About Responsible Finance and this role

Responsible Finance is the membership association for the UK’s Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs are community lenders which offer affordable finance on fair terms to businesses, social enterprises and people unable to access it elsewhere.

So we can meet our ambitious strategy and deliver our vision for scaling up the sector, we need an exceptional candidate to support our members’ development and capacity building. This will enable them to lend to more businesses and people, and have a bigger impact.

No prior knowledge about CDFIs is required as long as you have a keen interest to learn about the sector. Do not be discouraged from applying if you do not meet all the criteria listed in this job description. If you are passionate about increasing access to fair finance for people, businesses and communities, we would welcome hearing from you.

This is a 12 month fixed term contract.

Purpose of the role

The Member Engagement Manager will work closely with our members to:

• Design and develop a training and development programme for CDFIs lending to small businesses:

  • Work with the team, the members, and our stakeholders to determine the areas of greatest need to address through the programme

  • Develop effective and high impact interventions such as training, coaching and action learning to address these needs

• Manage member networks and lead on member network meetings:

  • Chair meetings for the three lending networks (business, social enterprise and personal lending)

  • Work with the team to set the strategic focus of the networks and agenda items, including sourcing external speakers for certain topics

  • Drive forward key actions and work streams in between meetings

• Lead and provide support for member network projects:

  • Work with the members to identify high priority initiatives that will make a difference to their operations

  • Project manage the delivery of goals and outputs, with CDFI input and buy-in

• Work with the Responsible Finance team to refine its membership criteria:

  • Work with the team, board and sector stakeholders to refresh and refine Responsible Finance’s membership criteria and standards

  • On-board new members, ensuring they are making full use of their membership

This job description is not exhaustive; it outlines the key responsibilities of the post. These may be subject to change over time. Any changes will be made in consultation with the post holder.

Skills and Abilities

• Project management experience in order to drive multiple projects/workstreams forward at the same time

• Excellent planning and organisational abilities

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• The ability to create buy in from a range of stakeholders

• Ability to understand and make use of complex information

• Experience of running/chairing meetings in a way that actively encourages sharing and collaboration

• Self-motivated and able to see projects through by setting and achieving targets

• Ability to work in a very small team with limited supervision

• High professional standards

• A background in or interest in social finance, lending or accounting is desirable, as many initiatives may involve lending policies

To apply

Equality and fairness are at the core of our organisation and we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their best.

Please apply on Applied by Friday 16th December. If you would like to have an informal call about the role, please get in touch with Theodora Hadjimichael (t.hadjimichael@responsiblefinance.org.uk).

Interviews will be held virtually on the week of 16th January, and we will aim to get in touch to schedule them before the holiday break. You will be asked to complete a short pre-interview assignment.