POLICY AND STRATEGY MANAGER
- Recruiter
- Big Society Capital
- Location
- London (Central), London (Greater)
- Salary
- £40k - £50k per annum
- Posted
- 07 Sep 2018
- Closes
- 28 Sep 2018
- Sectors
- Charity & Voluntary
- Contract Type
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full Time
About Big Society Capital
Big Society Capital improves the lives of people in the UK by connecting social investment to charities and social enterprises. We engage with investors, fund managers, charities and social enterprises to make it easier to use social investment. With our co- investors, we have made over £1bn of new capital available to organisations with a social mission, through investments into fund managers and social banks. We have a special focus on: providing homes for people in need; supporting communities to improve lives; and early action to prevent problems.
Key purpose of role
Help create lasting improvements in people’s lives by influencing the policy environment in which social investment can make a difference.
50% of the time of this role will be dedicated to supporting Sir Harvey McGrath, Chair of Big Society Capital, in his role as Chair of the UK National Advisory Board on Impact Investment. The UK NAB brings together senior people from private, public and social sectors to develop policy and practice that maximises the contribution that impact investment can make to UK society.
The other 50% of the role will lead policy and research projects to develop opportunities for Big Society Capital to deploy its funding most effectively, to build alliances with other stakeholders to realise those opportunities, and support the CEO in his work with international social impact investors. These projects will come from the three areas on which we are focused: homes for people in need, early action to prevent harm and places and communities. Currently specific projects within those areas include ageing, mental health, supporting ethical lending to deprived communities and housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Key responsibilites
- Act as the main support to Sir Harvey as chair of the UK NAB. This will include,
- Liaison with senior stakeholders on the NAB, to secure their buy-in to work programmes and recommendations
- Lead the development of policy positions and reports that the Board will adopt
- Build relationships with government, corporates and others to support the implementation of the UK NAB’s recommendations
- Support the UK NAB’s role as part of a global network of impact investment advisory boards, and the CEO (Cliff Prior)’s role with other international social investment organisations
- Ensure that BSC’s wider work is in touch with and informed by developments in policy and practice around impact investment
- Lead specific policy and research projects on priority issues for BSC
- Maintain a network of relationships among organisations with an interest in the effectiveness of social impact investment
- About you
- Purposeful – We are passionate and energetic in our work to bring about our long-term vision of a thriving social investment market that enables positive social impact.
- Pioneering Spirit – We give our team the autonomy and flexibility to be entrepreneurial and creative. We have the courage to push boundaries and have a restless drive for change
- Openness – We listen, learn, experiment and collaborate. And we are adaptive and flexible in responding to what we learn.
- Rigorous – We take a rigorous approach in all we do. We expect the highest standards and continually strive for excellence.
- Respectful – We are genuine in both our approach and aspiration. We value each member of our team and our partners for what they bring.
- A passion for, and demonstrable commitment to Big Society Capital’s social mission
- A background in policy development, government relations or policy-relevant research
- Proven ability to manage a wide range of relationships, including at senior levels, and engage with people with diverse viewpoints
- Strong communication skills, especially in clear writing around complex technical topics
- Proven project management skills
- Strong understanding of at least one of the UK social sector, responsible/ethical investment and UK social policy development
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- Self-starter able to work with limited direct supervision and to both initiate and drive new work areas
- Ability to work closely as part of a team with exceptional influencing and interpersonal skills
- Flexibility to take on and manage a variety of projects with different working styles, clients and deadlines
- Hunger for continued learning and development
- Structured thinker able to deal with complexity and uncertainty
- Ability to respond to changing external environment as well as varied demands from stakeholders
- The opportunity, once proven, to sit on corporate and advisory boards of investees and partner organisations
- Salary and benefit package that is very competitive within the UK social and public sector, and that includes contributory pension plan, health insurance, childcare voucher scheme and other benefits