Programme Manager

Role Purpose:

Working closely with the Director of Programmes to manage and help develop a portfolio of funds across Access s enterprise grant, blended finance and capacity building work, the role holder will be the day-to-day point of contact for a portfolio of social investors, enterprise grant providers and other organisations funded by Access.

It is anticipated that this role holder may particularly specialise in the management of enterprise development funds, and those that are more local (place-based) throughout England.

The role will balance responsibilities including supporting and assessing funding proposals, managing performance via regular data submission and meetings, providing support from within and beyond Access s own team, supporting peer learning between delivery partners and seeking to ensure that lessons and experience across Access s programmes are maximised.

You will be part of a small organisation of around 15 people that take a flexible, collaborative and trust-based approach to work.

About Access The Foundation for Social Investment

Access the Foundation for Social Investment works to make sure that charities and social enterprises can access the finance they need to sustain or grow their impact.

Our mission is to use a range of tools from grants to investments to help charities and social enterprises grow their trading income, strengthen their resilience, and access social investment that works for them.

We are building a social investment market fit for the future one that delivers the right kind of finance to grassroots organisations, particularly in underserved places and communities.

We do this by:

• Funding blended finance and enterprise development programmes in England.
• Sharing knowledge and data and translating it into practical insight that others can use.
• Mobilising others who share our goal of making capital work for communities.

Our values:

• We re part of a much bigger team we work alongside our partners, strengthening collective efforts to accelerate change
• We are curious, open and honest our knowledge is for sharing and we don t shy away from difficult questions
• We are not looking for quick fixes we focus on the deep work of long-term systemic change

Key Responsibilities:

Relationship Management

• Be the day to day point of contact for a portfolio of organisations who are applying for funding and/or delivering Access s programmes.
• Build strong productive and supportive working relationships with delivery partners, in a spirit of collaborative endeavour and learning.
• Maintain comprehensive and clear records on Access s systems of the status of the relationship and any key questions or issues which are currently being addressed.
• Seek to build an understanding of the underling impact of the delivery of our funds on the work of the charities and social enterprises they exist to support.

Performance Management

• Following an agreed pattern and schedule, regularly meet and speak to the delivery partners to receive updates on performance, and key issues.
• Ensure robust financial management of funds, including monitoring deployment targets of partners, managing budgets and the process for drawing funds from Access.
• Ensure that regular performance data is submitted to a high quality and in an agreed format with each delivery partner. Perform checks to ensure accuracy and check understanding with the delivery partner.
• Ensuring the uploading of data into Access s management systems and producing the required performance reports for internal and external use.
• Use this performance data to analyse performance within each delivery partner and across the portfolio, including supporting the publication of a quarterly dashboard. Work closely with colleagues to identify trends and understand reasons for those trends.
• Work with delivery partners to address areas of under-performance, escalating issues where necessary to the Director of Programmes and Access committees.

Guidance and Support

• Use performance data and insight from different partners within the portfolio to identify opportunities to support partners with, for example, peer support around areas of good practice.
• Offer expertise within Access and across partner organisations to support delivery partners in particular aspects of their work.
• Where challenges are common across many delivery partners, work with colleagues and the Director of Programmes to develop shared solutions, tools, or learning resources which might address those challenges.
• Support the design and delivery of external events, including peer-learning events.

Facilitating and supporting decision making

• Reviewing and co-developing plans and proposals in collaboration with partners.
• Writing papers including assessment papers for Access committees, presenting clear information and context to aid understanding and decision making.
• Present analysis based on performance data and qualitative insight to inform decisions within the team about ongoing relationships with delivery partners.
• Actively participating in the peer-review of assessment papers produced by other colleagues in the Programmes team.

Supporting learning and programme design

• From data and insight gained through performance management, work with colleagues across Access to identify common themes within the portfolio to aid Access s learning and influencing objectives.
• Work with the Director of Impact and Evaluation to analyse performance data and make it available for publishing in various forms.
• Based on learning gathered across the portfolio within the Programme team and across all of Access, work with the Director of Programmes to identify how programmes can be improved and developed.

Skills and Experience:

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of managing complex relationships with multiple stakeholders, of setting and monitoring KPIs, holding delivery partners to account and seeking continual performance improvement.
• Familiarity with using Excel, and databases and/or CRM systems for managing large quantities of data, including bulk uploading and creating reports to aid analysis.

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to build strong collaborative working relationships with partners at all levels including Trustees, CEOs and delivery teams.
• Ability and inclination to manage large quantities of data and work with partners to ensure that data quality is high.
• Ability to evaluate, synthesize, and communicate insights from dense or technical documentation.
• Ability to produce clear and succinct written communications for partners and committees.
• Confident in verbal communication and presentation.
• Highly numerate.

Personal Style & Behaviour

• Enthusiastic learner.
• Practical and rigorous.
• Demonstrates clarity of thought and communication.
• Curious and creative thinker enjoys uncovering trends, challenges and opportunities, and presents practical solutions rather than problems.
• Collaborative.
• A passion for supporting charities and social enterprises.

Desirable

• Experience of working within or with charities and social enterprises
• Experience of managing data relating to social impact.
• Experience of investment structures.
• Experience of local partnership structures or place-based working.
• Experience of enterprise development activity.
• An ability to use and scrutinise complex financial models.
• Ability to travel around England when required.
• Excellent IT skills across a range of platforms.

How To Apply

Please submit your CV and Cover Letter (up to one page A4) to Careers4Change see website

Equal Opportunities

Access is committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and is determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race, or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

• We are committed to being an inclusive organisation and actively promote equality of opportunity for all. We believe in the value of a diverse workforce and encourage applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Selection for roles is based solely on individual merit, talent, skills, and potential.
• As a charity, we are dedicated to reflecting the communities and individuals we aim to support. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who share lived experiences or come from backgrounds that align with those we serve. Diversity strengthens our ability to make a meaningful impact, and we encourage all who feel passionate about our mission to apply.

Job title: Programme Manager

Location: Hybrid with at least one day in the Access office near Old Street, London (currently Tuesdays)

Reporting To: Director of Programmes

Contract: Full time permanent

Salary: £45,061

Date Closes: Thursday 5th March 2026