Impact Manager

We are a dynamic multi-stakeholder initiative, dedicated to connecting UK companies to the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest responsible business initiative. The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact provide a robust foundation and comprehensive framework for corporate sustainability and business action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our mission is to champion sustainability leadership to create a world we want to live and do business in, by inspiring ambition, enabling impactful action, and collaborating to reshape the business environment for the better. The UN Global Compact Network UK has over 900 participating companies, with a team of 26 people. Our work is guided by the core values of the UN – Integrity, Respect for Diversity, and Professionalism – alongside nine additional values and behaviours of the UN Global Compact. During a recent review, the team described our workplace as friendly, inclusive, supportive, passionate, and hard-working.

About the role: We are seeking an Impact Manager to join our dynamic team. The Impact Manager plays a central role in the operational leadership and delivery of the UN Global Compact Network UK’s Impact function, ensuring projects are delivered effectively, consistently, and in alignment with the organisation’s strategic objectives. The role requires significant experience in programme or portfolio management, a strong grounding in ESG or corporate sustainability, and a proven track record of managing and developing project managers. Working closely with the Director of Impact, the role supports portfolio management, resource allocation, team leadership, and the implementation of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) frameworks across the programme portfolio. The Impact Manager ensures consistent delivery standards, effective cross-functional coordination, and clear measurement of organisational impact.

Who we are looking for: Someone with significant experience in ESG management or corporate sustainability within a consultancy, professional services, or corporate environment. Strong understanding of the evolving ESG and sustainability landscape, including corporate sustainability trends, reporting frameworks, regulatory developments, and responsible business practices. Demonstrable experience in portfolio or programme management across multiple concurrent workstreams, teams, and stakeholder groups. Experience in line managing delivery professionals, including performance management and professional development. Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams in support of the organisation’s objectives, including coaching and developing talent. Experience in impact measurement, monitoring and evaluation, or a related framework (e.g. Theory of Change, SROI, IRIS+), ideally within a sustainability, responsible business, or membership organisation context, is desirable. Strong analytical capability, with the ability to design evaluation frameworks, interpret outcome data, and translate evidence into clear, actionable reporting for senior and Board-level audiences. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt tone and language for different audiences and contexts. Collaborative and inclusive approach, with the ability to build trusted relationships across teams, functions, and external partners. Strong organisational capability, including the ability to design and implement systems and processes across a complex portfolio. Ability to exercise sound judgement under conditions of ambiguity and to work effectively as part of a shared leadership structure. Proficiency in project management tooling (e.g. Asana) and experience of budget management across a multi-programme portfolio.

In your first 6 months: To help you settle quickly, we will provide a thorough and comprehensive onboarding. Through meetings with key colleagues and online training, we will help you to become familiar with our way of working and our value proposition.

Key Responsibilities: Co‑own project portfolio management with the Director of Impact, including the monthly portfolio review cycle, delivery planning, milestone oversight, and cross‑programme risk management. Lead resource allocation and capacity management, ensuring resource deployment reflects strategic priorities and that capacity pressures are identified and resolved proactively. Ensure the consistent application of our project management methodology, including planning templates, workplan standards, reporting formats, risk frameworks, and post‑programme review processes, and oversee refinement of the methodology as the portfolio evolves. Lead delivery on cross‑cutting programmes that span multiple focus areas, providing direct programme management where integration across the portfolio is required and coordinating with the Advocacy and Partnerships Manager and the Participant Engagement and Growth Team on shared delivery dependencies. Work closely with the Director of Impact and the Content Producer to help design and produce learning materials and structured learning pathways to support our capacity building programmes and extend their impact. Represent the Network externally through public speaking engagements, panels, events, and stakeholder meetings, acting as a credible and professional ambassador for the organisation across sustainability and responsible business topics.

People Management: Line manage Project Managers in the Impact Team, including regular one‑to‑one supervision, objective‑setting, performance review, and day‑to‑day management. Onboard new Project Manager hires, establishing clear ways of working from the outset and ensuring new team members are integrated into the Team's culture and understand its standards. Support and help maintain effective ways of working across the team, promoting shared approaches to collaboration, communication, decision‑making, and quality assurance across the Project Manager cohort. Support the ongoing professional development of the Project Manager team, identifying skills gaps, facilitating relevant learning, and building a culture of continuous improvement and shared accountability within the delivery function.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: Design and implement a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) framework that evaluates the effectiveness of GCN UK's capacity‑building programmes and collective action initiatives across the full portfolio, enabling the organisation to assess whether programmatic activity is delivering immediate value to member organisations while remaining aligned to the organisation’s long‑term impact roadmap. Ensure all programmes are designed with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and robust monitoring frameworks, with progress tracked consistently throughout delivery. Lead the development of the annual impact report, working closely with the Director of Impact to support Board‑level reporting, insight generation, and strategic presentation of organisational impact.

What we offer: Hybrid working - After onboarding, a minimum of two days in the office per week, working from home 3 days per week. Flexible working once discussed with your line manager. Our core/active hours are 10 am to 4 pm. Compressed hours of 9‑day fortnights in Summer. Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family. Three discretionary days off in December in addition to annual leave. One additional day off for mission‑related volunteering. Enhanced sick leave. Season ticket loan. Cycle to Work Scheme and Bike‑sharing Cycle Scheme. This is a full‑time position (37.5 hours per week). The salary offered is £45,000-£52,000 per annum depending on experience.