Head of Partnerships in London

SALARY: £60,000 to £70,000 per annum (Band 6/7)

HOURS: Full or part time, (minimum 3 days per week)

WORKING MODEL: Hybrid with office base in Bristol, Launceston, London or Manchester

RESPONSIBLE TO: Managing Director, Impact Labs

CONTRACT: Permanent

Are you looking for a new challenge where your role can really make a difference to help shape a better way of life for people? If so, this could be the job for you.

Resonance is one of the UK's leading social impact investment companies.

Since 2002 we have worked with c170 social enterprises and charities, enabling them to raise capital to grow their impact, and make a difference to the communities they serve.

To help us continue this journey, we are looking for a Head of Partnerships to come and join our growing team.

As well as bringing energy to the role, you’ll have the ambition to want to learn how our business works, understand our passion and our purpose, and use your drive to ensure that timescales are met.

You’ll be working across the business, reporting to the Managing Director, Impact Labs, with multiple tasks. This key role is important to our future success.

You’ll be based in our Launceston, London or Manchester office, but we will also consider candidates who would prefer to work from our Bristol office (a modest London weighting may be available).

HERE’S WHY WE NEED YOU – PURPOSE

Resonance is actively growing, so you’ll need to enjoy working in a fast-paced work environment.

Our values are:

• We are a bridge, not an institution
• We believe there is always a solution
• We build trusting and transparent relationships, one investment at a time
• When we strive for mutual profit, all of society benefits

To find out more about what we do: https://resonance.ltd.uk/

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL DO FOR US – RESPONSIBILITIES

You will lead a team delivering two products: our “funding partnerships” product (grantmaking) and our “strengthening impact” product (advisory services). These two products have historically stood alone as separate business units but have just been merged together. You will be responsible for embedding that change and developing this newly merged team, supported by the Managing Director of Impact Labs.

You will be capable of maximising complementary funding and advisory opportunities for Resonance’s portfolio of social enterprise investees (including ones we consider to be potential investees) across all three of Resonance’s impact investment fund areas: Developing Communities, Growing Enterprises and Property (where the “investee” is our housing partners, leasing properties from our property funds).

This reflects our learning that there are often funding streams available to our investees which can be complementary to our funds’ investment, and where Resonance can play a proactive role in channelling that funding, but that these funding streams are often:

• relevant across multiple fund areas,
• appear and disappear on differing timeframes,
• require in many cases a programmatic approach to delivery.

For all these reasons, it is more efficient and effective to have a dedicated Funding Partnerships function that serves all three of Resonance’s impact investment fund areas.

Similarly, investees and the communities they serve, may lack access to the specialist skills needed to deliver aspects of technically complex projects, such as construction, fund or service design, that are also a key part of helping a community lift itself up. Therefore, this role will also oversee our “Strengthening impact” advisory services.

The team will comprise of a range of full-time people dedicated to specific programmes (eg our current work on the Youth Investment Fund) and part time / project-based / seconded people from other areas of the business as well as external consultants as needed.

The primary funding opportunities are expected to include but not be limited to:

• Grant fund programmes that we deliver (often in partnership with our peers). Previous programmes include Youth Investment Fund (YIF), Social Enterprise Support Fund (SESF), Access Cost of Living, Oak Foundation

• Grant fund programmes that we can help our investees access on a repeat / programmatic basis (eg Reach Fund)

• Investment frameworks on behalf of funds managed by third party organisations such as the Energy Resilience Fund or the Recovery Loan Fund

• Innovation programmes set up by Resonance which require grant funding to deploy funding into gaps that enhance the impact of our funds (examples of this areinternal Resonance projects called Project Breathe and Project SAVE, which could enhance the impact of our property funds).

  Consulting and contract opportunities include:

• Consulting work includes work for local authorities on local funding, designing a housing investment fund in one of the regions, amongst other projects.

• Supporting the strong internal consultancy service, to provide financial modelling, process change management and development work internally.

• Proactively seeking bids and contracts from government and quasi government entities (e.g. GB Energy) in areas and sectors relevant to our expertise and geographical presence.

For both aspects of the role, a key function will be coordinating and leading on fundraising opportunities, through existing mechanisms with the wider Impact Labs team, and enhancing our bidding and grant application process.

The role does not include taking on social enterprises as clients in terms of deal arranging or any regulated investment advice. The team has the knowledge of other funding sources (e.g. other social investment and lending funds that will allow us to proactively “sign-post” our investees to suitable funding sources where co-investment / refinancing is needed.

For the avoidance of doubt, any sources of funding where our role would be considered by the FCA to be managing an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) fall outside the remit of this team. It is not the remit of this team to take on fund management activity for funds being set up by third parties. Resonance is focused on delivering its own fund activities through the three existing fund areas we have, and the limited number of funds we run in each, and our focus will remain on scaling these and enhancing their impact.

The responsibility of this team, and in particular the individual(s) leading it, is therefore to have their eyes open to other funding and advisory opportunities that would help our portfolio organisations. This is a huge opportunity given the ever changing and fast developing landscape for social enterprise funding, and will require ongoing active research, networking and pursuit of programmatic funding opportunities which fulfil that goal.

We already have a track record in these areas (as listed in the bullets above) but need to ensure we continue to proactively manage our pursuit of these opportunities. In addition, where Resonance is running the programme, we also need to efficiently manage the delivery of that programme and our coordination with relevant stakeholders and delivery partners. The above also implies a close working relationship with all the investment teams across the business to understand funding needs/ opportunities as well as active external engagement with third party funders to spot opportunities for Resonance to add value to our portfolio social enterprises.

Operationally, the role of Head of Partnerships is to:

• Seek out funding opportunities and win the mandate for Resonance to deliver third party funding streams, where these align strategically with the needs of our current and/or future investees.
• Win new contracts and grants, working closely across the business to leverage relevant capabilities
• Organise the team to be focused on delivering well for our social enterprises and professionally and efficiently for the third-party funders.
• Project manage the delivery of funding programmes / projects through to satisfactory conclusions including all compliance and regulatory reporting
• Participate as one of the Impact Labs leadership team reporting directly into the MD of Impact Labs.

We expect the team to have a small permanent staff but be agile enough to expand with opportunity, using both internal and external resources.

WHAT WE WANT YOU TO BRING TO US – SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

About You

• Exceptional networking and partnership development skills. At least a third of your time will be exploring opportunities with third parties / participating at events / storytelling on appropriate platforms.

• Financial agility – you will need to see each funding stream as a tool in the box of mobilising useful capital into the hands of our social enterprises, understanding how they can work alongside the forms of investment provided by our funds.

• Strong on process – with oversight of multiple projects you will need to decide which ones need dedicated project leads and teams of their own and which could be delivered by Resonance staff from other teams alongside other things they are doing. Key to this will be articulating and ensuring the team follows clear processes.

• Driven to perform, naturally collegiate. You will be judged on the value you add primarily in capital mobilised for social enterprises but also on how you interact with other parts of the business – this is a function that is set up to enhance our existing funds, not compete with them. It will also draw a considerable part of its people power from other teams across the business, which will require a “one team” mindset to be continuously promoted.

Essential Competencies

• Fully subscribes to Resonance’s vision, mission and values
• Enthusiasm to work in an entrepreneurial and innovative environment
• Competent IT skills including use of MS Office and web-based tools, with some experience of using accountancy packages
• Able to plan and prioritise own work
• Willing to work flexibly within an expanding team
• Professional and enthusiastic representative of the company
• Good communication skills

Desirable Competencies

• Knowledge of, or interest in the social enterprise sector
• Desire to help address social issues through impact investment

  HERE’S WHAT WE WILL DO FOR YOU - BENEFITS

  As well as working for an innovative, growing business with a strong social purpose and lots of variety we offer a competitive remuneration package.

  We have a flexible working environment with our full-time colleagues working a 9-day fortnight.

  WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WORK HERE – ENVIRONMENT

  Resonance is a growing company, so you'll need to enjoy working in a fast-paced work environment with a very friendly and supportive team.

  If you have the relevant skills and experience, please send us your CV with a covering letter to tell us:

  • Why would you like to work for Resonance?
  • How you think you could make a difference in the work we do?
  • What skills and experience will you bring to the Resonance team particularly in relation to this Head of Partnerships role and to the organisation.
    

If you are interested in applying for this position, please apply by 5pm on Monday 14th September 2026, first stage interviews are provisionally scheduled for w/c 21st September.

We look forward to hearing from you.