Executive / Manager: Impact Management (Strategy and External Engagement) 12-15 Month Contract

About BII

British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. With a mission to solve the biggest global development challenges, we aim to create a virtuous circle of investment and impact. Your contribution will be essential. 

It won’t be easy: we do the hardest work in the most complex markets. Be prepared to test your skills, get creative and say your piece as you take on high-profile work as part of a diverse team of exceptionally smart, passionate people. 

In return, you can take your career to all-new places in a culture that rewards curiosity and collaboration, and balances high performance with wellbeing.

BII at a glance

Over 75 years supporting sustainable business growth in developing and emerging markets

More than £8.8 billion in net assests

1,400+ businesses invested in

950,000 workers in the businesses we support 

650+ people in our diverse global team

3 key development objectives: Productive | Sustainable | Inclusive

Team overview 

BII’s Impact Management team is market-leading and provides technical leadership on how to assess, manage and evaluate the impact of our investments. BII’s objective is to push the boundaries in impact management with a world-class impact framework to deliver productive, sustainable and inclusive impact across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean and this team is centrally responsible for the same. We take an active approach to impact management, utilising a framework aligned with the Operating Principles for Impact Management and we are recognised as a Practice Leader in impact management by BlueMark. 

The team focussed on BII’s Impact scoring governance and processes, innovative products and thought leadership on Impact Management. This team is a central function within BII’s impact group and works closely with other areas of impact such as Climate, Gender, ESG and others. 

Purpose

This role is for a 12-15 month FTC opportunity to support the team on two key dimensions (1) BII Strategy and (2) External engagement. However, we also expect the candidate to flexibly support the objectives of the Impact Management Team as otherwise required by business needs.

BII Strategy (~70-80%)

Currently BII is implementing its 5-year strategy which is due for a refresh in 2026. As BII approaches this new strategy period, the candidate will play a critical role to lead/support workstreams that shape the design, tools, frameworks and processes relating to Impact Management and Measurement. This will require understanding of BII’s current strategy, system and processes and the upcoming strategy and priorities for BII.

Key responsibilities (but not limited to) include:

1. Design Refresh: This will be a key scope of work, which will require extensive planning with multiple other BII teams, managing resources & timelines, and designing the updated Impact Framework.
2. Testing and Implementation: Extensive testing of the new design of the impact measurement and management system (both on portfolio and pipeline), Calibration of scorecards and managing any changes in target setting, and other related change management. This will also require updating manuals and other governance documentation.
3. Launch: Managing launch of the new score and change management associated with the same.

This is expected to be a 9-12 months project, and the person through this project will have exposure to dealing with BII’s senior management and BII stakeholder.

External engagement (20-30%)

The overall ambition of this activity is to shape and expand the impact investing market to enable more and more impactful investment in our markets. This role will report to the Director, Investment Management and will work closely with the Manager, Investment Management.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Support execution, monitoring and evaluation of the Impact Management team’s technical assistance program with BII Plus
2. Identify events and sessions where the ‘Impact Toolkit’ can be publicly shared with the appropriate audience that would benefit from this collateral
3. Provide bespoke guidance and support by working with asset owners and managers to mobilise capital into impact investing:
   • Curate interactive sessions to build awareness on how impact investing strategies can be made more impact-aligned, using learnings from the ‘Impact Toolkit’
   • Host and support a series of events, ideally in BII focus markets, to engage investors and asset owners – drawing on the ‘Impact Toolkit’ among other resources
   • Identify key partner organisations (e.g. fund managers, commercial PE firms, other institutional investors) that would benefit from bespoke and more direct support on Impact Management practices to become impact-oriented. Helping these organisations to take up out systems.
4. Build partnerships with influential organisations to help shape and support BII’s external engagement efforts (e.g. Impact Frontiers, GIIN, among others). Forge partnerships and collaborate on 1-2 key initiatives (including events for the above) to expand BII’s reach to a larger impact management community.
5. Develop thought leadership products in partnership with other leading impact investors

The candidate

Background 

• Prior experience particularly in strategy consulting will be preferred where candidate has held positions as client lead/project lead and has exposure to working with senior management/boards. Work experience in impact investment industry is strongly desired.

• Work experience in designing and operationalizing impact management frameworks and tools will be good to have. Alternatively experience in setting up/managing ESG/sustainability frameworks in investment organizations/ within corporate will be desired.
• Experience in leading on thought leadership and external engagement within the impact investment ecosystem will be good to have.

• Strong academic credentials. Preferably a Master’s in Business/Economics or equivalent analytical post graduate degree. 

• Work experience relevant to developing countries, preferably in Africa and/or South Asia. 
• Deep networks in the impact investment associations and platforms will be good to have.

Skills 

• Practical understanding of impact management and knowledge of best in industry standards around how to measure and manage impact, with particular focus on Inclusion, Climate and Sustainability and Growth of businesses is strongly desired.

• Understanding of private sector development and how to achieve development outcomes through development finance.

• Experience of making high quality judgment calls to make impact investment decisions and manage impact outcomes.

• Understanding of underlying commercial strategies and ability to consider development impact in an entrepreneurial and pragmatic manner. 

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Confident dealing with complexity and can combine objective quantitative analysis with expert qualitative judgment. Confident in managing data and collating and presenting evidence.  

• Good knowledge and network of third parties in impact management industry who can be leveraged to help deliver enhanced impact with our investee companies.  

• Strong project management, analysis and reporting skills, with the ability to deliver data and insights informed strategic approaches. Able to prioritise tasks and manage multiple work streams simultaneously in a complex and fast-moving environment.  

• Strong communication skills: the ability to describe complex development impact scenarios with accuracy and concision and the ability to explain development impact to non-professionals and across a range of cultural backgrounds. 

• Self-starter with a bias for action who is resilient, with a problem-solving approach. 

• Proven capability of effective team work and strong stakeholder/relationship management. 

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

British International Investment is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background. 

Please provide a cover letter with your application

Salary: Competitive