Social Venture Development Coordinator 

The opportunity

Are you passionate about driving social change through innovative ventures? The London Social Venture Fund (LSVF), supported by Research England, is seeking two proactive and visionary Social Venture Development Coordinators. As a cross University venture, one post will be based at the University of the Arts London (UAL) and another at London Metropolitan University (LMU).

As a Social Venture Development Coordinator, you will play a vital role in helping new ideas that can make the world a better place get off the ground. You'll work with universities and students, guiding them as they turn their big ideas into real businesses that can help people. This means helping them understand how to get their business started, connect with people who can fund them, and find their first customers. You're not just doing a job; you're helping create businesses that that will make a big impact in society.

Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Collaborating with a vibrant network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to foster a thriving ecosystem of social venture opportunities.
• Guiding students and graduates through the process of commercialisation, including applying to venture builders, accelerators, and mentoring opportunities.
• Spearheading events to give emerging social ventures prime market access.
• Building and managing key relationships with stakeholders, including investors, government agencies, and IP specialists.

Candidate Note: If you have a preferred work location (UAL or LMU) please state in the further information section.

About you

We're seeking someone who knows the ins and outs of social ventures and has successfully supported start-ups and social enterprises before. You'll need to be great at developing support programmes, communicating, and presenting ideas clearly, and working well with others, always with a focus on promoting diversity and inclusion.

About LSVF

The LSVF is a pioneering initiative, bringing together ten universities and eight diverse partners across London to spearhead the development of social ventures. Our goal is to tackle complex social challenges by empowering university staff and students to create and scale impactful social enterprises. This ambitious project not only aims to address critical barriers such as access to pre-seed capital and public sector procurement but also strives to support minority founders and women in their entrepreneurial journey.

What we offer

To recognise the hard work of our staff and their contributions, we provide a wide range of benefits – please check our careers site/Canvas for further information as conditions and exclusions apply:

▪ at least 31 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.

▪ equal parental leave offering up to 6 months full pay for maternity and paternity.

▪ 2 days of paid volunteering leave for a UK registered charity.

▪ generous defined benefit pension schemes (LGPS/TPS}.

▪ discounts including gyms, nursery and private healthcare insurance.

▪ learning and development opportunities including free Short Courses.

▪ season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, free counselling and more!

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) offers an extensive range of courses in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. We are a collegiate University spread across London with six Colleges, four Institutes and five Research Centres. UAL also has two subsidiary companies, delivering specialist activities – UAL Short Courses Ltd, and UAL Arts Temps Ltd.

We’re made up of all types of people, coming together in London, the world’s creative capital. We are designers, artists, performers, thinkers, researchers and makers. Our students, staff and graduates form a global network of creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders. Together, our ideas change the world. Because the world needs creativity.

We are ranked highly across the board. We are ranked first for specialist art and design, second in the world for Art and Design in the 2023 QS World University Rankings (for the fifth year in a row), ranked fifth in sustainability and two of our colleges were rated in the top three fashion schools in the world. 

Our culture

We have become one of the world’s most international Universities, welcoming over 22,000 students and 6,000 staff from 130 countries. And, as a global university, staff and students learn from different cultures and perspectives, which leads to new conversations and innovative work. At our very core, everything we do seeks to challenge the status quo by driving social purpose and standing up for what matters.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds including those who may feel underrepresented in the workforce due to their socioeconomic circumstances such as those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (B.A.M.E.) backgrounds. We aim to be a university where everyone can be themselves and are supported to reach their full potential.

With our commitment to inclusion and diversity, we are proud to be a Race Equality Charter (REC) member to help us reduce barriers that negatively impacts B.A.M.E. staff, a Stonewall Diversity Champion to ensure all LGBTQ+ people are valued at work, a Disability Confident Scheme Committed employer and member of the Business Disability Forum which help us to improve the lives of disabled people in the workplace.