Contract: Permanent Working hours: Full time - (37.5 hours per week) or part time (we are happy to consider requests for part time hours) Location: Impetus office (currently based in Charing Cross, Central London) Working Arrangements : Hybrid working - at least two days per week in the Impetus office in Central London. We may ask you to come to the office three days per week during the first three months to help set you up well for success – ensuring you get the support you need to thrive. In addition to this, all staff are expected to attend regular Impetus in-person events. These include staff away days (usually 2 or 3 per calendar year), training events (usually 1 or 2 per month) and a monthly Townhall meeting where we come together in person for lunch and intentional cross-team working. Travel may also be required to visit portfolio partners for monthly meetings or pre arranged workshops. Job description - Investment Director The Investment Director (ID) is a key member of the Investment Team, playing a leading role in identifying, assessing, and supporting portfolio partner charities and other non-profit organisations to deepen their impact and scale their outcomes. This role works closely with other Investment Directors and Investment Managers to deliver external facing support to portfolio partners as well as internal projects to support the development of the investment model and portfolio strategy. Investment Directors use strategic thinking, analytical rigour, and senior relationship skills to support a portfolio of amazing organisations that, together, will help shift the life chances and outcomes of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK. About the Investment team The investment team is responsible for selecting portfolio partners, managing our investments in these partners and supporting them to improve and scale their impact. The investment team also leads the Impetus Leadership Academy, a leadership development programme to support talent from ethnic minority backgrounds in the UK youth sector to progress into senior leadership roles. The team is made up of 18 people, including former teachers, charity chief executives, charity impact leads, management consultants, social investment portfolio managers and impact consultants. The team is led by a Portfolio Director who sits on the Senior Management Team. The Portfolio Director has 5 direct reports: a Deputy Portfolio Director, three Sector Leads (who lead our work in School engagement, School attainment and Employment Sectors) and an Impact Lead. Sector Leads line manage 6 Investment Directors. Investment Directors line manage Investment Managers (currently 5). Investment Directors and Investment Managers tend to primarily focus on a sector but might have mixed portfolios, depending on need, experience and interest. The investment team has a good track record of role progression. All four Sector Leads and a number of our Investment Directors were promoted from within the team. The team is passionate, rigorous, determined, creative and warm. We care deeply for our colleagues, our charity partners and the young people we serve. About the Investment Manager role The Investment Manager (IM) works as an integral part of the Investment Team to help deliver our mission – supporting portfolio partners to deepen their impact and scale their outcomes. This role works closely with Investment Directors and other Investment Managers, including both charity-facing support and internal support to the investment team. The IM uses analytical rigour, project management and relationship skills to support a portfolio of amazing organisations that, together, will help shift the life chances and outcomes of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the UK. The IM role works across the portfolio, with the opportunity to work with various charities and Investment Directors, and may be involved in delivering the Impetus Leadership Academy. Key responsibilities Investment Management Working closely with Investment Directors to support portfolio partners across all areas of our work - leadership, impact and sustainability - leading specific work streams like impact and/or financial management. Building trust-based relationships with charity leaders including CEOs, delivery staff and Programme / Impact leads, to become a valued advisor on practice improvement. Working closely with staff at our partners charities, providing guidance, thought partnership and capacity building. Working with Impact teams at charity partners to develop and refine impact management practices; data collection, dashboard development, performance review meetings, programme design and evaluation. Coaching charities' heads of functions (e.g. Director of Impact) to develop as leaders and help drive an impact-led approach within their organisations Curating pro- bono projects leveraging our large network of corporate volunteers to provide targeted support in key areas for our charity partners (e.g. strategy, marketing advice, financial analysis). Supporting Investment Directors with design and delivery of theory of change workshops, analysing charity impact data, developing and analysing pre-workshop surveys, facilitating workshops. Supporting Impetus’ quarterly peer learning forums for our charity partners, in particular the Impact Forum. Supporting the governance of our investments, preparing reports for Investment and Steering Committees. Investment team support Supporting/leading the annual cycle of identifying new investments - mapping the landscape of charities in thematic areas (e.g. Apprenticeships and Skills), identifying high potential charities though analysis of key impact and financial data and reviewing the current evidence base. Playing a key role in due diligence of new charities, reviewing charity information (quantitative and qualitative) and drawing insights about their suitability for investment; This includes considering impact and scale potential, financial stability and developing a business case for investment including identifying risks. Requires strong relationship management with potential charity partners. Developing knowledge and expertise in Education and Youth Employment, staying up to date on relevant sector developments. Working closely with the Public Affairs team and ensuring teams are integrated in their thinking and approach – both ensuring we are coordinated in our support to the sector and working on cross-team projects that support the wider Employment and Education sectors. Support to the Impetus organisation Working collaboratively on Impetus’ public affairs and philanthropy objectives through input into case studies, research and policy campaigns, donor reports and events. Sharing the learning from our work across the team, across the organisation and externally Working within Impetus strategy, policies and procedures. Person specification Essential A commitment to Impetus’ mission. Able to build productive, trust-based relationships internally and with external stakeholders including charity partners and co-investors Strong relationship building and management skills. Highly analytical and numerate, with good command of Excel. Clear and strategic thinker; able to identify key insights from a range of data outputs and translate into clear communication, including PowerPoint. Proven ability to work independently. Desire to be a thought partner to Investment Directors – contributing actively to team discussions and debate. Strong planning and time management, able to balance between priorities. Displays tenacity and initiative. Growth mind-set; seeks out and acts on feedback. A strong interest in partnering closely with charities that are doing what it takes to get better. A commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in our work and our organisation. If you don't tick all these boxes, but still feel that you fit the profile, please apply anyway. Desirable Experience in consulting, investment management, or other in-depth grant making and capacity building work. Previous experience working with charities. Could be in a previous role, pro-bono volunteer or Trustee capacity. Experience in UK education and employability sectors Experience in charity impact management and/or evaluation. Financial acumen - financial modelling, fundraising pipeline development, review of annual accounts and assessment of financial risk. Project Management experience. About Impetus I mpetus transforms the lives of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds by ensuring they get the right support to succeed in school, in work and in life. We find, fund and build the most promising organisations working with these young people, providing core funding and working shoulder-to-shoulder with their leaders over the long term to help them become stronger organisations. Impetus currently has 52 members of staff, supporting 25 charities with programmes across England, Wales and Scotland. At Impetus we focus on the critical factors that influence the education and employment outcomes for disadvantaged young people in the UK, working with charities that have the potential for impact at scale, helping their leaders to deliver lifechanging, benchmark-beating outcomes. We provide these charities with the funding and the tools to grow and deliver on their promises to the young people they serve. We also seek to influence government and the wider sector to back effective support for young people and invest with other like-minded organisations to tackle the most difficult and under-supported challenges. We are resolutely focused on outcomes and impact, driven by quality evidence. Impetus is a registered charity and our charity number is 1152262. Our Values In 2022 the Impetus staff agreed the following set of Values to act as our guiding principles as an organisation, and help us to remain focused on achieving our mission to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence led and results driven for young people We pursue excellence for the young people we work with, are wholly committed to better outcomes, unapologetically results driven, and accountable for our actions. High trust, high challenge We invest the time, kindness, integrity and honesty needed to build and sustain long-term relationships. We focus on developing high trust, to allow for high challenge, helping our colleagues, partners and supporters to be our very best selves in pursuit of our mission. Diversity enables us to thrive We seek to embed diversity of thought, background and experience in every aspect of our work. We are open, thoughtful and proactive in better understanding and challenging our assumptions to better deliver the change we seek. Brave and open We are brave and open; exploring new solutions to long-term problems, asking difficult questions well; learning from mistakes and challenging the status quo when needed. Collaboration always We will not succeed alone. We seek meaningful, productive partnership with others to achieve our mission and drive systems change for young people. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion We believe that a diverse workforce leads to an organisation that is more open, creative and gets better results. We want our team at Impetus to represent the diversity of the people and communities we serve. We also want our team to be one where different experiences, expertise and perspectives are valued, and where everyone is encouraged to grow and develop. We want to reach a diverse pool of candidates. We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that potential employees may need to in order to be successful. We recognise the importance of a good work/life balance. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home, working part-time job shares and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore. Impetus is an equal opportunity employer and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We value diversity and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. Our employee benefits Impetus appreciates the invaluable contribution made by all employees and wishes to encourage and reward loyalty, motivation and experience. We therefore offer a range of benefits and policies which aim to assist employees during various stages of their lives and careers. For more information on these please download the job information pack from our website. How to apply Application Please click on the "Apply for this job" button at the top of this page. You will need to: Complete the online form (including the equal opportunities monitoring form) Upload a comprehensive CV and supporting statement. The supporting statement should be no more than two sides of A4 and should address the criteria in the person specification. You should also include the contact details of two referees, one of whom must be your current or most recent employer. Referees will only be approached with your express permission. As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at interview stage. The deadline for applications is 11:59pm Mon day 21st April 2025 Interviews First round interviews will take place week commencing 28th April 2025. Second round interviews will take place week commencing 5th May 2025. You will also be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. Personal Data Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.