WORK WITH US
Grants & Programme Manager
Location: Remote-friendly (London / Berlin preferred)
Compensation: £40,000 - £50,000 p/a (pro-rated). Initial 3-month contract, with potential to transition into a full-time role.
Starting Date: Sept / Oct 2026
Industry: Documentary Film / Nonprofit
Description: You’ll drive the development of a young, ambitious fund from the ground up, shaping our annual grant programme, and leading our Impact Fellowship programme. From building partnerships and coordinating our development lab, to matching filmmakers with mentors and guiding completed films toward increased impact, you will ensure important stories about environmental sustainability, animal protection and social justice get funded, finished, and seen.
Who we are…
Who Let The Docs Out is an ecosystem for impact filmmakers around the world, aligning community, mentorship, strategy, funding and opportunities to focus and amplify the power of documentary films for cultural transformation.
We've already supported 24 independent film projects in our first 7 months, and we’re now looking to grow our team to expand our grant programmes. If that sounds like something you’d be interesting in, get in touch!
Who you are…
You’re passionate about impact
You genuinely care about animal protection, environmental sustainability, and social justice, and want to support films that make a practical difference.
You have experience in film
You have experience as a producer, a curator, or as a part of another film organisation. Bonus if you’ve also worked with grant-giving or mentorship!
You’re scrappy!
You are independent and feisty, can wear many hats, and perform well with a lot on your plate.
You're well-connected
Or you know how to get connected fast - to filmmakers, festival programmers, producers and distributors.
You've got taste
You know a strong project when you see one, and you can tell the difference between a good pitch and a great one.
You're organised to a fault
Deadlines, spreadsheets, and organising multiple filmmakers mid-production at one time. You’ve also got the technical know-how to learn new integration platforms.
You have a sense of humour!
Who Let The Docs Out is an organisation that understands the importance of the work, but also understands that you can’t get s**t done by taking yourself too seriously!
About The Role
We are looking for an organised and plugged-in Grants & Programme Manager to handle our annual grants initiative and run our Impact Fellowship programme.
You’ll handle the logistics for annual funding rounds from application to final impact reporting, while actively building partnerships with established and emerging filmmakers and film schools, coordinating our development lab, matching filmmakers with mentors, and helping grantees pitch their finished films to festivals, platforms, and advocacy groups.
Key Responsibilities
1. Grant Cycle Operations
Launch & Outreach: Co-write application forms, write clear submission calls, and share the brief, so the right filmmakers apply with environmental, animal protection and social justice topics.
Pipeline Management: Use our internal grant tools to screen applications for eligibility, answer applicant questions, and check in with grantees across different production stages.
Review & Selection: Source and onboard external reviewers (producers, programmers, directors, commissioning editors). Refine scoring rubrics, run evaluation sessions, and present top picks.
Tracking & Reporting: Collect progress reports (including BTS images, rough cuts, milestones such as festival premieres, distribution deals, additional funding, awards etc), and write reports for our board and funding partners.
2. Impact Fellowship
Outreach: Reach out directly to institutions and work with faculty to spot strong candidates.
Lab Coordination: Organise and run the development lab, including scheduling guest speakers, workshop sessions, and story development frameworks.
Mentorship Setup: Source established directors and producers, pair grantees with 1:1 mentors, and check in regularly to make sure those mentorship matches are effective.
Distribution & Support: Guide filmmakers on where to submit finished shorts, connect them with advocacy groups for screenings, manage secondary grants and help select winning filmmakers from the Impact Fellowship programme.
