear, co-created practical next steps. Your day might involve shaping a new tool or provocation, making sense of emerging patterns, meeting partners to explore possibilities, or helping teams navigate ambiguity with confidence. No two days are the same, which is why we work supportively together, creating space to listen, challenge, reflect and offer different perspectives.

Job description

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone to join us with both the skills and approach to thrive in this work. You’ll bring a deeply human, emotionally intelligent way of working, with empathy to understand the people and communities we design with, and to create spaces where they feel safe to explore new ideas. Resilience is essential too; innovation is rarely linear, and you’ll navigate ambiguity, shifting priorities and occasional setbacks with calm, curiosity and a sense of possibility. You’ll bring creativity and openness, continually finding new ways to frame challenges, alongside a reflective mindset that learns in the open, listens deeply, and adapts thoughtfully as ideas evolve. Above all, you’ll believe that meaningful change comes from people working well together and you’ll use your skills to help make that happen.

Exploring it with us

Interview: Week Commencing 20th April 2026
Where: Virtual
Format: Online Tasks, competency- based questions and meet the team

We have a hybrid approach to working, with a home/office split that suits you, though the role will include travel across the UK. Work pattern and location will be agreed with the successful candidate. The role can be based at any of our UK offices: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Newtown.

We will be hosting a briefing session on: Monday 23rd March at 12:00pm – 1:00pm. To register or ask any questions, please email: recruitment@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Person specification

How to apply:

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (up to 1,000 words) responding to the following questions, we will use this to score your application:

Who or what has shaped how you think, create and challenge?
What skills will you bring to the team and how did you develop them?
What experience do you have working with or for communities who are less likely to have applied for or received our funding?
What values feel most important to you, and how do they guide the choices you make?

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Communities in the UK come in all shapes and sizes. National Lottery funding is for everyone – therefore, we are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and we work hard to ensure our funding reaches where it is needed.

We also believe our people should represent the communities, organisations and individuals we work with. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund is committed to being an inclusive employer and a great place to work. We recognise and celebrate the fact that our people come from diverse backgrounds. We positively welcome applications from people from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities or longstanding health conditions, people who are LGBTQ+, and people from different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, as well as people of all ages.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we take a proactive approach in making reasonable adjustments, if needed, throughout the recruitment process and during employment. (This can be related to a physical and mental health condition.)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,000, The National Lottery Community Fund contributes £11,298 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

A full list of our benefits can be found on our website using the link below:

Generous Civil Service Pension Scheme
Flexible working
Enhanced paid maternity/ paternity leave
Paid volunteering leave
Season ticket loan

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

Upload your CV in word format and write a supporting statement (1000 words) with the criteria stated on the advert. We will use this to score your application.

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

Security

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

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.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.

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

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

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Salary range

£39,000 - £45,000 per year