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Can Do is a start-up using digital technology to create social change. We work across addiction, mental health, homelessness, poverty and justice to help people access the support they need.

We are looking for a general manager to work as part of a small team. This is a practical, hands-on role that keeps the organisation running well day to day. It will suit someone who enjoys creating order, improving systems, and supporting meaningful work behind the scenes.

This is a varied role in a start-up environment. Things are still being built, processes are developing, and we need someone who brings steadiness, organisation, and a calm, reliable approach with a meticulous eye for detail.

We’re looking for someone who:

· Has experience of general management or similar role

· Has worked in a relevant sector, for example addiction, mental health, homelessness, poverty or justice

· Understands and enjoys the reality of a small, evolving start-up

· Is calm, steady and level-headed

· Has meticulous attention to detail and is a practical organiser who gets things done

· Can use digital and AI tools to simplify processes

· Is empathetic and purpose-driven to help people

This role may not be the right fit if:

· You prefer large, structured organisations with established systems

· You are mainly looking for roles centred on visibility, profile, or personal recognition

· You are seeking a heavily defined role rather than one that grows and adapts

If this feels like the kind of work you want to be part of, send your CV and a short note on why you’re interested.

Position: General Manager

Location: London/South East (with UK wide travel as required)

Contract type: Flexible (full or part-time, contractor/employed)

Salary: Up to £50,000 pro rata depending on experience

WHO WE ARE.

Can Do is a start-up using digital technology to create social change. We work across addiction, mental health, homelessness, poverty and justice to help people access and navigate support. We are small, practical, and focused on building something that works for people facing disadvantage.

THE ROLE

You will be the operational lead for the organisation, working in a small team with founder Mark Johnson to turn plans into delivery and ensure the day-to-day running remains smooth and reliable. The role is varied, practical, and suited to someone who enjoys building structure and supporting others to succeed.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

· Someone with experience in general management in a social enterprise, or small start-up

· A meticulous and practical organiser who enjoys making things work and getting things done

· Someone who wants to work with purpose, helping build a socially oriented organisation

· Efficient, empathetic, and comfortable juggling a wide range of tasks

· Tech-savvy and confident using AI/digital tools to make processes simple and efficient

· Flexible: this role could be full-time, part-time, or suit someone returning to work

WHAT YOU’LL DO

· Project management: Plan and manage projects from start to finish, making sure deadlines are met and everyone delivers on their part.

· Meetings and follow-up: Organise and run management meetings, keep notes, and make sure agreed actions happen.

· Governance: Oversee compliance and act as Company Secretary, keeping records accurate and up to date.

· Finance: Use Xero and work with accountants/bookkeepers to oversee budgets, accounts, and financial reports so the numbers are always clear.

· Fundraising and business development: Support funding applications, proposals, and relationships with partners to bring in new opportunities.

· Operations: Keep the day-to-day running smoothly – from diary management and HR basics to coordinating contractors.

· Communications: Maintain simple but effective comms, updating the website and keeping social media active.

SKILLS & QUALITIES

· Strong organisational and project management skills

· An excellent writer, whether contracts, bids or public facing materials

· Experience of operations, governance, and finance oversight in a small organisation

· Confidence managing budgets and financial reporting (not a finance role, but able to keep track)

· Able to communicate clearly and keep people focused

· Empathetic, socially minded, and committed to putting people first

· Steady, reliable, and happy working in the background to let others thrive

EQUALITY & DIVERSITY.

Can Do welcomes applications from people with lived experience of social challenges. We are committed to ensuring diversity and inclusion in our recruitment process and workplace culture.

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

This is a pivotal role at the heart of Resonate Arts, supporting the smooth, safe and effective running of our organisation. The Operations & Systems Coordinator will take ownership of the administrative and operational systems that underpin our work. From financial processes and participant data to governance and communications, you will ensure that our systems are accurate, efficient and well-organised.

Your work will enable the wider team—particularly the Director—to focus on delivering high-quality, person-centred arts programmes for people living with dementia, and on securing the organisation’s long-term sustainability.

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