Income generation lead/Business manager

The Ferret is Scotland’s award-winning investigative platform. We’re owned by our members, not by billionaires or corporations, and our focus is on investigating the powerful and holding them to account.

We operate differently to most media organisations. We are a not-for-profit co-operative, which means our members help to shape some of our decisions. We also have a non-hierarchical team, which means the big decisions are made

collectively.

After 10 successful years, we’re taking The Ferret to the next level, and we’re looking for someone to come on board to help us grow and develop. We’re looking for a talented business manager who can improve our resilience as an organisation over the coming years, ensure our financial stability, and make sure we continue serving our members and readers.

Working three days per week, you’ll lead on our income generation from grants, develop our organisational strategy in collaboration with the team, oversee our budgets and liaise with our board and staff to agree annual plans and track our progress.

You’ll be a self-starter, used to working without supervision and have an entrepreneurial nature and a creative approach. We’re looking for a combination of great project management skills, plenty of experience in partnership working and

funding expertise. While knowledge of the independent media space is an advantage, we can teach you what you need to know.

As our slogan goes, our journalism changes things. This is an opportunity to help us fulfill that mission.

About the role

You will look after many of the non-editorial duties required to run The Ferret. A key part of your role will also be leading our fundraising strategy. You’ll seek out new revenue funding streams in the UK, Europe and internationally, and work alongside our editorial team to develop ideas and projects that match with funding opportunities, in line with The Ferret’s aims and ethical guidelines.

Duties include:

Funding and other income generation

• Carrying out research to identify funding opportunities and conducting due diligence.
• Coordinating and tracking progress on applications and responses.
• Assisting in reporting on grants, ensuring that deadlines are met and budgets are adhered to.

Business plan and budget

• Leading the development of organisational strategy, business plan and budget, collaborating with co-editors, the finance lead and board to agree annual plans and track and report on progress throughout the year.
• Leading on producing The Ferret’s annual review in collaboration with editorial and finance colleagues.

Operations

• Developing partnership agreements for funded partnerships.
• Developing, maintaining and integrating organisational policies in line with best practice and schedule for regular review.
• Acting as the main point for contact for external contractors or agencies
• Collaborating with colleagues to improve and streamline systems and processes where possible.

Board support

• Acting as the main point of contact for board members in relation to governance and compliance.
• Providing support to board chairs and directors.

Who are we looking for?

Essential experience

• A strong track record of driving income generation strategy and successful fundraising, ideally in the context of a member-led organisation in Scotland.
• An understanding of the media landscape and passion for the power of journalism.
• Demonstrable experience of collaborative working across diverse teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, confident in working with a broad range of people.
• Experience of financial management.
• A self-starter, with an entrepreneurial mindset, able to work with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrable experience managing projects and using influence to keep things on track.
• Commitment to promoting equality, inclusion and diversity across the organisation.

Desirable experience

• Knowledge of the independent media sector
• An understanding of how to support a voluntary board working in a related
• sector, such as media, non-profits, social enterprises or co-operatives.
• Experience developing membership growth and engagement strategies.
• Experience administering accounting and HR software.
• Competence with Google Suite and other cloud tools such as Slack and Trello
• needed for remote working
• Experience of organising events.

Our values

We are a value-driven organisation. We believe in transparency, we treasure accuracy and our journalism is non-partisan, and not-for-profit. The successful candidate will need to have a clear understanding of our culture, and a shared belief in its importance.

We are a non-hierarchical organisation with oversight provided by our board.

Employees have a say in the future of the organisation, and are expected to work both as part of a team and independently.

This role allows the successful candidate to help shape the future of our organisation, at a crucial time in politics and media.

Our offer

The salary is £37,700 (pro-rata). This is a part time role, working three days a week, on an initial one-year contract. It is anticipated that this will be renewed, subject to funding. It includes 21 days of paid annual leave, travel expenses and sick leave.

You can work remotely, or there is a community newsroom in Glasgow where you can work alongside other team members. There is a small allowance offered if you don’t live close enough to our newsroom. Our team aims to meet in person (usually Glasgow or Edinburgh) every two months and you will be expected to attend these meetings.