Job Title: Investment Network Manager 

Department: Engagement Group - Investment Network 

Reports to: Managing Director, Investment Network 

Grade and Salary: £47,500 - £50,000

Contract: Full Time; Permanent 

Location: Hybrid / London, EC4A and homeworking

The Opportunity:

About the Investment Network 

As Big Society Capital (BSC) continues to scale our impact and contribute towards the growth of the UK’s social impact investment market, we are committed to supporting the fund managers we invest in. The Investment Network team exists to build out external partnerships, tools and resources to help fund managers achieve their objectives of scale. We are currently seeking a dynamic and proactive manager to lead on developing and building relationships and networks to support both BSC and fund managers, connecting them with quality support, resources, and tools to drive impact and growth.   

Working closely with the Managing Director, Investment Network, the Investment Network Manager will be responsible for building pro bono partnerships with leading professional services firms and subject experts, spanning individual projects, secondments, mentoring opportunities and board positions. In addition, the Investment Network Manager will be responsible for managing the process of matching the skills and capabilities of those firms and individuals to specific project opportunities. Furthermore, the Investment Network Manager will also be responsible for creating, maintaining, and managing communities centred around strategically important themes for BSC. By taking on this role, the Investment Network Manager will contribute significantly to BSC's mission of driving social impact and fostering meaningful connections within the social investment landscape. 

What you will do:

Partnerships – building new and nurturing existing relationships

• Identifying, building, and developing new quality pro-bono partnerships with professional services firms and skilled individuals to meet the needs of BSC and fund managers 

• Managing the process of identifying and securing new partners, and managing relationships with existing partners 

• Actively seeking various opportunities to collaborate with pro bono partners beyond project support, including secondments, charity trusteeships, co-authoring reports, and more 

  Project management - managing the balance of supply and demand for projects and support offers 

• Keeping on top of inbound asks for project support from BSC and fund managers 

• Sourcing support for projects from partners and/or skilled individuals  

• Monitoring the delivery of projects and reviewing the quality of execution 

• Identifying gaps in support provision 

• Effectively managing the network database and identifying opportunities for operational improvements  

• Approving project scoping and planning documents prepared by pro bono supporters, for both BSC and intermediaries 

  Community management - building and managing communities that contribute towards the strategic aims of BSC and our fund managers 

• Designing, organising and facilitating a range of in-person and online events to build community connectivity 

• Managing the day-to-day for our online community spaces, predominantly WhatsApp and Notion 

• Contributing to the documentation and sharing of insights and best practices related to community building across the organisation 

 Performance management - improving quality and impact 

• Reviewing the impact of the pro bono support, undertaking regular check ins with recipients and providers to improve performance 

• Annually reviewing delivery and impact of projects and adjusting our pro bono offer to maximise its impact 

• Identifying and managing the use of the right tech tools for the Investment Network to function effectively and deliver quality support and resources (CRM – Salesforce, Notion, Canva, etc) 

• Communicating our offer of support effectively to internal and external stakeholders  

What you will bring:

• A people person - experience in developing and maintaining strong partnerships at all levels and an active networker 

• Ability to originate new business whilst maintaining existing relationships 

• Experience of successful project management  

• Ability to build and maintain relevant data management systems for tracking the demand and supply side of potential matches 

• Proficient in utilising technology and working with data, including software like Slack, Canva, Notion, or similar platforms. If lacking direct experience, demonstrating an ability and interest to learn these skills  

• Innovative, forward-thinking and strategic approach to problem solving, able to spot and run with new opportunities  

• Creative – able to think outside the box when it comes to sourcing new business opportunities 

• A strong interest in working closely with social impact intermediaries to support their development 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Great at building relationships and generating rapport with a range of personalities 

• Excellent organisational and leadership ability - supportive, empathetic approach 

• Collegial team player – honest, flexible and responsive, willing to work with and contribute to a team 

• Proactive self-starter - able to work independently under own initiative 

Desirable 

• Experience at building networks and partnerships between corporates, professional services and either impact investing organisations, social enterprises or charities  

Embody Big Society Capital core values: 

• Purposeful –We are passionate and energetic in our work to bring about our long-term vision of a thriving social investment market that enables positive social impact. 

• Pioneering Spirit - We give our team the autonomy and flexibility to be entrepreneurial and creative. We have the courage to push boundaries and a restless drive for change 

• Openness - We listen, learn, experiment and collaborate.  And we are adaptive and flexible in responding to what we learn.  

• Rigorous - We take a rigorous approach in all we do.  We expect the highest standards and continually strive for excellence  

• Respectful - We are genuine in both our approach and aspiration.  We value each member of our team and our partners for what they bring.  

Don’t meet every requirement? Studies have shown that women and people from racialised communities are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. 

Provide an overview of other terms and consider if the role is suitable for visa sponsorship (appropriate for particularly specialist or senior positions that are hard-to-fill).  

• Location: We are a UK-based business with an office in the Chancery Lane area of London, accessible to a number of public transport links. Colleagues typically spend 40% - 60% of their working hours in the office, and the remainder from home. We hope that this working pattern encourages Big Society Capital employees to achieve a healthy balance between work and personal life, as we adapt to the needs of our diverse workforce.   

• Right to work: For candidates who do not have the right to work in the UK, Big Society Capital may consider visa sponsorship for this role. 

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Big Society Capital is committed to being a diverse organisation that is truly representative of the communities we serve. We therefore welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those under-represented in the social impact investment sector (e.g. people from LGBTQIA+; racialised; disabled; under-served communities) 

We are an equal opportunities employer with an inclusive environment where all employees can contribute to their fullest potential. We want every colleague to be able to deliver their work with dignity, equality, comfort and independence. Our office is fully accessible with step-free access and an open-plan set up. We are open to accommodation requests regarding assistive technologies, accessibility tools, flexible working or any other reasonable adjustments that will make working or visiting here more accessible for you. If you have a disability or other access needs and require any support to assist you through the recruitment process, please get in touch with Nica Gordon (People and Talent Officer) at ngordon@bigsocietycapital.com 

Please apply via Applied by Sunday 3rd March at midnight.

• Applied is a platform designed to minimise unconscious bias in recruitment. You will be asked some work-based questions which are reviewed anonymously by the hiring panel. Please note, while you will upload your CV, it will not be viewed by panel members at this stage, so we ask that you give full consideration to each answer. 

• Please note: we screen for answers generated by Chat GPT. To get a 5 star score, we ask that your Applied answers are authentic and reflect your own knowledge, skills and motivations.  

• As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an initial telephone interview for all candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the job. We are defining a disability in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, as a person who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. You will be asked in your Applied application whether this applies to you.  

Interviews:

Round 1 interviews will be held w/c 11th March 

Round 2 interviews will be held w/c 18th March 

You can find out more about our recruitment approach here