Director of BSC Advisory

Role Purpose

The Director of BSC Advisory is an exciting new role within the UK’s leading social impact investor, Better Society Capital, to design and develop a new advisory and consulting service for the social impact investing market.

BSC’s track record in UK social impact investing provides us with a unique value proposition to large investors interested in mission-aligned opportunities. Investors across the spectrum of capital are increasingly seeking to invest more capital in impact but need more support and guidance on how to implement this.

You will be at the forefront of building on existing work BSC has done to provide strategic advice and consultancy by leveraging our expertise and resources to support other investors and increase our impact.

The role will lead on developing and testing the offering with existing prospects including trusts & foundations, other endowments and Local Government pension schemes and then extending our offer and delivery model to become a financially sustainable service to a wider range of investors. The role will also lead on building internal capability and team to deliver successful consulting projects for clients.

You will be entrepreneurial and innovative with proven business development experience and project management skills. You will have a track record of winning and delivering advisory assignments with clients, and ideally of building and growing a successful advisory business. You will be comfortable with working in an adaptive environment, where the solution may evolve as we receive feedback from prospective clients. You will already have or be able to develop a good understanding of impact investment and will be a collaborative leader with experience of engaging with multiple senior stakeholders.

The overall aim of the role is to establish and lead a viable new advisory and consulting offer for BSC.

Further objectives for the role are to:

• Develop our advisory offer for the market, leveraging BSC’s expertise, resources and existing work.
• Prove the offer through a market testing phase.
• Working with BSC team members, develop a sustainable delivery model to sell and deliver our work.
• Recruit a pool of flexible associates to support our work.
• Undertake marketing and build a pipeline of customers harnessing both existing relationships and generating new leads.
• Lead the delivery of high-quality consulting assignments with clients, working with internal staff and associates.
• Make recommendations to BSC’s EXCO on scale of market opportunity, optimal solutions and next steps for developing further the business line.
• You will be working across the organisation with colleagues in the investment team, investor engagement, compliance, legal and comms teams.

Better Society Capital core values are:

• Purposeful – We are passionate and energetic in our work to bring about our long-term vision of a thriving social investment market that enables positive social impact.
• Pioneering Spirit – We give our team the autonomy and flexibility to be entrepreneurial and creative. We have the courage to push boundaries and a restless drive for change.
• Openness – We listen, learn, experiment and collaborate. And we are adaptive and flexible in responding to what we learn.
• Rigorous – We take a rigorous approach in all we do. We expect the highest standards and continually strive for excellence.
• Respectful – We are genuine in both our approach and aspiration. We value each member of our team and our partners for what they bring.

Key Responsibilities

Develop our Advisory offer

• Lead on product and service development in partnership with colleagues across the organisation.
• Ensure our advisory products and services are investor-centric, balancing “user led” design with BSC’s mission.
• Manage and respond to incoming requests for proposals.

Develop our delivery model

• Develop comprehensive project plan to guide operation development.
• Develop an advisory delivery model including flexible resourcing plan and management approach, pricing approach and tools, pipeline management approach, project quality and evaluation approach etc.
• Recruit a pool of flexible associates to support our work.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and operational requirements.

Client Relationship Management & Business Development

• Undertake business development activities to iteratively build a pipeline of advisory work.
• Establish new and build on existing relationships with investors and their advisers who wish to make impact investments working with existing relationship managers.
• Optimise systems and processes to target and qualify new potential clients and build a pipeline of customers.
• Develop marketing materials and customer-facing resources to support business development.

Strategic Consultancy

• Responsible for leading development and delivery of high-quality strategic consultancy work around impact investing on behalf of BSC (initially in market testing mode).
• Provide practical strategic advice and insights harnessing internal expertise, BSCs external relationships and external consultants to trusts, foundations, private clients and major institutions around investing in impact.
• Lead day-to-day management of impact advisory service and project teams.

Team leadership & training

• Work with team to identify new strategic consultancy opportunities.
• Share expertise with the team to upskill and communicate over best practice.
• Manage project budgets.

Skills and Experience

Skills, Abilities and Attributes

• Entrepreneurial mindset with enthusiasm and motivation for building business.
• Ability to develop new relationships and opportunities, preferably in advisory.
• Strong interest in social impact investment and passionate about building a more responsible investment market.
• Ability to understand investor motivations and position social impact investment attractively.
• Strong project management skills – highly organised, can work under pressure, with strong problem-solving skills.
• Proven team management skills.
• Collaborative team player with a supportive approach and desire to be part of a close-knit team.
• Ability to balance strategy with focus on detailed tactical challenges.
• A good understanding of a range of investor types, their internal structures and decision-making processes.
• Excellent presentation skills – able to transform complex messages into clear communications.

Essential experience

• Experience of business development.
• Excellent client relationship management skills and evidence of network building.
• Experience of growing a pipeline of new business.
• Experience designing and delivering successful advisory projects with high-quality deliverables and impact.
• Experience managing internal or associate teams to deliver consulting assignments.
• Experience and knowledge of appropriate tools and frameworks to deliver high-quality consulting projects.
• Excellence in oral and written communication and an engaging style.
• Proven project management skills.
• Comfortable presenting to stakeholders and public speaking.

Desirable experience

• Knowledge of and fluency about impact investment.
• Professional sales and marketing experience.
• UK social sector employment or voluntary experience.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV and a full page Cover Letter to Careers4Change indicating how your skill sets align with the Job Description and why you are passionate about joining Better Society Capital.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Better Society Capital is committed to being a diverse organisation that is truly representative of the communities we serve. We therefore welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those under-represented in the social impact investment sector (e.g. people from LGBTQIA+; racialised; disabled; under-served communities)