Program Officer - Boys and Young Men Initiative

Join us in our mission to power the potential of young people

Global Fund for Children (GFC) works to build a world where all children and youth are safe, strong, and valued. To that end, we partner with innovative, locally led organisations, helping them deepen their impact and build their capacity for social change. By pairing flexible funding with targeted capacity development services, we help our partners grow stronger and more responsive to challenges on the ground. Since 1997, we have invested more than $44 million in over 700 organisations. Our work advances the rights of children and youth across four focus areas: education, gender equity, youth empowerment, and freedom from violence and exploitation. You will join a multinational team of caring and committed individuals who believe in investing in bold ideas to help grassroots organisations deepen their impact and advocate for children’s rights. We value courage, excellence, learning, partnership, and inclusion, as well as kindness and passion. Our partners’ visions for change inspire all we do. Feedback and learning inspire us to do better, and we strive to be youth-centered.

Background to the role
The Boys and Young Men (BYM) Initiative was a pilot launched by GFC in 2020 to support a new and innovative network of 10 community-based organisations across England focused on working with young people around positive, healthy and expansive masculinities. GFC supported the growth and effectiveness of the cohort through network building, tailored capacity development support and core funding. Initial funding for the project ended in September 2021.

In collaboration with The National Lottery Community Fund, GFC is now in the second phase of this initiative, with a focus on:

• Expanding our network of organisations working on masculinities - sharing learning and hosting creative and participatory network learning opportunities;
• Increasing youth voice in organisations working in this field and in the public conversations around healthy masculinities;
• Raising awareness of the unique challenges facing boys and young men in England and drive forward innovative approaches to tackling these in trauma-informed and gender-transformational ways;
• Supporting innovative and effective organisations across England through our unique capacity development offer and our commitment to providing space for local leaders to meet each other, share concerns; and
• Building on our established and dynamic partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund to engage other funders in this vital work.
• Phase Two of the initiative will focus on supporting community-led work that advances positive, expansive and healthy masculinities with boys and young men in different ways with a particular focus on meeting some of the gaps identified in our pilot – masculinities and trauma, masculinities and intersectional identities (including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability and class among others) and masculinities and youth voice/leadership. The role will support cohort building between community-led organisations as well as support the development of a funder network for funders that work in this space. This role is part of our wider focus on gender equity and seeks to support work that builds a more equitable world for all children and young people.
• The Program Officer will work as part of our Europe and Eurasia and global Programmes teams. This is a full-time position based in the UK, reporting directly to the Regional Deputy Director of Europe and Eurasia.

The role will focus on:

Cohort building and support

• Establish trust-based relationships with selected local grassroots partners in England that have a programmatic and/or advocacy focus on assisting boys and young men
• Support grants management in the Boys and Young Men portfolio, including assessments, report follow-up, and regular communication with partners
• Develop an overall strategy for the Boys and Young Men Initiative—including a work plan, learning and evaluation plan and measurable outcomes
• Conduct periodic site visits and follow-up on partners’ progress toward meeting boys and young men -centred outcomes and impact
• Conduct capacity building activities and identify additional resources as needed to help partners address needs specific to the initiative

Increasing youth voice and participation

• Work with our partner organisations to develop opportunities for boys and young men to increase their voice and participation in public conversations on social change
• Work closely with the communications team and partners to collect and highlight stories, learning and successes from grantees to demonstrate the impact of grantees the importance of working with boys and young men

Funder Partnership

• Network with peer organisations, government and charities, advocacy groups, and other key stakeholders as needed
• Represent GFC at meetings, conferences, and webinars to advance the initiative and raise awareness of the challenges for boys and young men in England
• Identify and work with other funders that are already funding work with boys and young men and/or are interested in funding work with boys and young men to increase high-quality and intentional funding in this space

This role will work with colleagues around the world also working on positive and healthy masculinities to develop GFC’s global work on this topic.

Are you the right person?

If you are an experienced youth worker and have a track record of working directly with children and young people at a community level, particularly boys and young men, are passionate about the importance of working with boys and young men to improve their lives and support gender equity, we would love to hear from you!

We know that the right person may not be equally experienced in all aspects of the skills listed below so we are committed to providing induction and development support to the new role holder. We are looking to hear from exceptional candidates who can demonstrate strong skills in most of the following areas in their application and at interview.

Essential

• Experience in youth work, particularly engaging and working with boys and young men,
• Strong facilitation skills, both online and in face-to-face settings,
• Track record of independently delivering high quality work,
• Experience of collaborative working including with communities and organisations,
• Strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills with a track record of interacting with people from a wide diversity of communities and cultures in the UK,
• Willingness to travel regularly within the UK, including regular overnight stays,
• Strong commitment to Global Fund for Children’s mission, values and vision.

Desirable

• Experience in youth storytelling, writing or communications around your work,
• Experience in engaging and working with children and young people to co-design programmes or projects,
• Experience in working on wider gender equity.

What we offer you

Our team dreams big.

We work together to build a world where all children and youth are safe, strong and valued.

Global Fund for Children (GFC) fosters a caring and flexible work environment that promotes collaboration, team wellbeing, respect, and professional development. We set standards of excellence and quality in our work, firmly believing that children and youth deserve the best we can offer.

We believe that every person has equal rights, and we affirm the diversity that enriches our globalized world. In line with these core values, it is our policy to actively seek diverse candidates from a variety of backgrounds who are committed to Global Fund for Children’s mission.

Our values shape our vision, guide our daily decision making, and signal to the world what to expect when you encounter Global Fund for Children. We hold ourselves to these values to best serve our local partners and the children and youth they support. We attract talented people from all over the world because we believe deeply in living our values.

Salary Range - £36,500 – £40,000 per year

Weekly hours – 35 hours per week. This position will run until September 30, 2026.

Holidays – 25 days annual leave and 8 public holidays. GFC offers an additional 5 floating holiday days to mirror global organisational leave.

Flexible Working Location – GFC is open to applications from candidates across the UK that are willing to travel regularly to our London office and to visit partners. The GFC UK Trust team currently has team members based in Scotland, the South-West of England and in and around London and utilises a flexible, remote model with regular travel to our office for those living outside London and a hybrid working model for those based close to London.

Learning – GFC encourages professional development as a part of our culture and values. GFC provides regular opportunities for training, collaboration, and mentorship. Employees may access professional development funds to support continued learning.

Benefits - We strive to build a culture that embraces care and wellbeing. Our global employee benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans
• Generous paid time off (annual leave, enhanced sickness leave, wellbeing days, sabbatical leave, family friendly leave)
• Flexible work arrangements - remote/hybrid/compressed work schedules
• Pension plan contributions
• Employee Assistance Services
• Team Building and Social Committees

*Other benefits may apply, depending on the location of the employee

How do I apply?
Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK. The deadline for applications is midnight on 7th March 2025.

Instead of a traditional cover letter, please apply at the following link: https://global-fund-for-children.breezy.hr/p/78babdd81c97 by sharing your CV and answers to the following questions:

1) What excites you most about this role and how is it directly connected to your skills or experience?

2) What do you think are the key issues and challenges facing boys and young men in the UK?

3) What experience of working with young people in community settings would you bring to this role?

4) Which one of our values resonates with you the most and why?

Global Fund for Children is committed to safeguarding everyone we work with.

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any abuse, neglect, and exploitation of all people. Everyone that works with us is required to share and uphold this commitment through signing and complying with our Global Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct. We will conduct the most appropriate pre-employment checks to ensure high standards are maintained, including a criminal history check or equivalent, where appropriate, and references.

GFC is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We particularly encourage applications from communities that have historically been excluded from philanthropy and from under-represented groups including candidates who are LGBT+, from Black and racially-minoritised communities, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

If you are an applicant with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply, please send an email to careers(at)globalfundforchildren.org with your request.

Learn more about us at www.globalfundforchildren.org.