Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI)
Fund Manager

Contract: 2 years
Based: Galway or Cork
Salary: €45,000 – 55,000, subject to experience
Benefits: 24 days annual leave
Pension: 8% pension contribution, on completion of probationary period

COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY

We are an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity and inclusion equate to success and help us to achieve our highest potential as an organisation. The work we do is underpinned by our commitment to Respect, Equality, Inclusion and Diversity both in our workforce and in our engagement with others. We strongly welcome applications from members of minority and marginalised communities.

ROLE PURPOSE

The purpose of this role is to manage several strategic Funds with a portfolio of Awardees to meet programme and financial targets, by driving maximum achievement of social impact, in line with investment objectives and conditions. The successful applicant will take on a leadership role through financial analysis within the impact team.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to a senior manager, this role will drive and deliver Social Innovation Fund Ireland’s impact while working in a high growth, fast-paced environment. This person will be a critical relationship manager with SIFI applicants, Awardees, and the wider SIFI community, including donors.

Responsibilities include:

• To secure high-quality applicants by leading Fund promotion and the recruitment of applications.
• To run the call for applications and manage the selection process.
• To co-design the capacity building and Accelerator/Gamechanger programmes, which will be delivered in part by you / SIFI and in part by commissioned partners.
• To lead and manage the investment relationship with relevant SIFI Fund Awardees, including performance management. To work with the Awardees (successful applicants) to develop growth plans, define their social impact goals, structure the growth capital in the form of grants and non-financial supports to ensure that they target growth, build the capacity of the projects to deliver the promised impact, and manage the input of the non-financial supports.
• To commission and coordinate the relationship between suppliers, consultants, Awardees and SIFI.
• To build successful partnerships with other organisations as required.
• To set (in conjunction with your line manager) and meet programme targets.
• To manage budgets and provide financial reports and social impact reports to the CEO, team and Board.
• To line manage other team managers if needed.
• To support the marketing, fundraising and communications work of SIFI.
• To be an ambassador for SIFI.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Social Innovation Fund Ireland seeks a needle in a haystack. You will be someone with the following qualities and skills:

REQUIRED

Experience – 5 to 10 years’ relevant experience

• Demonstrated leadership skills – in a paid or voluntary role.
• Experience or nuanced understanding of the distinctions and unifying factors of for-profit and not for profit organisations.
• Experience or nuanced understanding of equality and social inclusion issues and working with marginalised communities from an empowerment perspective.
• Experience of innovation contexts.
• Experience in social impact measurement, collection and analysis of impact data.

Qualifications

• Third level qualification or equivalent in accounting, statistics or similar field.

Analytical and Business Skills

• Demonstrated ability to analyse material and summarise, distil and synthesise quickly – both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to analyse/write a strategic or business plan.
• Excellent report writing skills.
• Experience (or interest in) research, impact measurement and an understanding of academic evaluation processes.
• Track record of project management in the business and / or social sector.
• Ability to demonstrate/develop an investment perspective.

Financial Skills

• Familiarity with analysing financial statements, developing business and cash flow planning and cost controlling.
• Experience in preparing and managing project budgets.

People and leadership skills

• Track record of partnership building.
• Ability to build trust, even against the odds.
• Management – Ability to line manage people, provide support and guidance.
• Leadership – Capacity to lead a group of diverse innovators and leaders to work towards ambitious targets and a shared common vision/goal.
• Skilled in the arts of negotiation and persuasion.

General

• Commitment to excellence.
• Comfort with an entrepreneurial culture and a fast-moving environment.
• A natural curiosity and a desire to learn.
• Drive and ambition.
• Ability to demonstrate the highest levels of integrity and ethical fibre.
• Desire and ability to be an ambassador for SIFI.

DESIRABLE

• Experience and knowledge of social impact definition and business planning processes.
• Postgraduate Degree in innovation, community development or social science.
• Experience of capacity building with companies/organisations.
• Experience of managing a portfolio of organisations in an investment or philanthropic context.
• The Fund Manager will meet programme targets and will track progress and prepare reports on social impact achieved. He/she will at all times represent SIFI in accordance with SIFI’s vision, mission and values, will undertake training and development as requested by the CEO, and may be asked to take on other duties at the request of the CEO.

ABOUT SOCIAL INNOVATION FUND IRELAND’S WORK

Social Innovation Fund Ireland is a national organisation supporting Ireland’s best social innovations through cash grants and business supports. Our purpose is to make Ireland a better, more inclusive place through social innovation. Every euro we raise in philanthropy is matched by a euro from the Dormant Accounts Fund via the Department of Rural and Community Development and more recently the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. We partner with corporates, SME’s, families and individuals who want new, tangible and real-world ways to tackle some of the pressing issues facing our country today.

Our Values

• We work with our hearts and our heads – we value compassion, passion and fun.
• We take smart risks and we allow permission to fail because we know that innovation and risk are two sides of the same coin.
• We believe that social change is a team sport – we use influence and engagement to build trusted relationships, and we choose to collaborate to achieve our goals.
• We demonstrate curiosity and a hunger to learn.
• We value bold ideas and bold leadership, and we develop remarkable people.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we strongly believe that diversity and inclusion equate to success and help us to achieve our highest potential as an organisation. The work we do is underpinned by mutual respect, equality, inclusion and diversity.

In line with Ireland’s Equality Legislation we actively oppose discrimination, including on the following 9 grounds:

1. Gender.
2. Civil status: single, married, divorced, etc.
3. Family status: if you’re the parent or person responsible for a child over 18, or if you’re the main carer or parent of a person with a disability.
4. Sexual orientation.
5. Religion.
6. Age.
7. Disability.
8. Race.
9. Traveller community.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please apply via this LINK by Friday, 19th June 2020 at 5 pm.  If you have any problems applying, please contact us at careers@socialinnovation.ie.