Bridges Outcomes Partnerships (BOP) is a mission driven not for profit social enterprise. We help radically change human services and environmental initiatives to improve outcomes for people, the planet, and value for society. We work with Government, community groups and specialist partners to design and deliver vital services that support people to improve their lives, in areas ranging from housing and employment to education and wellbeing. 

We enable personalised and strength-based delivery through collaborative design, flexible delivery, and clear accountability for improving people’s lives (as outlined in our learning document, People-Powered Partnerships).  Over the last decade, we have supported over 48,500 people in the UK, whilst catalysing £129m of outcomes and, according to Big Society Capital’s Outcomes For All report, delivering over £1.3bn of value to society.  Our work across the UK is now expanding globally. 

The role of Bridges Outcomes Partnerships spans project development (working with outcome funders and others to design and launch the service), project and performance management (coordinating the delivery phase and liaising with the various stakeholders) and project finance (funding the project until it starts to earn outcomes payments). Our own funding comes from a group of pioneering social investors, including The Office for Civil Society, Big Society Capital, Pilotlight, Trust for London, British International Investment (BII), US International Development Corporation (DFC), UBS Optimus Foundation, who, like us, are motivated by improving lives and changing the system for the better. BOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bridges Fund Management, a specialist sustainable and impact investor. 

We have recently launched our innovative SDG Outcomes initiative; the first initiative  dedicated to outcomes partnerships in low and middle-income countries globally.  In order to ensure that this initiative acts as a catalyst for significant change we are working to state-of-the-art ESG, regulatory and compliance requirements.  The Fund Operations Associate will develop & manage processes to enable us to deliver on these requirements. 

This role will work closely with the project development, social investment, enablement teams to support the fund operations, compliance, and investor management processes.  This support is vital in providing our project teams with the structures and guidance required to drive the impact we strive for in all of our projects. 

Alongside the Fund Operations Associate we are also recruiting for an ESG Impact Manager with overall responsibility for all aspects of our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Quality Assurance and Compliance processes across our UK and international projects (predominately focused on low- and middle-income countries).  We see these two roles working very closely together as, respectively, the owners and deliverers of processes that are crucial to the effective delivery and management of our projects.

Key responsibilities for this role:

Project Management

• Overall delivery and project management of diligence and reporting processes for SDG Outcomes Initiative and Social Outcomes Fund (where appropriate).

• Creating and managing timetables for compliance, diligence, risk management, reporting, regulatory timetables for our SDG Outcomes Initiative projects.

Managing Compliance processes

• Overall creation and co-ordination of compliance and risk processes.

• Supporting the finance and legal functions on reporting to the Board around risk frameworks relating to delivery and the SDG OF and SOF funds.

 ESG, Quality Assurance and Business Integrity processes

• To work with our ESG, Quality Assurance, legal, finance, impact, and delivery/project development teams to coordinate and facilitate effective processes throughout project lifecycles.

 Fund model and valuation support

• Support the finance and investment teams with the investment valuation process.

• Responsibility for and management of the fund financial models.        

Process and Policies

• Joint ownership of key fund policies with relevant teams.  For example ESG policy with ESG Impact Manager, regulatory policy with BFM Finance Team.

• Responsibility for documentation, co-ordination and periodic review of the SDG OF Initiative operating process manual.

• Working jointly with the ESG Impact Manager to implement processes with Delivery Organisations.

Fund Operations  

• Working closely with the investment team to ensure up-to-date fund performance – actual and projections.

• Supporting the finance team with the external fund audit process.

• Supporting the investment team on necessary technical assistance management.

• Supporting the investor relations process where needed.

• Supporting the Impact Lead in preparation of analyses and presentations for annual investor meetings and investor updates.

• Assisting in responding to investor queries in a timely fashion.

Suitable candidates will have:

• 3+ years of experience of operational delivery in a financial services context, ideally in a fund setting.

• Financial modelling knowledge and experience.

• Experience with investor due diligence processes.

• Experience of financial/investor reporting requirements.

• Experience of co-ordinating complex initiatives across multiple teams/stakeholders.

• Experience of working across a variety of stakeholders in an investment/finance context.

• ESG/impact reporting knowledge.

• Familiarity with risk management practices in a financial services context.

• Ability to communicate with a wide range of audiences through effective written and verbal communication skills.

• Proven ability to interact with and influence senior internal and external stakeholders

Skills and Abilities:

• Excellent communication, and relationship building skills.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong analytical and numerical ability with excellent Excel modelling skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to interpret and work with deal and fund performance models and calculations.

• Excellent project management skills.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to engage confidently and build relationships with multiple stakeholders, including internal teams and external clients.

• Delivery focused approach and can-do attitude, with a collaborative style – a self-starter who is able to prioritise, take ownership of tasks and work independently.

• Financially literate with good attention to detail and ability to plan, manage and complete complex financial analyses .

• A passion and desire for social change.

• Being a proactive champion of creativity, innovation, and new ways of working.

 Key relationships:

 This role has responsibility for developing and/or maintaining key relationships with:

External:

·         Compliance and quality assurance consultants, Delivery Partners, Other local voluntary sector organisations, Investors supporting our work (where appropriate)

Internal:

·         Investment Team, BFM Finance Team, ESG Impact Manager, Impact Lead, Individual Programme teams, BFM Impact Team, BFM Legal Team,      Programme Boards, BOP Enablement team

Compensation and Expenses

The remuneration offered will be commensurate with experience.

• The health and wellbeing of our employees is really important to us. We will offer a range of benefits to you, including enhanced family friendly policies, employee healthcare benefits, employee protection benefits, an employee assistance programme, alongside other well-being initiatives to promote a healthier working environment.

• You will get 25 days’ annual leave, pro rated to reflect the term of the appointment, plus bank holidays, and a 5% contribution to the company pension scheme.

Terms and Conditions of Appointment

Timing – The appointment will ideally be made by December 2023.

Next steps

You’ll answer some questions that are related to the day-to-day job. After the job closes on the 26th November 2023, your answers will go through our sift process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers.

If you are shortlisted, we’ll invite you to the next step, which will be first and second round interviews with some of our colleagues. Once we have concluded the process, we would like the successful candidate to start as soon as possible following their appointment.