Contract term: Permanent, Full Time

Reporting to: Executive Director

If you require accommodations during your application, please contact hiring@bcorporation.uk.

An exciting new role working with business to transform our economic system for the benefit of all. The role will be vital in B Lab UK’s long-term success by leading a team that places the B Corp community at the heart of an impact-led movement for change.

The B Corp Movement

B Lab UK is part of the global B Corporation movement. Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet high standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. These B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. B Lab sits at the heart of this movement, creating standards, policies, tools, and programs that shift the behaviour, culture, and structure of business. There are now over 5,700 B Corps in over 85 countries and covering 150+ sectors, including Patagonia, The Body Shop, The Guardian and Divine Chocolate.

 B Lab UK’s mission is to redefine success in business through building a community of locally engaged businesses, raising awareness of the B Corp movement and championing change in the UK economy. 

The Role

The B Corp movement in the UK is the fastest-growing in the world, and our community includes some of the UK’s most recognisable brands including The Guardian, innocent Drinks and Coutts & Co. This community is committed to positive impact and ongoing improvement, and to our mission of all businesses being a force for good. Our engagement with the community is, in turn, designed to engage and harness these businesses as a ‘proof of concept’ in pursuit of this systems-change mission.

As the movement towards more purpose-driven business gathers pace, the role of B Corps as leaders within this shift becomes more important. To reflect this importance we are now building a wider Impact function with the existing Community Team at its heart. This function will complement our expertise in community engagement with new specialisms; designed to further integrate the community with our strategy and with the wider work of the organisation. The ‘impact’ of the title reflects not just the positive environmental and social impact of B Corps but also their wider impact, through collective action, to advancing the B Corp mission of systems change.

The Director of Impact will be capable of developing the strategy behind this function, building and inspiring a team to deliver it. They will play a vital role in B Lab UK’s long-term success by heading a multi-functional team that places the B Corp community at the heart of an impact-led movement for change.

You must have experience managing teams with a range of specialisms, developing and delivering complex strategies, and engaging and influencing stakeholders at the most senior levels. We need somebody who is equally comfortable tackling big strategic questions about the future of the economic system, or rolling up their sleeves to help deliver impactful engagement for the B Corp community. The successful candidate will build a high-performing team, and be part of B Lab UK’s senior management team.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and own a long-term strategy and framework that defines the role of the B Corp community in driving positive impact, contributing towards the B Lab UK strategy and delivering progress towards the mission of economic systems change. 

• Build and lead a multi-functional team of specialists to deliver this strategy, incorporating the community team alongside additional specialisms such as data and insights, and policy.

• Develop strategies and frameworks to deliver impact within the B Corp community and externally, focused around key impact areas for the B Corp movement such as climate justice, diversity and inclusion, and stakeholder governance.

• Oversee the evolution and implementation of the existing Community engagement strategy.

• Overall responsibility for the integration of the B Corp community into a wide range of B Lab UK initiatives, programmes, campaigns and communications reflecting their core role within the B Lab UK strategy.

• Cultivate relationships with a network of senior stakeholders within, and outside, the B Corp community.

• Lead the development of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework that reflects the complexity of measuring impact at a business and a ‘system’ level.

• Represent B Lab UK and the wider B Corp movement through public speaking opportunities to a diverse range of audiences.

• Build and maintain a network of expert advisors and partners to inform B Lab UK’s work on key thematic topics.

• Ownership of budgets related to this work, including the existing community team budget.

• Act as a key member of the B Lab UK leadership team, helping to develop and refine B Lab UK strategy, finding solutions to internal challenges, and building an effective and impactful organisation.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Demonstrated experience developing strategies that deliver impact.

• Significant experience in leading complex teams to deliver ambitious strategies, with increasing levels of seniority.

• Strong, empathetic and collaborative manager with the ability to provide clear direction and to motivate a team to deliver outstanding results.

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.

• Excellent relationship builder and networker with demonstrated experience in influencing and managing senior relationships.

• Demonstrated experience in developing comprehensive monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

• Experience in budget management.

• Experience of using data and analytics to develop and inform strategy.

Desirable but can be developed in the role

• Experience of public speaking and of speaking credibly on the subject matter

• Experience in entrepreneurial environments and working as part of a dynamic and collaborative team.

• Interest and understanding of key impact areas for the B Corp movement, such as climate action, climate justice, JEDI, and stakeholder governance.

• Experience building and managing teams of specialists.

Person Specification

• Structured and methodical, especially in the delivery of strategies and planning.

• Passionate about the role that business can play in creating a future that benefits all people and the planet.

• An entrepreneurial mindset.

• A strategic and creative thinker, with an eye for the bigger picture and the end goal.

• Comfortable in a dynamic start-up environment. It will be varied, fast-paced, and hugely rewarding.

• Collaborative, with a team mentality.

• Proactive, organised and self-motivated. You’ll enjoy rolling your sleeves up and getting things done.

• Eligible to work in the UK (we will not be able to provide visa sponsorship).

Benefits

• Flexible hours and flexible working options

• Hybrid working

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays

• Our office is closed for the Christmas holidays, no need to take extra holiday!

• 1 additional annual leave day (pro-rated for part-time staff) for each complete year of service, up to a maximum of 30 days

• Private Medical and Dental cover

• £200 Annual Wellbeing allowance

• 2 paid volunteer days per year

• Enhanced Parental Leave 

• Learning and Development opportunities 

• Pension and Life Assurance

• Cycle to Work Scheme 

• Income Protection policy

• Employee Assistance Programme

• Working in a flexible office workspace

Interview Process

We use a blind recruitment process to prevent biassed screening, the initial selection is based on answers to predefined questions scored by a panel against the criteria for the role (N.B. the scoring panel does not see the applicant's CVs or any other information about the applicant). Please ensure your answers to the questions are specific and give real examples demonstrating your experience and skills.

If you require accommodations during your application, please contact hiring@bcorporation.uk.

After the initial selection, the interview process will consist of two panel interviews, which may be conducted remotely.

B Lab believes an equitable and inclusive work environment and a diverse, empowered team are key to achieving our mission. We’re not looking for candidates who are “culture fits.” We’re looking for candidates who can expand our culture and challenge business as usual. We strive to foster an environment where all staff can bring their whole selves to work, by their own definition, and we strive to provide all candidates with an equitable and accessible recruitment process.