Head of Grants and Impact

Accepting applications until: 13 November 2026
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 im