Chief Operating Officer | Association of Charitable Foundations in London

Home / Roles / Chief Operating Officer | Association of Charitable Foundations

Chief Operating Officer Association of Charitable Foundations

Strengthening foundations. Enabling social good. Building an organisation fit for the future.

• Location: London (minimum 2 days office-based)
• Salary: £70,000 per annum, plus benefits

The Opportunity

Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) has recently completed a significant organisational redesign, creating a leaner, more agile organisation with clear ambitions for impact, influence and quality and putting members at the heart of what we do. This next phase is about embedding those changes and building strong foundations for the future. We are now seeking a Chief Operating Officer to play a central role in shaping that journey, working closely with the Chief Executive, Board and Executive Leadership Team.

You will bring an enterprising, values-led approach to strengthening ACF’s income model, membership recruitment and engagement, and commercial partnerships. You will ensure the organisation has the right systems, data, people and culture in place to deliver excellent value for members, while remaining financially resilient, well-governed and responsive to change. Crucially, you will provide strategic leadership across membership, marketing and brand, alongside oversight of core operational functions including finance, people, digital and governance, championing insight-led decision-making and continuous improvement.

In a small organisation with high ambitions, this role combines strategic leadership with hands‑on organisational stewardship. You will line‑manage a senior, multi‑disciplinary team and play a key role in organisational planning, internal communications and Board reporting, helping ACF to show up with clarity and confidence for its members and the wider sector.

About you

You will be a confident, emotionally intelligent leader with senior‑level experience in a values‑led organisation, bringing strong commercial and financial understanding alongside a clear commitment to equity, inclusion and good governance.

You will be comfortable using data and insight to inform decisions and support others to do the same. Above all, you are motivated by social purpose and by the opportunity to help build an organisation that enables others to make a positive impact.

As ACF embeds new ways of working and looks ahead to its next strategy, the COO will play a vital role in shaping how we show up for our members and for the wider sector.

Thank you for your interest in the role of COO at ACF. I am delighted that you are considering joining us at this important moment for ACF.

Foundations play a vital role in enabling social good and ACF exists to support, connect and champion them at a time of significant change and opportunity.

Following our recent organisation redesign we are focused on embedding new ways of working that put our members at the heart of everything we do, strengthen our financial sustainability and ensure we remain agile, inclusive and effective.

The COO role is central to this next phase of our journey. It combines strategic leadership with a strong operational focus, bringing an enterprising approach to strengthening our income model, with a laser‑like focus on improving our members’ experience of ACF and ensuring we have the systems, culture and capabilities needed to deliver our mission well.

We are keen to hear from people who are excited by what foundations achieve and are motivated by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to a small organisation that is ambitious about delivering excellent value for its members.

Thank you again for your interest in ACF – we look forward to learning more about you through the recruitment process.

Carol Mack OBE
Chief Executive

About the Association of Charitable Foundations

The Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) is the leading membership association for foundations and independent grant‑makers in the UK.

Foundations are a vital source for social good. They excel at getting money to where it is needed, being nimble in a crisis, funding overlooked causes, backing brilliant ideas, with an ability to take risks for long‑term impact. Our 430 members collectively hold assets of around £75bn and give over £4.4bn annually to a wide range of charities, institutions and individuals.

Our members are at the heart of what we do. We organise a wide‑ranging programme of events and learning, provide research and information, and advocate for an enabling environment for foundations.

• Vision –diverse, vibrant, and effective foundations, working together for social good
• Purpose –we strengthen trusts and foundations so they can rise to the challenges of our times
• Values – we care, we are open, we are evidence based, we are ambitious

ACF will provide fully accessible offices. We have flexible working practices that will support the needs of carers, parents, women, older and younger team members, those who have disabilities or long‑term illnesses. These include home working, part time employment and flexible hours.

We offer the following amenities:

• Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
• Accessibility dogs are welcome
• Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
• Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
• Working patterns and locations can be adjusted

ACF ensures individuals with protected characteristics under UK law are encouraged to stand for election to the ACF board.

ACF make all our website and publications accessible for those with visual impairment.

We invite anonymous feedback from our staff on the implementation of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy and review the Policy and Action plan in response to this feedback and changes in best practice. We will work to create an open, supportive, welcoming culture that is inclusive and celebrates diversity.

To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions.We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.

The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.

Timetable

Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 16th November 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: By COB, Tuesday 24th November 2026
First stage interviews (virtual): Monday 30 November
Informal Staff Session: Between Tuesday 1st December and Friday 4th December 2026
Final stage Interviews (London): Monday 7th December (pm)

Data Processing, Protection and Privacy Policy

By completing the form to view, or if you have access to this page from an email invitation, Peridot Partners will have processed your personal information. For more information about Peridot Partners’ data processing activities and your rights, please readour Privacy Policy .

#J-18808-Ljbffr