The opportunity

Associate Directors sit as part of the respective business senior leadership teams and oversee a number of projects delivered through a team of Managers, Associates and Analysts. They will lead elements of practice and knowledge development and be fully engaged in developing client relationships and potential engagement opportunities. They look to actively engage in team culture, lead non-project related tasks, act as a catalyst, confronting issues and creating impetus for rapid and continuous change.

About You

We are looking for an Associate Director passionate about how their skills and experience can be used

to solve social problems and create a fairer society. Social Finance has intentionally brought together people with different backgrounds and skillsets to create a team with a range of abilities to address social challenges. We recognise that candidates may not be proficient in all of the below skills which typically make up the Associate Director competencies; we support our people with growth and development.

Stakeholder management & relationship building – you manage all stakeholder challenges and nuances associated with a project, create and execute a vision for change for stakeholders, are viewed externally as credible and a Social Finance ambassador, and anticipate stakeholder needs and trends. You network effectively with diverse stakeholders, and provide current, direct, complete and actionable feedback to others.

Leadership, organisation & team development – you can marshal resources to get projects completed, can structure and shape project direction to meet strategic needs, and anticipate and resolve problems quickly and directly by identifying root causes. You effectively manage teams of managers, associates and analysts, provide clear instructions and feedback to junior staff, manage reputation risks and are an external advocate for Social Finance.

Communication – you inspire and share your expertise with team members, strategically manage and facilitate sessions to result in desired outcomes.

Project management – you make good decisions based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience and judgement, consistently develop well defined project proposals for tasks and project related work, effectively and efficiently use resources for complex projects, and develop resource plans, manage time and monitor projects in line with team goals.

Technology – you are proficient in Microsoft Office suite, are able to review and provide high quality critical reviews of other employee’s reports, models and other work.

Data & analytical skills – you conduct analysis independently, spot trends and areas for further research, are able to interpret data and extract key findings, apply analytical rigour, are methodical and demonstrate accuracy and reliability in data collection. You have a good level of commercial awareness and are able to supervise the analysis of financial and other reports.

Financial skills – you are able to come up with new ways of approaching projects that get people thinking, and challenge current thinking to foster innovation.

Research, sectoral & policy knowledge – you bring your own network and industry knowledge to the team, contribute to long-term research, sectoral and policy direction of Social Finance, and apply knowledge of issue areas to drive work and refine research questions and methods.

Skills and Experience

We are looking for someone with good experience of managing teams, a strong interest in social change and a proven commitment to delivering impact. You will share our vision of radically improving social outcomes and want to embed lasting change. You will bring a strong professional approach to your work and management of projects and teams. You will lead projects, build strong relationships and be able to spot opportunities and be proactive. Key attributes include:

Strategic & Creative Thinking: A strong ability to solve difficult problems, often working with ambiguity.  Shows strategic thinking, agility & inventiveness.

Project Management: You will have a proven project management track record as well as the ability to oversee the establishment and delivery of new service lines. You will need to take accountability and implement best practice and methodology.

Stakeholder Management: You will have a track record in building successful stakeholder relationships and partnerships and the credibility to engage with senior clients as well as with external partners. 

Leadership: You will be comfortable leading multiple teams, often with limited Director oversight and will have a track record of developing followership amongst others.  You will have the ability to understand and promote organisational alignment and formulate and articulate clear and specific team goals.

People Management and Development: You will have a track record of building an enjoyable team environment and helping accelerate the development of your team members. You will assemble talented staff and enable directors to effectively recruit, manage, develop and engage your team members. You are able to resource plan, manage time and teams, monitor process and results.

Social Finance & Sectorial Knowledge: You will have an interest in social change and in building solutions to some of societies most entrenched problems.

Financial Skills: You will have the ability to understand and oversee the development of business and investment models.

Continuous Learning: You will have a desire to help continuously improve the analytically approaches that we use and look for new applications for our knowledge and experience.

Communication Skills: You will be an effective communicator and comfortable communicating across disciplines and at all levels, from operational staff through to board level, including effective listening, written and presentation skills as well as the ability and confidence not only to ask insightful questions but also promote new service models. 

To view the full job description, please visit the careers page of our website: https://www.socialfinance.org.uk/careers/vacancies