JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Grant Management Systems Lead

RESPONSIBLE TO: Associate Director of ISP Management

JOB GRADE: C1 

LOCATION: Home based, or at a Bible Society or UBS Hub, by agreement

DURATION: Permanent, Full-time (flexible working arrangements considered)

HOURS OF WORK: 37.5 hours per week

__________________________________________________________________________________

BACKGROUND

United Bible Societies is a global Fellowship committed to making the Bible available to everyone. United Bible Societies Association (UBSA) is the service organisation  that supports this Fellowship of independent Bible Societies in 158 countries. 

As part of our mission to provide the Bible to everyone, the United Bible Societies operates a grant programme for Bible Societies. Known as the International Support Programme, or ISP, this represents an annual investment of more than US$ 30 million in Bible ministry across more than 1,000 projects in 140 countries. The ISP is managed by a dedicated, international team, working closely with other UBS teams and is supported by our Solomon system, which manages project information and grants. As the manager of this system, the postholder will provide a vital link between technical teams and users, contributing to global Bible ministry by maintaining and developing Solomon to ensure that it is aligned with user needs and our strategic objectives. 

JOB SUMMARY 

The postholder will lead the development and management of the system technology (Solomon) that supports the United Bible Societies global grant programme (known as the International Support Programme, ISP) in order to embed best practices in grant management. They will act as a bridge between users (including Global Mission Team users and Bible Society users) and developers, researching and translating complex requirements into actionable development plans, in particular with regard to data structure, user experience and integration with other systems. They will collaborate with users and developers to improve user experience, to optimise system architecture and to integrate Solomon with other systems. The postholder will develop a strategy and roadmap for development, establishing priorities and directing developments. They will manage and be assisted by one full time direct report who provides front line support to Bible Societies.

APPOINTED BY: Associate Director of ISP Management

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Strategy and Vision

To craft the development roadmap, including:

1. Tracking changes in best practices and compliance requirements for grant management.
2. Conducting research with Bible Societies and the Global Mission Team to understand user needs and to translate needs into user stories and product requirements.
3. Identifying opportunities to leverage emerging technologies.
4. Assessing and agreeing development priorities.
5. Constantly seeking ways to improve the functionality and usability of the system and adapting it to changing needs. 

2. Stakeholder Communications 

To ensure that key stakeholders are involved in developments and informed about them, specifically:

1. To understand the changing compliance needs of Bible Societies that make grants to the International Support Programme (primarily those that are part of the Resource Mobilization Group).
2. To maintain close links with GMT teams that use Solomon, seeking to understand their workflows, needs and involving them in decisions about changes and developments.
3. To clearly articulate development progress, priorities and impact to internal teams, GMT leadership and to Bible Societies.

3. Systems Development

To project manage the technical development roadmap. Specifically:

1. To work with the technical team (currently outsourced to an independent software house) that maintains and develops Solomon.
2. To manage the annual budget for Solomon.
3. To develop the budget and case-for-support for developments outside the scope of the annual budget.
4. To establish an approach to integrating Solomon with other parts of our digital landscape.

4. Service Provision

To research and develop the service experience for all users. 

1. To deliver an improved user experience of the Solomon system.
2. To support the annual cycle of ISP and the work of the team through adapting and optimizing processes.
3. To support the gathering of insights from data, analytics, and user feedback to improve service delivery, collaboration, and wider impact.

5. Cross-functional Collaboration

To maintain alignment with other GMT teams using or supplying data to Solomon, specifically:

1. To manage integrations and data exchange with linked systems.
2. To maintain the critical links with the finance system and the International Finance Team on a technical and process level. This includes interpreting and testing changes made in either system and ensuring that non-standard transactions are processed correctly in each system. 
3. To contribute to the annual financial audit as required by the auditors. This may include explaining elements of the ISP grant management processes and/or creating bespoke reports for the audit.

6. Compliance and Accessibility

To ensure that Solomon is compliant with regulatory requirements, including:

1. Compliance with data protection regulations.
2. Safeguarding and security best practices.
3. Accessibility standards.
4. The system and key processes are properly documented.

7. Maintaining Professional Standards

To maintain professional standards, codes of conduct and procedures relevant to GMT’s objectives and to participate in the UBS Reputation Management system, ensuring appropriate communication to senior managers of breaches of standards and potential media and reputation risks in the Bible Societies.

8. Any other relevant task as requested by the Associate Director of ISP Management.
   

PERSONAL QUALITIES AND COMPETENCIES

Essential Experiences and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• Significant experience (typically at least 3 years) in product management, systems leadership or digital service design.
• Significant experience (typically at least 3 years) in a grant-making or donor-funded environment, with familiarity in processes such as proposal workflows, compliance and reporting. 
• Experience working in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and demonstrated stakeholder management skills. 
• Excellent communication and numeracy skills and fluency in English.
• Organized, logical and methodical with attention to detail.
• Having a curious and enquiring mind: willingness to take initiatives.
• Open to other cultures and perspectives.
• Able to work collaboratively or independently.
• Open to continuous learning and development.
• Comfortable working in a Christian organisation with sensitivity to the breadth of church support that UBS enjoys. 

Desirable Experiences and Skills

• Experience of  working with globally dispersed teams.
• Training or experience in finance and financial systems.
• Willing to undertake occasional international travel.
• Knowledge of French, Spanish or another major world language.
• Experience of working in a Bible Society would be advantageous but is not essential.

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting opportunity, please submit the following three documents by email to recruitment@biblesocieties.org by the closing date given below. Please enter JOB TITLE as the email subject (Previous applicants need not reapply. If you wish to apply for multiple roles please send separate emails):

1. Your up-to-date CV.
2. A cover letter outlining your suitability for this role and indicating how you heard about this job posting.
3. A document outlining three key achievements (max 600 words total).

Applications Closing Date: 24 August 2025 (All applications must be received by midnight GMT. Due to the high volume of applications, please expect delays in our response)

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

At UBSA we value diversity and treat all candidates equally, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel engaged, supported and know their work makes an important contribution. All applications are screened based on organization needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without any regard to origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, geographical location or citizenship.

JOB DESCRIPTION