Working at Social Finance
Social Finance. We are here for good.
Social Finance’s position as a not-for-profit organisation is central to how we operate.
Our decisions are governed by social good, integrity and long-term impact. Empathy and a desire to make the world a better place are what drives us.
We achieve our goals by working in partnership, not only with local and national government, funders and investors, but also with the communities most affected by the social inequalities we seek to address.
Our actions and deeds support our words. And the proof is in the positive, lasting outcomes we drive.
I have been blown away by the people here! They’re very caring, compassionate and empathetic too — Social Finance is built on empathy, it’s the reason why we do what we do. Fundamentally, every single person who works here has a desire to create change and make an impact.
Oben Desmond Ashu, Software Engineer
How we’re organised
We have three significant programmes of work at Social Finance – Social Finance UK, IPS Grow, and Social Finance International.
IPS Grow – the national programme that Social Finance set up to expand Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services across England – and Social Finance International are structured differently to the Social Finance UK team. However colleagues can still be part of the UK communities as outlined below.
Social Finance UK Team
In our UK team, we focus on four core areas of work – our ‘Communities of Impact’ – Children and Young People, Health and Social Care, Employment and Skills, and Housing and Homelessness.
Alongside these impact areas we have four core areas of expertise – in Social Investment, System Change, Human-Centred Design, and Data and Digital.
Most of us at Social Finance UK are part of both a community of impact and a community of expertise, meeting together as a group to share knowledge and skills with one another.
This ‘matrix’ structure means that there is lots of opportunity to work on different projects and develop your skills and experience by working in a multidisciplinary team.
Our junior team members tend to work on projects in any one of our core impact areas, working with and learning from experts in the sector and our technical specialists from across the organisation.
As you develop your specialist skills (in, for example, finance, data science or human-centred design) and your sector knowledge you may wish to focus on one specific impact area in particular.
I feel really lucky to be doing the work I love in a mission-driven organisation.
Billie Andersen-Waine, Head of Human-Centred Design
Career progression
We have a well-defined career progression pathway from Analyst to Director and a unique three-year Trainee Analyst Programme (TAP) aimed at developing the social leaders of tomorrow. Whatever career stage you’re at, we have exciting opportunities to broaden your skills and experience.
We offer a high-quality skills-based training programme, developed and delivered in house.
The breadth of talent in our teams creates exceptional opportunities for learning and developing your own skills, experience and understanding. Through cross-team working on projects, you could work with data scientists, specialists in human-centred design, product developers, financial analysts, people with backgrounds in healthcare, charities, government and much more.
We also offer opportunities to work with a huge variety of partners and expert advisors from different sectors.
Analysts and Senior Analysts work across different teams and social issue areas, building a broad skill set and knowledge.
Associates are often a key part of project delivery teams, supporting Analysts and working closely with the Manager.
Managers are generally the lynchpin of the project team, liaising with clients and managing the team.
Associate Directors lead projects, build and manage client and stakeholder relationships, and support the running of the team.
Directors identify and secure new business development opportunities alongside overseeing successful delivery of their projects.
My advice for someone applying to Social Finance? I’d tell them ‘expect to have your expectations challenged’, which is part of the beauty of working here.
Jessica Davies, Associate Director
Practicalities and what we offer you
- Flexible/Hybrid working
- Healthcare cash plan
- Mental Health Support (Mental Health Aiders)
- Generous holiday allowance with ability to buy / sell additional days
- Enhanced maternity and paternity policies
- Volunteer leave
- Pension contributions
- Employee assistance programme (EAP) – a free helpline for confidential advice
- Cycle to work scheme
- Give as you earn
- Learning & Development – Cademi Training
- Office Amenities – Snacks, tea & coffee, access to breakout spaces
- Quarterly all staff off-sites, including our summer fun day
- We are a Living Wage employer, a Disability Confident Committed employer, and are signatories to the Mindful Employer Charter and the Menopause Workplace Pledge
The Analyst Programme
Our Analyst Programme (TAP) is a unique three-year training programme aimed at developing the social leaders of tomorrow.
Our alumni network
Our former colleagues have taken their skills and experience forward in a wide range of jobs and sectors, including:
International development
Local authorities
The civil service
Impact investment
The NHS
Social care, social work, and more
Equity, diversity and inclusion
We seek people with a range of backgrounds and life experiences because it makes our organisation stronger and is absolutely central to our mission.