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Better Food & Farming Lead 1-year Fixed Term Contract (with ambition to extend to 3-years) 80% FTE (flexible working conditions for the right candidate) Working from home Annual salary: £45,000 pro rata ABOUT US The Environmental Funders Network (EFN)’s vision is an effective, flourishing ecosystem of environmental philanthropy that is supporting people and the planet to thrive together. Our mission is to cultivate knowledge and relationships that enable environmental philanthropy to step up its impact in response to the climate and nature emergency. We provide tailored support across the funding community to strengthen their work – whether that’s within our membership network for funders and advisors, or in our forum for fundraisers. We share knowledge, expertise and research; foster connections; and work to motivate and support those not yet funding environmental causes to give. Further information can be found in our 2024 Annual Report and our Strategy 2025. EFN works as a remote staff team across the UK, engaging with funders based in England, Wales and Scotland. Those funders are active in supporting a wide range of environmental organisations and initiatives both in the UK and around the globe. The organisation has over 1,000 funder participants and 1,800 participants in our fundraiser forum. JOB SPECIFICATION The Better Food & Farming Lead is a new role which will lead the development and coordination of EFN’s new Funder Interest Group, the Better Food & Farming Group (BFFG). BFFG aims to share knowledge and expertise, and enable more efficient, collaborative and strategic grantmaking for sustainable food and farming. BFFG will have a domestic (UK) focus on restoring nature and enabling climate resilient food production through the adoption of more sustainable farming practices at scale. What makes this role unique This isn't a traditional grant-making role. Instead, you are a facilitator and strategist. Your job is to ensure that funders engaged in BFFG are collaborating, strategising together, learning from the latest evidence, working towards a shared ambition for change, and not duplicating efforts. You’ll be working directly with the EFN team and a consultant Strategic Advisor, supported by a Steering Committee from some of the UK’s most influential foundations. You’ll be leading the development of the programme’s activities and collaborations, and working with funders to 1 shape, develop and deliver impact through their co-funded projects. You’ll also be working with the EFN team to bring more funders into the food and farming system and accelerate change. The successful applicant will be line-managed by Oscar Brennecke-Dunn, EFN’s Funder Network Manager, who leads on curating activities for EFN’s funder membership, and can be contacted at oscar@greenfunders.org. While BFFG is new, it will be housed within EFN, giving you the creativity and founding energy of a start-up, matched by the support and networks of an established and respected organisation. Key Objectives The Terms of Reference of BFFG will be finalised as part of the first phase of programme development, working with the team and founding funders: Samworth Foundation, Rothschild Foundation, Farming the Future and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. We expect the Better Food & Farming Lead to be working towards the following BFFG strategic aims: ● Share knowledge, expertise and build relationships; ○ Through regular engagement with those working within the food and farming sector, build in-depth knowledge of sector priorities. ○ Build in-depth knowledge of funder interests and priorities related to food and farming, and provide a platform for them to share grant information, funding opportunities and sector insights. ○ Co-ordinate new research on funding for the sector, including mapping strategic funding gaps. ○ Engage and influence a wide pool of funders through events, learning and communications. ○ Foster longer term, more effective and strategic grant making. ● Collaborate to create more funding for greater impact; ○ Support funders to build collaborative projects with each other and with grantholder groups, including co-funding alliances. ○ Over time, track, measure and evidence the value and impact of collaborations enabled by BFFG. ● Attract more funders and funding to drive change at scale and pace. ● Monitor, analyse and report on delivery of BFFG’s objectives, drawing on data points when relevant, to inform strategic decision-making and learnings. ABOUT YOU 2 Applicants should have at least five years’ experience working in food and/or farming or a related industry, experience managing relationships with a variety of stakeholders across the sector, and a strong commitment to environmental issues and to their intersection with the food and farming sector, including an awareness and knowledge of topics such as regenerative agriculture, nature-friendly farming, soil health, etc. as well as domestic food policy. Essential: ● Experience working on food and farming issues, giving you a detailed understanding of the challenges faced in creating more sustainable, just and equitable food and farming systems. ● Exemplary influencing and communications skills, both written and verbal. You will need to be confident and effective with one-to-one meetings (in person and online), networking events, hosting and moderating zoom webinars, running workshops, speaking at events and on panels, crafting clear and compelling emails, presentations, resources, speakers’ briefs etc. ● Ability to see ‘the bigger picture’: you have knowledge of how food production, climate change, and biodiversity loss are interconnected - particularly in the UK context. ● A creative and entrepreneurial mindset - able to develop a new programme from inception and build an engaged network around its purpose and ambition. ● Experience of coordinating and supporting networks of organisations/individuals, able to identify opportunities to bring BFFG, the wider EFN memberships, and other stakeholders together for action. ● Experience planning and creating inclusive and outcomes-oriented events, meetings, webinars, workshops. You need to be comfortable convening high-net-worth individuals as well as foundation directors and trustees, making them feel heard while keeping them on track. ● Excellent interpersonal skills; trustworthy and confident in managing and cultivating partnerships with discretion and tact. ● Advanced IT skills, including online meeting platforms. ● A self-starter who can manage complex projects with the input of a remote and (mostly) part-time team. ● Ability to distil complex sector insights into concise, actionable briefings for busy funders. ● A commitment to EFN’s mission and JEDI commitments. Desirable: 3 ● Experience in setting up "co-funding alliances" or pooled funds, where multiple organisations contribute to a single large-scale project. ● A deep understanding of where philanthropic capital can most effectively intervene. ● Experience of impact measurement, including - ideally - designing and leading monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes. ● Experience within funding, either as a fundraiser, philanthropic advisor or grant-maker. ● Experience of commissioning research to build evidence and shape programme initiatives. ● A good understanding of social and environmental justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). ● Skilled use of CRM systems such as Salesforce. ● An enjoyment of people, and an enthusiasm for working within an organisational culture that emphasises kindness and mutual respect. TERMS & CONDITIONS ● Contract: Fixed Term Contract, initially for one year with the potential to extend to three years. Maximum 4 days a week (80% FTE), with flexible working arrangements for the right candidate(s); subject to six-month probationary period. ● Salary: £45,000 pro rata ● Workplace: Working from home, ideally within 90 minutes of London by train. Regular travel to London will be required, including attendance at evening events, with occasional travel to other parts of the UK. ● Equipment provided: laptop, IT support, allowance for homeworking etc. ● Holidays: 25 days per year (plus bank holidays), pro rata ● Other benefits: ○ Flexible working options ○ 7% employer contribution to pension ○ Learning and development opportunities 4