We're Hiring (but not in the usual way)

Collaboration Circle is seeking two part time secondees from equity and justice organisations to join the Propel Relational Grant Management Team.

This is a secondment opportunity, not a conventional recruitment role. We are inviting equity and justice–focused civil society organisations to partner with us by seconding a member of their staff into a shared grant management team delivering Propel long-term grants in London.

Collaboration Circle is holding a pooled fund on behalf of the Propel programme, which is making seven-year grants to organisations working on systems change. At least 75% of this funding is committed to organisations that are led by and for the communities they serve. As part of this work, we are building a Relational Grant Management Team that brings together expertise from both funders and civil society, using a deliberately equitable secondment model.

We are seeking two part-time secondees from equity and justice organisations to join this team. Secondees will remain employed by their current organisation and retain their existing employment terms. Alongside contributing to grant management, they will help develop and test relational and power-sharing approaches to funding, generating learning that can be taken back into their own organisations and shared across the wider sector.

This opportunity is designed to benefit three parties at once: the funded organisations receiving long-term support; the secondees themselves, through skills development, networks and influence; and the seconding organisations, who will gain direct insight into equitable funding practice and systems change grantmaking.

The secondment is expected to start in April 2026, for two days per week over a period of 12 to 18 months. Collaboration Circle will provide a grant of £23,000 per year to the seconding organisation, which can be used to cover salary costs, backfill, or other associated expenses.

We are particularly keen to hear from organisations with a strong track record of addressing structural inequalities and a clear interest in shaping more equitable funding practice. We are actively seeking to build a diverse team, including people with lived experience of the communities Propel prioritises.

A full information pack is available, including background on Propel and Collaboration Circle, details of how the secondment works, and the role description and person specification.

Download full secondment information pack

Key details:

  • Opportunity type: Part-time secondment (not a direct employment role)

  • Roles available: Two secondees from equity and justice–focused civil society organisations

  • Commitment: Two days per week, for 12–18 months

  • Start date: April 2026

  • Secondment funding: £23,000 per year to the seconding organisation

  • Application deadline: 11 February 2026

  • Interviews: 26 February 2026

  • Location: London-focused work, with flexible and relational ways of working

For an informal conversation about the opportunity, organisations can arrange a call with the Propel Programme Manager on 29 January (details in the information pack).