Head of POWERful Women in City of Westminster

The Head of POWERful Women provides strategic and commercial leadership for the initiative, working with the Chair and Board to set direction, strengthen impact and secure long-term sustainability. The role leads PfW’s strategy, developing a sustainable funding model that diversifies income and strengthens the initiative’s long-term commercial viability, evidence base and influence across the UK energy sector.

The postholder will be a credible external advocate and DEI expert, building senior relationships across industry, government and partner organisations. As leader of a small team, the Head will translate strategy into a focused programme of activity, establish clear priorities and accountabilities, and ensure PfW delivers measurable value for its audiences, partners and funders.

About POWERful Women

POWERful Women (PfW) works for a gender-balanced, diverse and inclusive energy sector, with a goal for women to hold at least 40% of middle management and leadership roles by 2030. PfW challenges the sector and its leaders, supports women’s professional development, and helps organisations improve diversity and inclusion through evidence, partnerships, events and networking. PfW works collaboratively with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and is hosted by the Energy Institute.

• Location:London-based hybrid
• Flexibility:Across Monday to Friday
• Direct reports:PfW team
• Working Pattern:Part time, 21 hours/3 days per week
• Reports To:CEO
• Contract:12-month fixed-term contract, with potential to become permanent

Key accountabilities

Strategy, impact and thought leadership

• Lead the development, implementation and review of PfW’s strategy with the Chair and Board, maintaining a clear purpose, strategic priorities and outcomes aligned to the 40 by 30 ambition.
• Provide authoritative DEI insight, using evidence, data and sector intelligence to shape priorities, influence debate and strengthen PfW’s position as a respected voice on gender equity in energy.
• Oversee an outcomes and impact framework, ensuring PfW can demonstrate progress, learn from evidence and focus resources where they will create greatest value.
• Anticipate changes in the energy, policy and DEI landscape and advise the Board on opportunities, risks and strategic choices.
• Ensure PfW’s principal outputs, including the annual State of the Nation and Energy Leaders’ Coalition reporting, are rigorous, relevant and positioned for influence.

Commercial sustainability and organisational stewardship

• Design and deliver a sustainable funding model for PfW, using strong commercial acumen to generate and diversify income through sponsorship, strategic partnerships, funded programmes and other aligned opportunities.
• Build compelling propositions for funders and partners, with clear value and benefits, while protecting PfW's independence, purpose, reputation and values.
• Own business planning, budgets, income targets and financial performance; maintain a clear funding pipeline and provide robust forecasts and recommendations to the Board.
• Negotiate and oversee key partnerships and supplier arrangements, ensuring clear value, appropriate controls and effective delivery.
• Identify income-generating services, collaborations and funded programmes, supported by proportionate business cases that assess return, capacity and risk.

External influence and stakeholder engagement

• Act as a senior ambassador and spokesperson for PfW, representing the initiative confidently with energy leaders, government, regulators, professional bodies, partners, media and wider sector audiences.
• Cultivate trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, including the Energy Leaders’ Coalition, PfW Ambassadors, sponsors and strategic partners, converting engagement into advocacy, action and support.
• Develop a purposeful stakeholder engagement plan that identifies priority audiences, clear objectives and opportunities to extend PfW’s influence.
• Convene leaders and organisations around practical action, using PfW’s evidence, networks and platforms to encourage accountability and accelerate progress.
• Maintain an effective relationship with the Energy Institute as host organisation and work collaboratively across relevant functions.

Programme, governance and delivery

• Translate strategy into a prioritised annual plan, with clear outcomes, milestones, resources, risks and measures of success.
• Provide strategic oversight of core activity, including the Annual Conference, Connections Breakfasts, mentoring programme, research and reporting, ensuring quality and alignment with PfW’s aims.
• Provide effective secretariat and governance support to the PfW Board, Energy Leaders’ Coalition and D&I Leads Forum, enabling informed decisions and clear accountability.
• Monitor organisational, financial and reputational risks, escalating material matters and ensuring compliance with Energy Institute policies and relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
• Regularly review the portfolio to stop, adapt or scale activity in response to evidence, capacity and strategic value.

Leadership and team management

• Lead, motivate and develop the PfW team, setting clear objectives, empowering delivery and building a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing culture.
• Allocate capacity and resources against agreed priorities, maintaining appropriate oversight while enabling team members to take ownership.
• Model inclusive leadership, constructive challenge, sound judgement and a strong focus on outcomes, learning and continuous improvement.

Person specification

Essential experience and knowledge

• Significant experience of shaping and delivering organisational, programme or campaign strategy, with evidence of translating ambition into measurable outcomes.
• Substantial knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion, including the systemic barriers affecting representation, progression and leadership, and the ability to translate evidence into practical organisational and sector action.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a proven track record of creating and delivering sustainable funding or income-generation models through sponsorship, partnerships, funded programmes or services.
• A strong track record of influencing and building credibility with senior external stakeholders across complex or partnership-led environments.
• Experience of acting as an organisational spokesperson or senior representative, with excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Experience of leading and developing a small team, managing competing priorities and creating clarity in a resource-constrained environment.
• Sound governance, risk and performance-management experience, including working effectively with a Board, steering group or senior committee.
• Ability to interpret data, research and policy developments and apply them to strategic decisions, thought leadership and external engagement.

Leadership skills and behaviours

• Strategic and future-focused, able to see the wider system while maintaining grip on delivery and organisational sustainability.
• Commercially astute and entrepreneurial, able to design a credible funding model, convert opportunities into sustainable income and balance value, risk and purpose.
• An authoritative and inclusive leader who builds trust, provides clarity and brings others with them through influence rather than hierarchy.
• Politically astute, with strong judgement and the confidence to navigate differing interests, challenge constructively and handle sensitive issues.
• An accomplished relationship builder and communicator, able to adapt messages for Board, government, corporate, professional and public audiences.
• Decisive, pragmatic and resilient, with strong prioritisation and the discipline to focus limited capacity on the highest-value activity.
• Personally committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and to PfW’s ambition for a gender-balanced energy sector.
• Knowledge of the UK energy sector, its institutions and the context shaping its workforce and leadership pipeline.
• Experience in a not-for-profit, professional membership, policy, campaigning or coalition-based organisation.
• Established networks across energy, government DEI, business or professional bodies.
• Experience of research, public affairs, media engagement or evidence-led campaigning.

Measures of success

• A clear, Board-supported strategy and annual plan focus resources on measurable outcomes against PfW’s mission.
• PfW has a credible, sustainable funding model, diversifies income, maintains sound financial management and builds high-value strategic partnerships.
• PfW’s evidence, voice and convening power influence senior leaders and encourage practical sector action.
• Core programmes and outputs are high quality, well governed and demonstrably valuable to stakeholders.
• The team has clear priorities, strong accountability and the support needed to deliver effectively within a part-time leadership model.

This job description outlines the principal responsibilities of the role and may be reviewed to reflect the evolving needs of POWERful Women and the Energy Institute, following appropriate discussion with the postholder.

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