Job Description

Overall Purpose of the role
You will provide support to a Relationship Manager ('RM') on operational issues and processes including grant assessment and management, workload planning, and support with advice giving
Main day to day responsibilities
Your main responsibility will be to develop a positive, close working relationship with the RM so that you can provide practical support to enable them to fulfil their role independently.
You will take an inclusive, proactive approach to supporting the RM to identify areas for input on work and access and provide appropriate support in response. This may involve:
Occasional workload and diary management: supporting the prioritisation and planning of work to manage a complex workload, work to task and meet competing deadlines
Act as a critical friend and provide support with extended writing tasks, such as editing and proofreading work before it is shared externally, providing feedback on drafts and providing more structured support for long-form writing tasks such as appraisals and assessments.
Supporting preparation for external meetings and events, like advice giving. This may involve preparing key items for discussion, undertaking research and information gathering and co-presenting during advice giving sessions on aspects of our grant processes.
Provide support through the understanding and application of new ACE guidance materials, the NPO Relationship Framework, and funding criteria, including any updates to those processes
Provide IT navigation and support, including using access tools where necessary
Attend a range of internal and external meetings as needed
You will combine your ability to be proactive with a flexibility and curiosity to work beyond this area of work, contributing to areas outside of your daily responsibilities and contribute finding solutions
Finally, you will contribute to the organisation's commitment to diversity and its implications for the arts and culture, promoting a diversity perspective in all aspects of the post's objectives and activities.
Key relationships
RM - Midlands Area
SRM -Midlands Area
What do I need to bring to the role?
Essential (Skills, Knowledge and Behaviours)
To succeed in this role, you will have experience of providing business and programme support, preferably in a similar role
You will have a proactive, inclusive approach to your work, built on a track record of developing positive close working relationships with colleagues.
You will be highly organised with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and exercise effective judgement when managing conflicting tasks.
You will have a highly developed ability to work in a fast-paced environment without losing necessary attention to detail
You will have excellent writing skills and experience of writing clear instructions, reports and management papers
You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills - speaking, listening and in writing - and the ability to communicate in a confident and engaging manner and influence individuals over whom there is no formal line-management relationship.
You must be numerate and financially literate, have good research skills and the ability to interpret complex information, and make judgements about levels of risk.
You will also have a good understanding of the Arts Council's duty as a public body under current diversity legislation, the current diversity agenda and its relationship to the arts.
You will reflect the Nolan principles of public life and the Arts Council's values with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. You will contribute to a positive working culture in the organisation by taking a proactive approach to learning, responding to change, inclusive practice, and environmental responsibility.
You will understand the Social Model of Disability and share the Arts Council's commitment to embedding the framework across the organisation, in order to create an inclusive environment that benefits everyone.
You will be adaptive and agile in your approach to enable you to meet the changing needs of the role over time.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and we participate in the 'Offer an Interview' scheme, which means that we offer an interview to any disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role they're applying to, subject to the volume of applications received. Disabled candidates, those living with a long-term condition and/ or neurodivergent candidates may be eligible for this scheme.
Our Code of Ethics requires that employees of the Arts Council are not able to receive an Arts Council grant, investment or loan funding - either in person, as a member of a partnership, or for any organisation they own. There are also limitations on board or CEO positions employees can hold in organisations we fund. For more information on this, please talk to the recruiting manager or contact
Interviews: (virtual) w/c Monday 05 January 2026

Skills Required