At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead charity partnerships, manage investments, and support youth sector leaders to drive impactful change.
- Company: Dynamic organisation dedicated to empowering young people and reducing inequality.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a supportive team environment.
- Other info: Join a diverse team committed to equity, inclusion, and transformative leadership.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the lives of young people while advancing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in non-profit sectors, strong analytical skills, and a passion for social impact.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
The Investment Team is responsible for selecting charity partners, managing our charity investments and supporting our charity partners to improve and scale their impact. The Investment Team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles. The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants. The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in School engagement, School attainment and Employment Sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 5). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest. The Investment Team has a good track record of role progression. All four Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team. The team is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We come from a range of backgrounds and bring a broad mix of perspectives. We care deeply for our colleagues, our charity partners and the young people we serve.
About this role
We believe that all young people deserve to succeed in school and in work, whatever their background. As we enter a challenging time with rising inflation and a likely recession, our work feels more vital than ever before. The role of Investment Director presents an exciting opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the charities portfolio partners we serve, the team itself and the whole of Impetus. We support a portfolio of 23 high potential charity and non-profit partners in the youth sector, helping them deliver benchmark-beating employment and education outcomes for young people, and to grow. We believe the strength of our approach resides in three things:
- Building deep, trust-based, sustainable relationships with charity leaders by investing time, kindness, integrity and honesty.
- Providing our charities multi-year, unrestricted funding to help them become sector-leading organisations and scale their impact.
- Offering tailored advice to charity leaders’ most pressing and strategic questions, including their mission, programme design, performance management, growth planning, and financial resilience.
Working with our portfolio partners is a privilege. The leaders we support are incredibly talented, passionate and keen for external advice, and the issues we work through with them are stimulating and stretching. Our senior management relationships are some of the most fulfilling relationships many of us have had in our careers, while the growth and impact performance of our partners are testament to charities’ commitment to disadvantaged young people and the influence we have on their development. Charities and funders often comment on the quality of our people. Our team is analytical and data driven; we are deeply relational, low-ego and collaborative. We actively invest in our colleagues holding regular training and community of practice sessions, and use skills-based assessments to tailor development. As an organisation we seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work and actively challenge our assumptions to better deliver change. Over the past two years we have taken action to help reduce racial inequality in the youth sector. In 2021 we launched our Connect Fund to support diverse leaders and their robust solutions to the entrenched employment gap faced by young people from ethnic minority backgrounds compared with their white peers. We have also built a highly regarded Leadership Academy for emerging youth sector leaders from ethnic minority backgrounds, with generous funding from State Street Foundation.
If you are looking for a role combining strategic thinking, analytical insight and influencing emerging leaders, as well as the opportunity to work with a supportive team to transform young lives, I hope you will apply to work with us.
Key responsibilities
- Finding high potential charities and non-profit partners for our portfolio.
- Identifying potential charitable organisations for investment.
- Leading in-depth due diligence process within the scope of a grant round, to assess and build partnership foundations with potential partners – covering leadership and governance, and their impact, scale, and partnership potential.
- Modelling from first contact of origination, our approach to engaged and trust-based investment management support.
- Developing and presenting high quality investment propositions to our Investment Committee.
- Managing partnerships with portfolio partners.
- Managing relationships with partner Chairs and CEOs.
- Agreeing Service Funding Agreements, including appropriate annual investment milestones to allow for a clear assessment of re-investment potential at end of phase.
- Regularly monitoring and assessing partner progress / risks against milestones and making recommendations on progression or exit to Leads, Portfolio Director and the Investment Committee.
- Escalating key risks on performance, leadership and safeguarding.
- Conducting annual partnership review with Sector Leads and partner CEOs.
- Working with Impetus Finance colleagues to ensure timely distribution of grant payments, in line with Service Funding Agreements.
- Providing direct support to CEOs and senior colleagues on key strategic topics, using a mix of at least monthly one-to-one meetings and group facilitation to clarify theory of change, define long term ambition, develop growth strategy, achieve a step change in the delivery and performance management of outcomes, strengthen leadership (individual and collective) and governance capabilities, develop path to scale, and build financial resilience.
- Scoping and project managing pro bono capacity-building projects (in addition to providing direct management support). Ensure projects are delivered to a high standard and contribute to charity progression.
- Identifying engagement opportunities for our donors and supporters with portfolio partners that are aligned with the partner’s activities and do not distract or undermine their core work.
- Collaborating with Impetus philanthropy team to support the development of additional funding opportunities for portfolio partners, enhancing their ability to deliver impact at scale.
- Effectively leveraging the support of investment managers to advance the objectives developed for each portfolio partner that is managed by an Investment Director.
Person specification
- A commitment to Impetus’ mission.
- Senior level responsibility and a strong track record of building trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders, advising them on key strategic decisions, and challenging them in a respectful and collaborative manner.
- A talent for strategic thinking around complex issues.
- Strong financial acumen and analytical skills.
- Understanding of impact measurement and evaluation fundamentals.
- Tenacity and initiative.
- Ability to flex personal style to needs of charity and leadership.
- Growth mind-set to seek out and act on feedback.
- Proven ability to work independently, and to exercise good judgment.
- Strong planning and time management skills.
- Interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better.
- A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Experience in the non-profit (charity or social enterprise) sector, through work, as a pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity.
Experience in consulting, investment management, senior charity management, or other in-depth grant making and advisory work.
Knowledge and expertise in UK education or youth employability sectors.
Board experience in private, public or third sector.
Understanding of or experience with commissioning impact evaluations.
Investment Director in London employer: Diversifying.io
Impetus is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and supportive work culture that prioritises employee growth and development. With a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Investment Team fosters a collaborative environment where team members can thrive while making a meaningful impact in the youth sector. Located in the heart of the UK, employees benefit from engaging with passionate charity leaders and contributing to transformative initiatives that empower disadvantaged young people.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Investment Director in London
✨Get Involved Locally
Dive into local volunteer opportunities or social initiatives. This not only beefs up your CV but also connects you with like-minded folks in nonprofits. Plus, it shows your passion for social impact, which is key for getting noticed by Diversifying.io.
✨Tap into Professional Networks
Join networks like the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) or local charities to meet professionals in the sector. Attend events and workshops to build relationships and learn about potential openings at organisations like Diversifying.io.
✨Showcase Your Commitment
When prepping for interviews, be ready to speak about your personal connection to social issues. Dive into specific examples of how you’ve contributed to community projects – this will resonate with the mission-driven vibe at Diversifying.io.
✨Utilise Online Platforms
We’re all about making connections, so use platforms like Idealist and CharityJob to hunt for full-time roles. And of course, you should keep an eye on our website for exciting opportunities at Diversifying.io. Apply directly through us to stand out!
We think you need these skills to ace Investment Director in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for the Cause:In the nonprofit sector, it's super important to demonstrate genuine passion for the mission of Diversifying.io. Use your cover letter to showcase any personal experiences or volunteer work that connects you to their social impact initiatives. This emotional connection can really help your application stand out.
Highlight Relevant Experience:When crafting your CV, be sure to include any relevant projects or roles that showcase your skills in social impact. Whether it's community organising, fundraising, or advocacy, highlight what you've done and the difference it's made. Don’t just list tasks; quantify your achievements and the outcomes of your efforts.
Tailor Your Documents to the Role:For a full-time role like Investment Director, ensure your CV and cover letter specifically address the responsibilities outlined in the job description. Use their language to describe your skills and experience, making it easy for the hiring team to see how you fit into their vision.
Emphasise Teamwork and Collaboration:Nonprofits thrive on teamwork, so make sure to emphasise your collaborative experiences. Whether you've worked in a team setting, partnered with community organisations, or facilitated group projects, highlight these experiences in your application. Show them you understand the importance of working alongside diverse individuals to achieve shared goals.
How to prepare for a job interview at Diversifying.io
✨Show Your Passion for Social Change
When we’re prepping for interviews in the nonprofit space, it's vital to demonstrate our genuine passion for social impact. Be ready to discuss not just your skills and experiences but also why you care about the mission of Diversifying.io. Sharing personal stories or insights can really make us stand out.
✨Highlight Project Experience
We should focus on specific projects we've worked on that align with the goals of social impact. Whether that’s a community initiative, volunteering, or a class project, having solid examples that showcase our role and the outcomes will resonate well with the interviewers.
✨Familiarity with Relevant Tools and Practices
Let’s brush up on tools and methodologies commonly used in the nonprofit sector, like project management software or outcome measurement frameworks. Being able to speak fluently about these will show that we’re not just passionate but also knowledgeable and ready to hit the ground running.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that evaluate our problem-solving skills in real-world social issues. Think about how we’d handle challenges in the nonprofit environment and prepare stories that demonstrate our critical thinking and adaptability. Role-playing with a friend could help us feel more confident!
