Apr 27, 2015 - the social sector and the financial community to enable sustainable ... in their last year of Undergradua
SOCIAL FINANCE GRADUATE PROGRAMME About Us Social Finance is a not for profit organisation working in partnership with government, the social sector and the financial community to enable sustainable social impact at scale. Social Finance was set up in 2007 to understand the funding shortfall faced by the social sector. We brought together a team of individuals from the social sector, finance and government to delve into the challenges and opportunities for voluntary and community organisations in providing services for the disadvantaged and vulnerable. We realised that there were deeper issues at hand than simply the availability of capital for voluntary and community organisations. Those who pay for social services are not the people who use them. The funding of services may undermine their effectiveness. This creates a tension for service delivery organisations between the interests of their funders and their users. With this insight, we began designing a number of financial and advisory services and products for social sector organisations. We looked for structures that would offer flexibility and long term funding, and would encourage innovation to deliver maximum impact. Since we started in 2007, Social Finance has mobilised over £52 million of social investment and designed a series of programmes to tackle social challenges. These include support for 2,000 short sentence offenders released from Peterborough Prison, 380 children on the edge of care in Essex, 2,500 young people at risk of becoming NEET, 600 homeless youth and 800 rough sleepers in London. We are also alleviating fuel poverty for over 2,300 families in Sunderland, enabling 15,000 families to access nursery places and free children’s services, and providing 7,500 affordable micro loans in Wales. We have pioneered the Social Investment Bank, Social Impact Bonds, Development Impact Bonds, the application of Jam Jar Accounts, and the Care and Wellbeing Fund. What are our goals and our values?
Achieving social impact and embedding change is the heart of what we do
We look for social impact first. Our models are driven by social, and then financial, returns
We don’t just think, we put our work into practice, with a drive to action and implementation
We believe that better social outcomes can be achieved at scale; and we aspire to deliver change at a national/ international level
More information can be found on our website www.socialfinance.org.uk.
The Programme Social Finance is looking for outstanding people to join its Graduate Programme in Autumn 2015. The Programme consists of a three year rotation across key business lines, training and mentorship opportunities to equip you with the skills and experiences to fast track your career in social investment.
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We are looking for individuals with outstanding academic credentials with excellent analytical and organisation skills, and a strong commitment to social change. We welcome applications from current students in their last year of Undergraduate or Master’s degree study, as well recent graduates who have less than two years of continuous working experience. Successful applicants will go through a rigorous selection process which includes interviews with various members of the Social Finance team and a case study exercise. Offers will be made by the first two weeks of May, with the cohort starting on 14 September 2015. Candidates must have the right to work in the UK. Work At any time Analysts will work on the following types of project alongside a Director and/or Associate Director:
Product innovation – developing new financial products that align social and financial returns with the interests of the social sector and socially motivated investors. For example, Social Finance’s ‘Social Impact Bonds’ that align government and nongovernment investment around concrete social outcomes.
Advisory projects – assisting social sector and international development organisations to create financial solutions to social and development issues, for example developing a finance facility for financially excluded families with disabled children, or a facility to provide earlier and more effective financing for slow-onset disasters such as drought.
Research and market intelligence – developing research to assist investors to deploy capital to generate a social and financial return, for example developing practical guides to social investment.
Capital raisings – supporting social sector organisations to scale their operations and impact by raising debt or equity capital at scale, for example raising a bond to finance the expansion of a non-profit personal loan company.
Our commitment to you Personal development is at the heart of the Social Finance offer. To help with career development, we organise one-to-one meetings with managers and regular performance reviews. We’ll also support your development with both internal and external training, so you can add to your skills or relevant professional qualifications. Once an offer has been made you will be assigned a “buddy” who will be a current first or second year analyst who can talk you through the induction process and help you find your feet at Social Finance. You will also be assigned a mentor who will be a senior colleague who can offer you guidance throughout your time here. As well as a competitive salary, Social Finance offers a generous holiday allowance (23-28 days, depending on service and seniority, plus Bank Holidays), a contributory stakeholder pension scheme, and 10% of salary allowance to spend on other benefits. To help you fund your pension, further professional education or childcare vouchers we can offer you salary sacrifice. Salary sacrifice is a way to provide tax-exempt benefits to employees. You give up some of your salary in exchange for a non-cash benefit and you save the tax and NI
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on the salary given up. Social Finance offers childcare vouchers, season ticket loans, bike to work schemes, and Give as you Earn. Social Finance is a sociable organisation - we regularly schedule office drinks and sporting events. We organise bake sales to raise money for different charities, and many staff members volunteer on a regular basis – within reason Social Finance tries to accommodate these demands on your time. We offer plenty of opportunities to get out, meet each other and make a difference by doing something, big or small, for others.
Application process To apply for the Social Finance Graduate Programme please submit a CV and cover letter to
[email protected]. Shortlisted candidates will receive a first round interview which can take place over the phone or in person. Successful candidates will be invited to an assessment morning where you will complete a case study exercise and interviews with several team members. Applicants should be expected to be tested on:
Critical thinking and problem solving
Presentation skills and quantitative capability
Knowledge of Social Finance and the social investment sector
Important dates Deadline for applications: Monday 27 April 2015 Offers made: end of May 2015 Programme start: Monday 14 September 2015
