People director jobs

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

Reporting to the Head of Change, the Programme Manager will manage the Foundation’s strategic change portfolio of work. You will establish a trusted, secure, well‑governed programme of change. The role will be responsible for delivering the project assurance board, ensuring that all programmes of work deliver the organisational-wide change the charity requires.

This role is cross-organisational, with involvement with the Chief People Officer on the operating model, the Chief Finance Officer, and the Director of Transformation on planning and delivery. 

The role will assist in delivering:

• A transformational, organisation-wide approach to change grounded in best practice.
• High-quality, consistent programme delivery through a strengthened PMO capability.
• Improved organisational readiness and staff confidence during periods of change.
• Clear, measurable outcomes across the Foundation’s strategic transformation priorities.
• A culture that embraces innovation, adaptability, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Data Leadership:

• Establish and maintain programme governance frameworks, controls, and reporting standards. 
• Ensure the programme delivers measurable business value and ROI. 
• Provide executive-level reporting to sponsors and other appropriate governance groups. 

Portfolio & Delivery Oversight: 

• Oversee multiple interdependent projects, managing the end‑to‑end delivery, from design through to implementation and evaluation.
• Manage the programme with clear plans, milestones, budgets, and risk management so that the Foundation is well informed about the programme’s performance. 
• Drive delivery to time, cost, scope, and quality targets. 
• Ensure benefits realisation planning and post-implementation reviews are held, and findings shared where appropriate. 

Risk & Issue Management: 

• Develop a programme-level risk management framework. 
• Proactively identify cross-project risks and systemic issues, using data, evidence and learning to improve programme effectiveness
• Develop organisational-wide mitigation and contingency strategies. 
• Ensure regulatory, compliance, and governance standards are met within Projects

Change & Transformation Leadership: 

• Lead on large-scale organisational change initiatives. 
• Embed change management and organisational adoption. 
• Develop communication plans to support transformation. 
• Embed new ways of working, processes, or systems. 

Financial & Commercial Management: 

• Support delivery leads with the development of business cases. 
• Ensure financial performance and cost control are managed, an appropriate use of charitable funds and value for money
• Develop in Project vendor and third-party relationships and serve as an escalation point for delivery leads. 
• Assist on procurement strategy where required. 

Team & Capability Leadership: 

• Lead and mentor more junior project managers and delivery leads so that project teams’ performance are consistent across the programme. 
• Develop performance standards and accountability structures. 
• Foster a culture of delivery excellence and continuous improvement. 

Quality & Continuous Improvement: 

• Identify opportunities to improve ways of working, programme design and delivery
• Implement programme assurance and quality control measures. 
• Promote best practices in project and programme management. 
• Conduct lessons-learned reviews and drive process improvement. 

Role responsibilities are not exhaustive, and you would be reasonably expected to take on wider tasks that are commensurate with the level of your role.

Skills, abilities, and attributes:

• Self-starter who is adaptable, able to operate strategically and hands‑on in equal measure.
• Willing to learn and develop new skills, and help to develop the knowledge and skills of peers 
• Committed to the principle of continuous improvement, with careful attention to detail and due process 
• Committed to delivering consistent and high-quality customer service to both internal and external stakeholders 
• Good interpersonal skills and able to influence and effectively liaise with both internal and external communities 
• Confident in communicating well, both in writing and verbally, and exhibits listening and influencing skills, working with integrity, and exhibits the Foundation’s core values 
• Skilled in working with agile methodologies 

Knowledge, experience, and qualifications:

• Proven experience in advanced programme and portfolio management expertise, delivering large, complex, multi-stream programmes. 
• Able to demonstrate good strategic thinking and commercial acumen, showing strong problem-solving and analytical capability. 
• Good financial literacy (budget management, cost modelling, ROI analysis). 
• Expertise in building business cases, development, and benefits realisation planning. 
• Expertise in leading cultural organisational changes, bringing planning to life across an organisation.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for senior and non‑technical audiences.
• Track record of influencing at senior/executive levels 

Desirable Qualifications: 

• MSP, PgMP, PRINCE2, PMP, or equivalent. 
• Experience in fundraising and fundraising organisations (desirable)

Benefits: 

• Contributory pension
• Annual personal development budget
• Annual health and wellbeing personal allowance
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and parental leave pay accessible without length of service requirements.
• Health and wellbeing programme that offers optional free yearly health check-ups.
• Support for healthy eating via fruit bowls and onsite lunch facilities. 
• Agile working, flexible hours, and supportive IT kit. 
• Shower facilities and bike lock area. 
• Generous annual leave (27 days + bank holidays)
• Subsidies for glasses
• Employee Assistance Programme

Corporate Partnerships Manager, Primary Science Teaching Trust

Key info:

• Salary £40,000 - £50,000 p/a (35 hours a week)
• Home based, The role will require regular travel to PSTT’s premises in Bristol (at least 1 day per month)
• Closing midnight Wednesday 15th July 2026 
• Annual leave of 28 days, which can be taken flexibly throughout the year plus 3 days to be taken at Christmas
• Enhanced maternity pay and adoption pay, contributory pension scheme (5% employer contribution), 24/7 access to an Employee Assistance Programme

Role 

PSTT’s long term vision is: Excellent primary school teaching in every primary school in the UK.

The goal of PSTT is to make science more accessible and attractive to children of primary school age throughout the UK. Research has shown that children’s interest in science is shaped before they leave primary school. That makes it vital for them to have a positive experience of science from their early years onwards.

The Corporate Partnerships Manager is responsible for developing and implementing plans to maximise income from corporate partners and trusts and foundations There is huge scope to develop both income streams at PSTT as this is a newly created position with the responsibility for growing and further developing these income streams. 

This is an exciting role for a candidate who wants to grow and shape the income stream, and demonstrate their personal impact on generating income, and providing partners with an incredible supporter experience. There will be an element of change as the organisation embeds an internal culture that effectively supports fundraising. 

This specialist manager role would suit someone who is already operating at a senior fundraiser or manager level, or someone who can demonstrate experience of developing a corporate and/or trusts & foundations pipeline, creating operational plans and delivering income. PSTT is an organisation with big ambitions so a background that includes working within a smaller charity would be helpful for the candidate to have but isn't essential. 

Please download the Candidate Info Pack provided for further information about the role, timelines and next steps. 

Please note, we cannot shortlist candidates who have not had a screening call so please allow enough time to have a call before the closing date. 

Closing date for applications: Midnight Wednesday 15th July 2026 

Interviews are expected to be held on the week commencing Monday 20th July in person.

Job description  

Job title: Programme Manager (Surrey) 

Reports to: Head of Justice Programmes

Direct reports: x3 Advocate (Surrey)

Start date: TBC following successful completion of HMPPS vetting

Salary: £34,391.20 pro-rata per annum (FTE £42,989 per annum, inclusive of £3,990 Southeast weighting)

Working hours: Part time - 28 hours per week across 4 days

Contract: Fixed term until 31 March 2026 with the possibility of an extension, subject to funding

Location: Hybrid - minimum 1 day per week from Surrey Women's Centre (Woking)
 

Job Purpose

To provide strategic oversight and operational management for Women in Prison services in Surrey. The role will focus on delivering Surrey Women’s CRS probation contract and any other funded programmes in Surrey.

Key Responsibility Areas - 

1. Lead on the operational management and strategic oversight of the Surrey programme, ensuring high quality, trauma responsive services are delivered to women in contact with, or at risk of being in contact with, the criminal justice system.
2. Provide effective leadership to the Surrey team, fostering a positive and supportive culture.
3. Monitor case management systems to ensure accurate and timely data recording
4. Develop effective relationships with key stakeholders, such as commissioners, probation and local authority leads to ensure effective service delivery.

For the full job description, please download the recruitment pack.
 

Person Specification

• Experience delivering effective strengths-based case work support and advocacy to women
• Experience supporting or supervising staff/volunteers
• Working knowledge of good safeguarding practice 
• Good budget management understanding/knowledge
• Understanding of trauma-informed approaches
• Good knowledge of the issues faced by women affected by the criminal justice system 
• Experience working with external partners
• Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion and a commitment to working in a way that promotes social justice and feminism