Head,Innovation,Impact Measurement and Strategy Job Central London area,City Of London England UK,Management

Head, Innovation, Impact Measurement and Strategy

Support the development and execution of the Foundation’s strategy, innovation agenda and impact approach so that its capital, partnerships and programmes deliver stronger, more sustainable employability and entrepreneurship outcomes for under-served young people.

Lead the Foundation’s thinking on how to deploy and integrate fit-for-purpose financial instruments across the impact spectrum—from grants and catalytic grants to outcomes-based funding, guarantees, repayable finance, blended finance and impact investments.
Provide intellectual and practical leadership on systems-level impact measurement, developing approaches that show how the Foundation contributes to changes in markets, institutions, behaviours, capital flows and ecosystem coordination, while maintaining rigorous accountability for direct outcomes.
Work closely with the Programmes team to translate this thinking into portfolio strategy and programme design, embedding innovation and systems measurement within existing and new initiatives rather than operating them as separate work streams.
Develop coherent portfolio, investment and measurement frameworks that direct the right form of capital to the right constraint, strengthen evidence and learning, and maintain the Foundation’s charitable purpose and focus on impact.
Work across Foundation, Group and market teams, and with external partners, to establish the foundation as a recognised thought leader in corporate philanthropy and systems-level impact measurement.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Development and Execution

Support the translation of the Foundation’s strategy into clear priorities, roadmaps, operating choices, resource requirements and measures of success.
Work in close partnership with the Programmes team to shape portfolio allocation across the impact spectrum, using evidence to determine where grants remain essential and where outcomes-based, repayable, blended or investment capital could improve employability and entrepreneurship outcomes.
Coordinate strategy reviews, portfolio analysis and planning cycles, ensuring decisions are informed by programme experience, evidence, market context, stakeholder insight and the Foundation’s risk appetite.
Track strategic delivery, identify dependencies and emerging risks, and work with accountable owners to resolve barriers and maintain momentum.

Innovation, Financial Instruments and Portfolio Development

Lead the Foundation’s thinking and practice on a continuum-of-capital approach, defining how grants, catalytic grants, technical assistance, outcomes-based funding, guarantees, repayable finance, blended finance and impact investments can be combined to address different barriers to employability and entrepreneurship.
Jointly develop with the Programmes team a pipeline of financing innovations within the portfolio, moving from market assessment and structuring through piloting, implementation, evaluation and decisions to scale, adapt or stop.
Work with relevant Foundation and Group specialists and external experts on financial structuring, risk, legal, tax, due diligence and impact considerations, while safeguarding the Foundation’s independence and ensuring that financing remains mission-led and appropriate to context.
Build the financial literacy and investment-readiness of the Programme team, market colleagues and delivery partners so that they can assess, design and manage different instruments responsibly and effectively.

Systems-Level Impact, Evidence and Learning

Lead the Foundation’s intellectual and practical development of systems-level impact measurement and management, establishing a clear point of view on how a corporate foundation should understand, assess and communicate…