Programme Manager – Affordable Credit

Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 + benefits, including 27 days holiday, 2:1 pension (to 12% employer contribution), plus many more

Location: Hybrid with travel to London at least once per week for collaboration/meetings

Did you know that there are at least 20m people in the UK in vulnerable financial circumstances, who are poorly served or unfairly excluded from mainstream financial services?

That’s nearly a third of all adults in the UK.

We are Fair4All Finance. We are a not-for-profit organisation working with Financial Services providers to improve the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances by increasing access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services.

We are continuing our work following our latest round of funding, and as a result we are now seeking an experienced Programme Manager to project manage the development and deployment of a major new initiative – the £25m Guarantee Fund (currently at a discovery stage) and associated policy work – as well as programme manage the cross-team Funding Affordable Credit Enablers programme.

We are looking for an experienced programme manager with strong organisational skills, experience of working in financial services, good communication and good attention to detail. They will share our passion for improving people’s lives through the transformation of the financial services sector, will be enthusiastic, proactive and enjoy working collaboratively with a growing team.

We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates whose experience is in financial services.

Key Responsibilities

• Project manage the development and deployment of the £25m guarantee fund (currently at a discovery stage) and associated policy work.

• Project manage the small internal team of experienced colleagues focused on developing, designing and launching the guarantee fund. This will include project planning and management of team’s progress of delivering against agreed milestones

• Responsible for commissioning and publishing of research, as needed; including managing the procurement process and contracting with external suppliers, as needed

• Responsible for ensuring that the relevant externally facing policy papers, blog posts or reports are published on time, approved and in line with the brand guidelines

• • Manage the cross-team Funding Affordable Credit Enablers programme

• Project manage and provide the secretariat to the newly-established external working group on guarantees – which brings together experienced investors and lenders to explore what is needed for guarantees to be covered by the UK government, either by British Business Bank, HM Treasury or another route

• Programme manage a cross-team working group progressing our work on Funding Affordable Credit. This work is highly varied and includes planning externally facing workshops with key stakeholders, commissioning research and analysis and publishing reports and blog posts.

• The focus of the programme in 2025 and beyond is to support the delivery of our organisational goals to:

  o embed and amplify the need for affordable credit

  o remain an authority on market for both supply and demand

  o push for a supportive political and regulatory environment

• Liaise with colleagues to ensure barriers to work are identified and resolved early, and connections with other programmes are maintained.

• Chair a regular working group of all internal stakeholders and project leads and implement other plans and project management techniques to drive progress.

• Lead or support ad hoc internal and external projects in line with our 2025 strategy

Essential experience & qualifications:

• Passion for our mission to increase the financial resilience of people in vulnerable circumstances

• Programme Management experience from financial services sector on complex multi-faceted programmes including agile approaches

• Adept at building relationships at all levels, with an aptitude for convening and collaborating in multi-disciplinary teams to get the most out of the talent around you and co-opt it where needed

• Experience of using programme management software and other systems

• Strong oral and written communication skills

• Highly numerate, with excellent attention to detail

• Be organised, flexible, good-humoured, creative and resourceful

• Be a brilliant team player – taking the initiative to support colleagues and suggest solutions

Desirable Experience

• Technical accreditations or qualifications in MSP, PMP, Agile or equivalent will be looked on favourably but are not essential

• Experience of working with the social or impact investment, or community finance sectors

• Understanding of the different operational programme delivery models and where these are most appropriate (outsourced/contract managed; in-sourced)

Who are Fair4All Finance?

We are a not-for-profit organisation working with Financial Services providers to improve the financial wellbeing of people in vulnerable circumstances by increasing access to fair, affordable and appropriate financial products and services.

Founded in 2019, we are funded from the Dormant Assets Scheme. The scheme is led by the financial industry and backed by the UK government. This makes it possible for money in dormant bank and building society accounts to be used to help good causes.

Our vision is of a society where the long-term financial wellbeing of all people is supported by a fair and accessible financial sector.

You can find more information on us and our work at www.fair4allfinance.org.uk.

Our Benefits include:

Financial Security:

• Pension (2:1), group life assurance, critical illness, and income protection, family leave

Wellbeing:

• 27 days holiday plus bank holidays, agile working, health cash plan, health & wellbeing resource hub (including an Employee Assistance Programme)

Personal & Professional Development:

• Individual discretionary Training budget

• Book Club – mission aligned, up to 4 per year

Fair4All Finance is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. We value different perspectives, experiences, and expertise, encouraging everyone to grow and contribute fully. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including age, gender identity, disability, marital status, race, sexual orientation, pregnancy, and socioeconomic status.

We ensure fair and equitable treatment for all team members and applicants and actively recruit from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to making reasonable adjustments to support candidates and promote flexible working for a healthy work-life balance.

To apply, submit your application via Applied by Friday 7th March, at 5pm.

Interviews will be held throughout March.

For informal enquiries, please contact us at jobs@fair4allfinance.org.uk.

Please note that your application will be reviewed through a blind, unbiased process, so be sure to provide clear, specific examples in your responses. Your CV will only be reviewed at a later stage in the process.

Due to the nature of our work, and depending on the role, successful applicants may be required to undergo pre-employment checks, which include employment reference, financial and criminal record checks. All checks will be role appropriate and your recruiter will confirm which checks are required. We manage our checks via TrustID.