Community Investment and Funding Officer

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.

As Community Investment & Funding Officer, you will help bring funding and investment into communities across the Black Country, supporting children, young people and community-led organisations to access resources, influence decisions and shape the places in which they live.

Working alongside the Network Manager and partners, you will identify and develop funding, commissioning and investment opportunities, build relationships with funders and decision-makers, and support Network members to develop strong, sustainable propositions.

You will contribute to collaborative bids and investment approaches, research regeneration and funding opportunities, and connect local needs with regional and national priorities. You will also help ensure community voices influence regeneration, cultural and infrastructure strategies.

This is a collaborative, outward-facing role for someone who enjoys building relationships, spotting opportunities, making sense of complex systems and connecting people around a shared purpose. You will help strengthen communities and create long-term benefit across the Black Country.

We're looking for someone with relevant experience in areas such as regeneration, funding, investment, commissioning, economic or community development.

You'll be able to research and interpret funding and investment opportunities, communicate complex information clearly, build trusted relationships with a range of partners and contribute to strong funding applications, proposals and reports.

You'll be organised, collaborative and comfortable working across different priorities and perspectives, with a commitment to equity, inclusion and community-led change.

We value transferable skills and different career paths. Experience may come from employment, self-employment, community leadership or voluntary work. If you meet most of the essential criteria, we encourage you to apply.

You will:

• Identify and develop funding, investment and commissioning opportunities.
• Build relationships with funders, commissioners, businesses, public bodies and community partners.
• Support Network members to develop sustainable, investment-ready propositions.
• Contribute to collaborative bids, partnerships and shared investment approaches.
• Research and map regeneration activity, funding and economic opportunities.
• Help connect community priorities with regional and national investment agendas.
• Represent the Network in relevant regeneration and investment forums.
• Help ensure children, young people and communities influence decisions affecting their places.
• Gather insight and evidence to support learning and evaluation.
• Work collaboratively with the Network Manager, programme team and partners.