Accepting applications until: 

Job Description

About Global’s Make Some Noise 

Global’s Make Some Noise exists to ensure no one across the UK faces life’s toughest challenges alone.  We find and fund high-impact, small local charities (those under £1million) working at the heart of communities across the UK, supporting people facing challenges including homelessness and insecure housing, physical and mental health issues, disability, poverty, unemployment, loneliness and social isolation. 

These organisations provide vital, often life-changing services, yet as smaller charities they can be overlooked and face significant challenges in securing the funding, profile, skills and resources they need to thrive. 

Make Some Noise exists to change that. We combine fundraising, awareness and organisational development to provide a distinctive model of support that goes beyond grant funding. 

Through national campaigns and the extraordinary reach of Global’s radio stations – including Heart, Capital, Smooth, Radio X, LBC, Classic FM and Gold – alongside Global’s outdoor advertising portfolio, podcasts and relationships across the music and entertainment industry, we raise vital funds and awareness for the issues facing communities across the UK. Global reaches more than 51 million people every week, giving Make Some Noise a unique platform to amplify the voices and work of small charities and inspire the public to take action. 

Our support is delivered through three interconnected areas: 

• Awareness – increasing visibility and understanding of the issues and charities we support. 

• Grants – providing funding for vital services, equipment and frontline delivery. 

• Learning & Development – equipping charity leaders and teams with the skills, knowledge, networks and professional expertise they need to build stronger, more sustainable organisations. 

Through our Grants Plus approach, charity partners also benefit from the expertise and support of Global employees, or ‘Globallers’ and subject matter experts, creating additional value beyond their grant and helping organisations to strengthen for the long term. 

The impact of this model is significant. Since launching, Make Some Noise has raised more than £43 million, supported more than 755 projects, and positively impacted more than 248,000 lives across the UK. We now support around 300 charities each year, with 80% of alumni charities going on to raise more income after their Make Some Noise support. 

At its heart, Make Some Noise is about making sure that the small charities doing essential work in local communities are seen, heard, supported and equipped to create lasting change. 

You can find out about Make Some Noise at our website: https://www.makesomenoise.com 

About the role 

We are excited to offer a unique opportunity to join Global’s Make Some Noise as Head of Grants and Impact. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for shaping and leading our approach to supporting small charities across the UK. You will oversee an active grants portfolio of approximately £6 million, including the distribution of more than £3 million in grants each year, and lead the charity’s approach to impact, learning and continuous improvement. 

You will have overall responsibility for the effective stewardship and distribution of our funding, from grant-making strategy and portfolio development through to monitoring, evaluation and learning. You will ensure our funding reaches the charities and communities where it can have the greatest impact, while maintaining strong governance, effective processes and an exceptional experience for our charity partners and applicants. 

You will also lead our Grants Plus programme, ensuring that financial support is complemented by meaningful learning and development, professional expertise, mentoring, training and gifts in kind. You will have the opportunity to challenge, innovate and shape the future of how Make Some Noise supports small charities.  You will continually explore new and better ways for Make Some Noise to support small charities, working closely with Fundraising and Partnerships colleagues to build relationships with other funders, trusts and foundations and identify opportunities for co-funding, collaborative grant-making and strategic partnerships. 

You will also play a pivotal role in the annual Global’s Make Some Noise Appeal, ensuring our charity partners are effectively supported and integrated into fundraising, awareness and storytelling opportunities across Global’s radio/outdoor/podcast platforms. 

This is a hugely exciting time to join Make Some Noise as we look ahead to the next phase of our growth and development. You will have a genuine opportunity to shape the future of our grants and impact function, innovate our approach to charity support and play a leading role in developing and delivering our new charity strategy. 

As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will contribute to the strategic leadership of Make Some Noise, attend and contribute at Board meetings, work closely with senior stakeholders across Global and building strong relationships with charity leaders, funders, trusts, foundations and partners across the sector. 

Reporting to: Director of Global Goodness; CEO Global's Make Some Noise

Location: Holborn and Leicester Square

Salary: £60,000

What You’ll Be Doing 

Grants Strategy, Leadership & Team  

• Lead the development and delivery of Make Some Noise’s grants and impact strategy. 

• Oversee an active grants portfolio of approximately £6 million and the distribution of more than £3 million annually. 

• Lead, coach and develop the Grants Team, creating a high-performing and collaborative culture. 

• Develop annual grant plans, budgets and priorities in line with the charity’s wider strategy. 

• Ensure strong financial management, governance, risk management and accountability. 

• Contribute as a member of the Senior Management Team and at Trustee Board meetings. 

• Act as safeguarding and vulnerable people lead for Make Some Noise. 

Grant Making & Portfolio Management  

• Oversee the full grant-making lifecycle, from application and due diligence through to assessment, decision-making, award management, monitoring and closure. 

• Ensure funding is distributed fairly, effectively and strategically in line with our charitable objectives. 

• Continually review and improve our grant-making policies, processes and programmes. 

• Lead on complex grant cases, portfolio risk and grant decision-making. 

• Develop new grant-making programmes and funding streams where appropriate. 

• Ensure our systems and data support effective portfolio management, reporting and decision-making. 

Impact, Evaluation & Learning  

• Lead our approach to impact measurement, evaluation and organisational learning. 

• Develop outcome measures and evaluation frameworks that demonstrate the difference our funding and wider support makes. 

• Use data, evidence and insight to identify trends, risks and opportunities across the portfolio. 

• Translate findings into practical recommendations that improve future funding and support. 

• Work with colleagues across Make Some Noise and Global to communicate our impact through compelling evidence and storytelling. 

• Embed a culture of curiosity, learning and continuous improvement. 

Grants Plus & Charity Development  

• Lead the development of our Grants Plus programme, ensuring charities receive meaningful support beyond financial funding. 

• Develop learning, mentoring, networking and organisational development opportunities for charity partners. 

• Work with colleagues across Global to unlock professional expertise, training and gifts in kind. 

• Build relationships with external experts, networks and organisations that can further support our charity partners. 

• Evaluate the effectiveness of Grants Plus and continually evolve the programme based on charity needs and impact. 

Partnerships, Innovation & Make Some Noise Appeal  

• Explore new and innovative ways to combine funding, expertise, networks and awareness to increase our impact. 

• Work with Fundraising and Partnerships colleagues to develop relationships with trusts, foundations and other funders. 

• Identify opportunities for co-funding, collaborative grant-making and strategic partnerships. 

• Lead the Grants Team’s contribution to the annual Global’s Make Some Noise Appeal. 

• Ensure charity partners are supported and appropriately matched to fundraising, storytelling and awareness opportunities across Global’s platforms. 

• Ensure sensitive stories are handled with appropriate consent, confidentiality, dignity and safeguarding. 

What You’ll Love About This Role 

• Think Big - You’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of how Make Some Noise supports small charities across the UK, bringing new ideas to our grant-making, impact and charity development programmes. 

• Own It - You’ll take ownership of a significant grants portfolio and have the autonomy to challenge how we work, improve our approach and lead a talented team delivering meaningful impact. 

• Keep It Simple -You’ll turn a complex funding landscape into clear, effective and proportionate processes that work for small charities and ensure our resources are directed where they can make the biggest difference. 

• Better Together - You’ll work with an incredible network across Make Some Noise and Global, bringing together funding, expertise, media reach, partnerships and people to provide support that goes far beyond a grant. 

What Success Looks Like 

In your first few months, you’ll have: 

• Built strong relationships across Make Some Noise, Global, our Trustee Board and key external partners. 

• Developed a strong understanding of our charity partners and live grants portfolio. 

• Taken ownership of upcoming grant-making activity and key funding decisions. 

• Established a clear view of portfolio performance, financial position, risks and opportunities. 

• Identified opportunities to strengthen our grant-making processes, impact measurement and Grants Plus programme. 

• Built strong relationships with Fundraising and Partnerships and identified opportunities for collaboration and co-funding. 

• Established clear priorities for the Grants and Impact function and become an active member of the Senior Management Team. 

What You’ll Need 

• Significant senior-level experience leading grant-making strategy and programmes. 

• Strong experience across the full grants lifecycle, including programme design, assessment, due diligence, decision-making, grant management, monitoring and evaluation. 

• Experience managing a significant grants portfolio, with strong financial literacy, governance and risk management. 

• Strong experience in impact measurement and evaluation, including outcome frameworks, impact measures and data analysis. 

• Experience developing and improving grant-making policies, processes and programmes. 

• Proven experience leading, motivating and developing a high-performing team. 

• Strong strategic and analytical skills, with the ability to turn evidence and insight into action. 

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and confidence working with senior leaders, Trustees, charity leaders, funders and partners. 

• A strong understanding of the UK voluntary and community sector and the challenges faced by small charities. 

• Strong judgement and the ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery. 

• Confidence using CRM and information systems to manage, analyse and report on data. 

It Would Be Great If You Also Have 

• Experience working directly with or supporting small charities. 

• Experience designing or delivering learning and development programmes for charities. 

• Experience working with trusts, foundations or other funders on co-funding or collaborative funding. 

• Experience within media, broadcast or entertainment, particularly within social impact or charitable giving. 

• Experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM. 

Above all, you’ll bring curiosity, ambition and a genuine commitment to creating meaningful impact for small charities. You’ll be excited to challenge and improve how we work while ensuring our funding and wider resources are used thoughtfully, responsibly and where they can make the greatest difference.