On Purpose Associate - A leadership programme for social & environmental impact

Seeking a meaningful career change? Embark on a transformative journey with the On Purpose Associate Programme, offering a unique opportunity for mid-career professionals to transition into impactful work. This paid, year-long leadership programme is designed for those ready to pivot their professional journey towards creating a sustainable, equitable and just future.

Why join us?

• Make a real impact: Through two 6-month work placements with leading organisations, you'll gain hands-on experience tackling pressing social and environmental issues. Our partners, including Big Society Capital, Save the Children, Oddbox, Samaritans, and Systemiq, provide unparalleled opportunities to contribute to meaningful change.
• Expert-led learning: Immerse yourself in an intensive Learning & Development programme, with weekly in-person sessions led by experts from across sectors. This blend of professional training and academic rigour equips you with the leadership skills, knowledge and mindset to drive systemic change. 
• 1-2-1 mentoring & coaching: Receive personalised support through fortnightly mentoring sessions and quarterly executive coaching, fostering both personal and professional growth.
• Join a supportive community: From day one, you'll be welcomed into a tight-knit cohort of ~20 like-minded and ambitious Associates. Together, you'll share ideas, challenges, and successes, creating a sense of belonging and mutual support that extends far beyond the programme's duration. You’ll also join the expansive On Purpose community, connecting with a global network of impact-driven professionals offering life-long inspiration, collaboration and opportunities.

Programme highlights:

• Earn while you learn: A competitive gross salary of £25,645 per annum, supporting your full-time commitment to creating change.
• Transformative impact: Nearly 1000 alumni are now leading change worldwide in all parts of the system, with 92% working in the impact sector, evidencing the programme's success in facilitating career changes towards impactful work.
• Diverse career opportunities: Our Associates have made significant career changes, moving into roles ranging from CEOs of social enterprises to leadership positions within traditional companies driving change from within, like a former music label business owner now the CEO of Hubbub, a former Consultant now Managing Director of Divine Chocolate, and a former Marketer at Google now Head of Europe for Terra.do.

Who we’re looking for:

This programme is ideal for individuals seeking a career change into the impact sector, or for those already in the impact sector who want to develop new skills, have the opportunity to work in more commercial organisations, or to join an engaged network of people who share your values and are working toward the same goal. 

Specific sector/industry experience is not important. We’re looking for talented people from diverse industries who have a determination to bring their skills and experience to purpose-driven projects and to driving systemic change. We seek ambitious individuals with:

• A minimum of three years full-time professional experience
• The right to work in the UK
• Fluency in English 
• Office environment experience 
• Excitement towards building a career that helps transform our economy from profit to purpose
• Skills in project management, stakeholder engagement, adaptability, interpersonal communication, problem-solving, quantitative analysis and strategic thinking.

Diversity and Inclusion:

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences and those who are often under-represented in the impact sector, including but not limited to individuals with disabilities and those from diverse ethnic, gender identities, sexualities, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds.