Programme Coordinator

Job Description

About the Impact Investing Institute

The Impact Investing Institute is an independent, non-profit organisation working to transform capital markets so they support a fairer, greener, more resilient future. We see impact investing as an effective way to achieve that transformation and so we work to accelerate the field, both in the UK and globally.

Through our Challenge Lab, we come up with innovative solutions that help private finance better address societal challenges like preventative health, left-behind neighbourhoods, and a fair transition to net zero. Via our Field Building, we implement impact investing insights and know-how across financial services through applied research, like guides, training, networks and communities of practice. We also engage and seek to influence policymakers and regulators to create an enabling environment where impact investing can thrive, both in the UK and globally.

We have a wide, global network across financial services, social investment, businesses, government and regulators. Our work is rooted in collaborative partnership and co-creation: we take existing expertise as our starting point and facilitate interactions and partnerships which catalyse fresh thinking and solutions.

More information on the Institute can be found on our website: www.impactinvest.org.uk 

The role

As the Programme Coordinator, you will work across the Institute’s dynamic range of programmes. You will report into the Challenge Lab: the team delivering the Institute’s core programmes, developing fresh and practical solutions that help private finance better address big societal challenges. This role will primarily work on the place-based impact investing and preventative health programmes. You will also work with the Field Building team to implement our work across financial services via our applied research, and through our engagement and influencing activities.

The core programmes are:

Place-based impact investing

Our aim is to contribute to the creation of thriving places across the UK through unlocking private investment. Through our direct work with places and our wide-reaching engagement programme, we aim to mobilise over £4bn of annual investment from the Local Government Pension Scheme by 2029. We are also supporting the growth of Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs): social lenders that give loans to businesses and social enterprises that cannot get the finance they need from banks. By 2029, we want to bring in £1bn additional investment into the sector so they are able to support 15 thousand additional small enterprises across the country.

Preventative health

We believe want to help tackle the health of society in the face of climate change and complex social issues. Through an exploratory initiative with partners including investors, policymakers, and civil society organisations, we aim to identify new impact investing solutions that support preventative health, including investments in the structural determinants of health – like healthy towns – and reimagining health care property.

Charitable endowments

We are working to address the long-standing paradox that foundations give grants to achieve specific social or environmental objectives – yet their endowments are often not invested with those same objectives in mind. Through our comprehensive support programme, practical guides, case studies, and learning programme, we help charitable endowments better align their investments with their mission. By 2029, we aim to have worked with over 30 endowed bodies to activate £1bn of impact capital.

Just Transition

We believe climate investments need to prioritise both the planet and the people living on it to achieve a ‘just transition’ to net zero. By 2029, we want at least a quarter (£500bn) of climate funds worldwide to adopt a just transition approach. As a first step, we worked with 26 investors managing over £5 trillion of assets to develop the Just Transition Criteria, which enable investors to build just transition products. We are continuing to develop new tools, and showcasing and connecting investors to opportunities across asset classes and in different geographies – demonstrating the possible.

Key Responsibilities

As a Programme Coordinator, you will help to deliver the Institute’s exciting core programmes by leading on the following responsibilities:  

Engagement and stakeholder management

• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders who span a wide range of sectors and levels of seniority, including leaders of investment firms, banks, businesses, social sector organisations, and local authorities.
• Lead the planning and delivery of key engagements, including meetings with (often senior-level) stakeholders, workshops and roundtables, and larger-scale events. This includes identifying and liaising with stakeholders; organising logistics; and producing tailored, high-quality agendas, presentation materials, and follow-ups.
• Participate in engagements, contributing your opinions and helping facilitate discussions – building rapport and guiding participants towards actionable solutions.
• Work with the Engagement team to capitalise on the communications and influencing opportunities of engagements, including developing social media posts and policy positions.

Research and writing

• Craft compelling written material, conveying complex ideas in persuasive and accessible ways for a broad range of audiences.
• Materials include fundraising proposals, briefings, articles, and presentations.
• Conduct research, including desk research and stakeholder engagement, to contribute to key pieces of Institute thought leadership.

Project Coordination

• Help manage the delivery of projects and programmes, including tracking and evaluating budget, deliverables, risks, milestones and KPIs. These are used as management information for the programme teams, Senior Management Team, Board and funders.
• Contribute to key decisions and activities of the wider team, and to the efficient running of the organisation. There are lots of opportunities to get involved, like chairing team meetings, helping design team-wide tools, streamlining processes, and planning team-wide activities.

Person Profile:

Essential experience

• Leading the design and delivery of meetings, workshops, and events.
• Managing the delivery of projects, including stakeholder management.
• Producing high-quality written materials – e.g., reports, briefings, presentations – for a range of audiences.

Desirable Experience

• Familiarity with financial markets, investment theory and practice and/or social investment and impact investing.
• Working with and engaging key stakeholder groups, e.g., central or local government, financial services, social sector – in the UK or globally, including emerging markets.

Skills, Abilities & Attributes

• Strong multitasking and time management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, keep multiple projects and objectives on track, and be responsive and adaptable.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English.
• Ability to quickly grasp new and complex concepts.
• Self-starter, happy to take initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal and professional relationship building skills. Embracing of diversity.
• Team player, seeking input from colleagues and celebrating successes as a group.
• Strong digital skills, including Microsoft Office 365 suite and MS Outlook.
• Committed to the belief that finance can be a force for positive change in society and that mainstream financial institutions have the opportunity to generate positive social impact.

The Impact Investing Institute’s values

We look for colleagues who are committed to our values:

• Inclusiveness – the Institute is a welcoming place for practitioners, the public, volunteers and employees, which recognises and involves the voices of all involved in impact investment. It aims to have a diverse staff, Board and Advisory Council. It supports flexible working practices and, wherever possible, contracts for services from social enterprises.
• Independence – the Institute pursues an independent path in all its work, focusing on what is most useful to advance impact investing nationally and internationally, without regard to any one sector in the market. All the Institute’s output is available to other practitioners and the public.
• Integrity – the Institute’s staff, volunteers, Board and Advisory Council conduct their work and professional relationships with integrity, kindness and respect.

How to Apply:

All applications must be submitted via BeApplied. We are committed to equal opportunities, and the initial screening stage will be based on your responses to role-specific questions (250 words limit). These responses will be reviewed anonymously and randomly, so please take the time to answer fully.

Important Notes:

• The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK by the start of employment.
• The Impact Investing Institute is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all sections of society and do not discriminate based on gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race. (Note to applicants: DIE information submitted in the application is anonymous and helps us to ensure our roles are reaching a wide pool of candidates.)
• Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process.
• When submitting your application, you will be required to declare that you have not used auto-generation software.
• You can view our policies at https://www.impactinvest.org.uk/our-policies/

If offered the role, you will need to provide:

• Proof of your right to work in the UK.
• Two referees, one being a previous line manager or professor. Roles including line management responsibility should include a referee who they previously line managed.
• Details for pre-employment checks, including proof of ID and address.