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Role Purpose:

About Responsible Finance

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

This is an exciting moment to be joining the CDFI sector. Responsible Finance and its members are focused on increasing access to fair and affordable finance for SMEs, social enterprises, people, places and communities that are underserved by mainstream finance. The Partnerships Manager will play a central role in turning that ambition into practical referral pathways, stronger partnerships and measurable growth in responsible lending.

Awareness of CDFIs remains low among many organisations that support SMEs and entrepreneurs. Many businesses that could benefit from CDFI finance are therefore not currently being directed to the sector. An increasing number seem to be turning to high interest lenders, which don’t always consider good customer outcomes.

We are therefore seeking an exceptional Partnerships Manager to develop and deliver a partnership outreach and creation strategy that raises awareness of CDFIs, increases referrals and signposting, and supports growth in CDFI SME lending. Our recent pilot with Lloyds Bank to refer declined SMEs to Responsible Finance, and our partnership with Grow London Local are just two examples.

Success in this role will mean building a prioritised partnership pipeline, converting relationships into active referral pathways, improving the quality and volume of referrals to CDFIs, and using data to learn what works.

Purpose of the Role

As Responsible Finance’s dedicated Partnerships Manager you will build strong relationships with banks, brokers and broker organisations, professional advisers, business organisations, government, local growth bodies and others to raise awareness, establish referral routes and strengthen onward pathways to finance readiness and business support.

Your work will be a driving force in delivering Responsible Finance’s ambition to unlock an additional £1bn of lending over the next five years.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading the development of Responsible Finance’s partnership and stakeholder relationship strategy, working with our CDFI members to identify the organisations with the greatest potential to support growth in demand and referral pathways.
• Educating potential partners and referrers about what CDFIs are, the finance and support they provide, and of their role in local economic growth and community development.
• Increasing referrals and signposting to CDFIs centrally through Finding Finance and locally from organisations supporting businesses, improving access to finance and supporting lending growth.
• Managing the ongoing development and continuous improvement of the Finding Finance platform to ensure that it supports frictionless referrals and good customer outcomes – and that ongoing attribution data informs the ongoing targeting of partners.
• Developing routes for onward referrals to organisations that can support businesses with technical assistance, finance readiness and wider business support, creating a stronger future pipeline for CDFIs.
• Representing Responsible Finance at sector events, roundtables and stakeholder meetings, with a clear engagement plan, follow-up process and route for converting contacts into partnership opportunities.

This is a varied and dynamic role, working closely with our members and a range of external stakeholders. This job description is not exhaustive; it outlines the key tasks and responsibilities of the post which are subject to change. Any changes will be made in consultation with the post holder.

Role success measures and outcomes

• A prioritised partnership strategy and engagement plan agreed with Responsible Finance and informed by CDFI member needs.
• A live pipeline of target partners, with clear next actions, ownership, status and expected impact.
• New or improved referral pathways from priority partner segments, such as banks, brokers, accountants, local growth bodies, business support organisations and others.
• Improved quality, tracking and attribution of referrals through Finding Finance and local partner routes.
• Evidence of learning from pilots, including what drives referral quality, customer engagement, member value and responsible lending growth.

Skills and Experience:

Essential

We are looking for someone with experience of partnership development, stakeholder engagement or business development in a relevant environment. Experience of the finance ecosystem, SME support landscape or local economic development networks would be particularly valuable. Knowledge of CDFIs is highly desirable but not essential for the right candidate.

• Strong relationship-building skills. Must be comfortable working with stakeholders at a range of levels.
• Proven ability to build partnerships from prospecting through to implementation, including converting conversations into practical actions, pilots or agreements.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Previous experience in a similar stakeholder / partner facing role.
• Highly self-motivated and able to drive your own work forward, but equally a team player with a collaborative working style.
• Willingness to travel regularly – this role is partner and stakeholder facing and the post holder will be required to travel frequently, up to twice a week, and sometimes at short notice.
• Strong presentational and public speaking skills and experience.
• Ability to develop compelling value propositions and engagement materials for different audiences.
• Strong project management skills, including planning, budgeting, prioritisation, delivery against milestones and managing dependencies across multiple stakeholders.
• Confidence using data, dashboards or CRM-style tools to track pipeline activity, referral performance and outcomes.
• Ability to work collaboratively with members or delivery partners, balancing different organisational priorities and capacities.
• Understanding of good customer outcomes, referral quality, consent and data-sharing considerations in a partnership or customer journey context.
• Strong judgement and political/stakeholder awareness when representing an organisation externally.

Desirable

Working as part of a small organisation, you will need to demonstrate flexibility and versatility and have opportunities to support a range of other projects and support services for our members, developing a wide range of skills and competencies.

Therefore, in addition to the essential criteria above, we are also interested in candidates with the following skills and experience:

• Experience in organising and delivering events and workshops.
• Experience of creating and delivering presentations.
• An understanding of CDFIs and/or lending helpful – particularly investor relations and social enterprises.
• Experience line managing and/or directing the work of other team members.
• Experience working with banks, brokers, accountants, business support organisations, local authorities, combined authorities, chambers of commerce, growth hubs or social investment networks.
• Experience designing referral journeys, customer pathways, partner onboarding processes or account-management frameworks.
• Experience using or improving digital referral platforms, CRM systems, forms or reporting processes.
• Understanding of SME finance, access-to-finance barriers, finance readiness, social enterprise finance or inclusive/local economic growth.
• Experience developing partnership agreements, memoranda of understanding, pilot plans or data-sharing processes.

How to Apply

Please send your CV and responses to the following questions to Careers4Change:

• What appeals to you about this job/Responsible Finance and why do you think you’ll do a great job?
• Tell us about a partnership or stakeholder relationship you developed. What was your approach, what changed as a result, and what did you learn?
• Based on what you know about Responsible Finance and CDFIs, what would your approach be to developing strong partnerships and referral pathways?

We recognise that the use of AI tools is widespread these days, and it is often obvious when it’s used. We will automatically reject applications where the use of AI without any editing or your original thoughts is evident. The ability to be thoughtful and tailor to your audience is crucial for being successful in this role.

Job title: Responsible Finance, Partnerships Manager

Location: Remote with frequent expenses-paid travel – up to 10 times /month

Reporting To: Programme Director 

Contract: 18-month fixed term contract with intention to make permanent, subject to performance and funding 

Salary: £40,000

Date Closes: Friday 17th July

Working within a multi-disciplinary team, the Community Connector provides a first-point-of-contact mental health service within GP practices and Primary Care Networks (PCNs). The role includes assessments and brief psychosocial interventions, as well as coordinating access to community resources that support mental, physical, and social wellbeing.

Location: East Guildford or Walton-on-Thames
Salary: £30,280 (pro rata if part-time)
Hours: 35 hours per week (East Guildford), 22.5 hours per week (Walton-on-Thames)
Contract type: Permanent

Key responsibilities:

• Work jointly with the Mental Health Practitioner in conducting assessments, including risk assessment, and to work with patients to support them in identifying their socially determined needs and goals, provide self-management tools and facilitate the development of personal support plans
• Provide a range of motivational and structured psychosocial interventions
• Promote independence through an enabling asset-based approach that draws on individuals’ strengths, preferences and ‘natural’ support networks
• Establish effective working relationships with a range of agencies to facilitate a ‘joined up’ approach to support plans
• Liaise with, develop and maintain good relations with GPs, practice managers and other health practitioners across mental health and physical health pathways and wider support networks
• Provide continuity throughout recovery; engaging the patient with key services such as Safe Havens, accessing CMHRS, and providing support for those engaged with and leaving CMHRS, and linking into local wellbeing services and activities
• Co-ordinate and support patients to access a range of community services such as wellbeing services, housing providers, family and carer support services, debt and employer advisors where appropriate
• Assist with community resource mapping exercises and maintain a database of community resources; map where there are gaps in provision across the PCN and wider geography and work with other VCS organisations to develop resources where most needed
• Promote and support (where necessary) advised follow up actions from physical health checks for people with serious mental illness
• Support patients to engage with local peer support workers and volunteering services
• Support and supervise any peer support workers linked to PCN
• Work with the service to identify opportunities to expand provision particularly in local communities where there is a lack of service provision identified
• Broker and establish new partnerships between public and voluntary sector agencies to enhance service delivery and access to services
• Develop and sustain professional relationships with service users, partner agencies and appropriate external agencies
• Complete locally agreed quality outcome measures, with patients and to undertake regular reviews

About the organisation:

Through Community, Specialist and Outreach services, we support recovery, mental health, and wellbeing—together, every step of the way.

 About you:

• A minimum of 2 years community experience of mental health work
• Experience of delivering brief interventions for mental health needs
• An understanding and ability to work to the confidentiality, consent, information sharing and safeguarding policies of the integrated service
• Good communication and written skills and a commitment to accurate and confidential record keeping
• Ability to interact effectively with the client group, colleagues and other professionals whilst retaining clear boundaries
• Ability to break down stigma and barriers associated with working with the client group
• Demonstrate an understanding of the issues and needs of the client group
• Knowledge and understanding of community working, lone working, and ability to maintain safety whilst working in the community
• Ability to work to all the policies, procedures and standards of the Service and joint working arrangements with key partners
• A good understanding of personal limitations, ability to identify when to seek advice and support, and deal with issues which may provoke strong emotions in an objective and professional manner i.e. child protection
• Ability to manage any challenging behaviour, anger and verbal aggression from patients
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, use of email, Outlook, and basic excel skills
• Ability to enter data onto a database as required by the Service
• Ability to travel to and from a number of different locations on a daily basis
• Ability to work flexibly across operational hours and evenings and weekends, where required
• Ability to work co-operatively as part of a multidisciplinary team (statutory and voluntary) from a service hub

Benefits:

• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays (increasing with service)
• Pension scheme and access to Simply Health (including optical, dental, counselling sessions)
• Birthday leave, employee discounts, and flexible working where possible
• Supportive probation, sick pay after probation, and wellbeing/EAP resources

Safeguarding & Checks:

• This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
• A past history of drug/alcohol issues or criminality will not necessarily exclude you from this role; we encourage applications from people with lived experience where appropriate.
• All applicants must have a valid right to work in the UK

Catalyst Support is an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate difference and are committed to fairness, accessibility, and inclusion throughout recruitment and employment.

We welcome requests for reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process.

Please note that we may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.