Chief Operating Officer- Generation Ireland

Location:

Hybrid - The role can be based anywhere in the United Kingdom, with an expectation to attend the nearest regional office (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, or Glasgow) one day per week on the hub office’s designated office day.

We offer flexibility to employees to balance their commitments, including medical appointments, parental or caregiving responsibilities, and personal goals.

Salary:

£75,000 to £90,000 p.a. FTE, based on experience

(Includes Base salary and a performance element)

Contract:

Full Time (flexible hours considered)

Permanent; 40 hours per week; 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday.

Recruitment timetable:

Last date for submission of applications:
Sunday, 18 January 2025

Interviews:
Last week of January 2026

Informal enquiries for this position can be sent to Michael Houlihan, CEO
- Generation UK & Ireland, michaelh or Yasmeen Seth, People Director
- Generation UK & Ireland, yasmeen.seth.

As Chief Operating Officer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Generation UK & Ireland at a moment of ambition, scale, and opportunity. Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Senior Management Team, you will lead the organisation’s funding acquisition and management team, oversee financial management of the charity, lead on key strategic planning and operational elements, as well as the Impact and Data function.

In doing so, you will ensure Generation UK & Ireland’s bold vision translates into sustainable impact for thousands of learners across the UK & Ireland.

This role sits at the heart of the charity’s growth. You will champion operational excellence while fostering an outcomes-driven culture that enables teams to innovate, adapt, and perform at their best. As a senior leader and external ambassador, you will build trusted relationships with our funders, partners, and stakeholders across the public and private sectors, including bringing new funders and partnerships into the organisation.

You will represent Generation’s work nationally and, in doing so, will play a role in shaping the future of inclusive employment and initiatives that can help reduce unemployment across the UK and Ireland. This is a rare opportunity to combine strategic leadership, financial stewardship, and social purpose, making a tangible difference to people’s lives.

This is more than a leadership position. It’s a chance to shape the future of a charity, drive innovation in programme delivery, and inspire a dedicated team and wider community. If you are a strategic, visionary leader passionate about creating lasting social impact, with a track record of delivering results and bringing funders and partners together, this role provides a platform to turn bold ideas into meaningful change.

Generation’s vision is a world where everyone should have access to a good job and income that can help them and their families have a better life. Our charitable mission towards this is to support people facing significant and multiple barriers to employment into life-changing careers they otherwise could not access.

We create impact with a unique methodology of profession-specific skills bootcamp training, focused on in-demand careers (specifically in the tech, healthcare and green sectors), with extensive, ongoing pastoral support and matchmaking to employer partners.

Generation launched globally in 2015 and has grown quickly to become the world’s largest demand-led employment initiative. We have placed >100,000 people into roles, working with over 4,000 employer partners to date across 16 countries and 26 professions.

Since launching in the UK in 2019 have now trained more than 3500 people. Our work focuses on supporting those from diverse groups facing barriers to desirable employment. For these learners, we have achieved an industry-leading c. 70% job placement rate with learners now placed at >800 employers.

We have secured transformative corporate funding from Microsoft, the JP Morgan Charitable Foundation, the Macquarie Group Foundation, Barclays, Black Rock, and many more. In recent years, we have also been one of the leading charities delivering…