Senior Adviser

Careers4Change is delighted to support CAF as their recruitment partner for this fantastic new role as Senior Adviser, part of the senior team guiding the organisation's strategic consultancy work with charities, corporates and private clients. 

Job title: Senior Adviser

Location: Hybrid with at least 2 days in the London Office

Reporting To: Head of Impact & Advisory

Contract: Full time permanent

Salary: £60,000-£65,000

Date Closes: Monday 8th April, 2024

Role Purpose:

This exciting role will form part of the senior team leading CAF’s strategic consultancy work with charities, corporates, private clients, trusts/foundations and the public sector. The Senior Adviser will implement and execute the advisory strategy in the wider context of the Impact Accelerator, CAF’s impact hub, exploiting synergies with the social investment and grant making teams, identifying innovation and growing impact through more strategic giving as well as driving advisory income.

The Charities Aid Foundation exists to accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all. Over the last 100 years, we have led the way in developing innovative approaches to giving, distributing over £1 billion to non-profits around the globe annually.

Working at the centre of the giving world, we are a leading charity operating in the UK and internationally. Through our financial services, fundraising tools, policy work, research and insights, we enable charities to strengthen their long-term resilience and do more of the great work they do. We also partner with people and businesses to connect them to our global charity network, providing expert advice, governance, and tailored giving solutions to help them maximise their impact.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic consultancy

• Responsible for leading high-quality strategic consultancy work with charities, corporates, private clients, trusts and foundations and public sector alongside other senior advisers.
• Lead day-to-day management of key client assignments including project and resource management as well as delivery.
• Responsible for delivery of high-quality written assignments to clients.
• Present invaluable and practical strategic advice and insight to senior leadership in charities, corporates or public sector as well as (ultra) high net worth individuals.
• Work in close collaboration with grant making and social investment colleagues to deliver a fully bespoke, impactful offering to clients.

Strategy and leadership

• Lead and mentor team of advisers, providing guidance and training, supported by robust performance management and personal development opportunities in line with strategy.
• Implement and refine where necessary advisory strategy in conjunction with other senior advisers and Head of Impact and Advisory.
• Ensure alignment with CAF’s theory of change and delivery against identified outputs and outcomes.
• Work with Growth and Performance Lead on operational and process needs relating to advisory and the Impact Accelerator more generally.
• Contribute to strategic Impact Accelerator initiatives where necessary.

Business development and client development

• Responsible for driving growth and innovation in CAF’s advisory offering, ensuring it remains relevant in an ever-changing world and aligned with client needs.
• Identify key opportunities to grow fee income, lead proposals/pitches and contribute proportionally to team fee income targets.
• Work closely with business development function and cultivate relationships with other key referral partners within CAF and externally.
• Lead retention and growth of CAF clients through effective client management - focus on multi-year, multi service contracts that combine advisory, grant making and social investment expertise.

Thought leadership and training

• Mentor and upskill other members of the Impact Accelerator team as well as other colleagues where relevant, sharing expertise and skills both informally and formally. Promote CAF externally as a thought leader and a partner of choice for donors and charities alike.
• Represent CAF at events, share best practice, produce thought leading articles and maintain relevant sector networks.
• Work with colleagues in the UK and across the CAF global network to maximise opportunities and to share learning and best practice.

Budgetary

• Responsible for budgeting multi-year programmes and projects.

Skills and Experience:

Experience:

• Experience of leadership role/ line management
• Experience of developing and nurturing talent
• Proven track record in delivering significant business growth in a consulting environment
• Experience advising foundations, individual philanthropists, charities, corporates or the public sector
• Strategic experience of designing and managing grant-making programmes and foundations (desirable)
• Experience managing client relationships
• Experience of advising clients on at least one area: philanthropy, grant making, social investment, sustainability, fundraising, strategy, governance, impact measurement, theory of change, programmatic design and/or practice
• Proven experience of budgeting, reporting and analysis
• Project management experience
• Experience in analysing complex systems and producing workable strategies and proposals, presentations, research, etc.

Specialist Skills/ Ability/Knowledge

• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to identify opportunities and innovation
• Decision-making skills in complex and pressured environments
• Strategic vision: ability to formulate and lead on strategies and plans
• Knowledge of latest best practice in: philanthropy, sustainability, fundraising, governance, strategy, impact measurement, grant-making, social investment
• Ability to work in cross-functional teams to deliver business results
• Willingness to delve into cause areas to learn and upskill as needed based on opportunities and client demands
• Ability to influence and negotiate with demanding clients
• Ability to drive business development
• Ability to share learning and upskill others
• Ability to facilitate and drive workshops and discussions with very clear outputs and outcomes