About the UN Global Compact Network UK

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, rooted in UN treaties, 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 31 people, and is growing quickly.

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 which can be found here. During a recent review, the team described our workplace as friendly, inclusive, supportive, passionate, and hard-working.

About the role

We are seeking a Social Sustainability Project Manager to join our dynamic team. The selected candidate will support our work driving corporate action on human rights, diversity & inclusion, living wage, modern slavery, and other issues linked directly and indirectly to social sustainability.

The Social Sustainability Manager will report to the Head of Social Sustainability. We offer a flexible hybrid working environment, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.

Who we are looking for:

• Someone who has good subject knowledge and is familiar with business & human rights issues generally, but particularly the social inequalities agenda. We'll also need you to be aware of the key external stakeholders in this field and initiate or maintain positive relations with them.

• Someone who thinks strategically. Knowledge of the issues is just the start; we need someone who can translate that knowledge into ideas for new projects to engage businesses in our Social Sustainability Programme.

• Someone who communicates effectively. You will need to inspire and enable business action through a variety of media including speaking at virtual and live events, moderating webinars, writing reports and blogs, and designing a communications plan relevant to your projects.

• A proactive and adaptable individual who is ready to take on a variety of activities and rapidly gain responsibility as the Network’s team, programmes and members are constantly evolving.

The UN Global Compact Network UK has a broad remit, but the Network Secretariat team is relatively small, so the Social Sustainability Project Manager may be required to support other activities from time to time.

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.

While you get settled, you will support the Social Sustainability team with their work and have the opportunity to become more familiar with existing activities. In due course, you will lead on two projects currently in development (on business & human rights and decent work).

Key Responsibilities - after onboarding, we will expect you to:

• Take ownership of projects and activities as assigned by the Head of Programme. This includes overseeing all phases of project development, from planning through to execution and completion, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timelines.

• Regularly assess programme results and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate impact and progress. This involves analysing data, identifying trends, and making recommendations to enhance project effectiveness. The Project Manager will summarise key insights and takeaways from project activities, ensuring that valuable findings are shared with relevant stakeholders.

• Lead on organising virtual and in-person events, including selecting venues, developing agendas, coordinating speakers, and designing strategies to enhance participant engagement. This includes conducting post-event evaluations to assess success and gather feedback for improvements.

• Continuously build relevant knowledge areas and expertise in social sustainability to ensure projects reflect best practices. This includes applying new insights into programme activities and strategy.

• Establish and maintain partnerships with key stakeholders to amplify the impact and reach of our initiatives. This will involve identifying collaboration opportunities and strengthening stakeholder engagement to support social sustainability goals.

• Develop programme-specific marketing plans that cover content development, social media engagement, and external communications, to be executed by the coordinator.

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.

• Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family.

• Three discretionary days off in December in addition to annual leave.

• Additional length of service leave.

• One additional day off for mission-related volunteering.

• Enhanced sick leave.

• Compassionate leave.

• Season ticket loan.

• Cycle to Work Scheme.

• Enhanced Pension Scheme.

This is a full-time position (37.5 hours per week).

Before applying for this role, please note the following:

• We value originality and encourage all applicants to answer any questions without the use of AI. 

• Our hiring process aims to eliminate bias by using a software called Applied. To do this, we do not engage candidates outside the Applied programme until the final stages.

• The UN Global Compact Network UK is not able to sponsor work visas. We will only consider applications from candidates who already have the right to work in the UK.

• While this role is within the UN Global Compact Network UK Secretariat, the successful candidate will not be formally employed by the United Nations. Learn more about the UN Global Compact Network UK's governance here.

Next Steps:

The application process includes the following steps:

1) Complete an equal opportunities questionnaire and provide essential admin information.

2) Upload your CV.

3) Longlisted candidates will be asked to complete a written test which includes questions designed to test your ability to excel in this role. Your answers will be scored by people, not AI tools.

4) Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with the Head of Social Sustainability, the Chief of Staff, and HR.

5) Final candidates will be invited to an informal, in-person meeting