Overview

We are a multi-stakeholder initiative connecting UK companies to the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest responsible business initiative. The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, rooted in UN treaties, provide a robust foundation for corporate sustainability and business action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our mission is to promote sustainability leadership to create a world we want to live and do business in, by inspiring ambition, enabling action, and collaborating to shape the business environment.

The UN Global Compact Network UK has over 850 participating companies and we are growing rapidly. Our mission is to promote sustainable leadership to create a world we want to live and do business in, by inspiring ambition, enabling action, and collaborating to shape the business environment.

The UN Global Compact Network UK has over 850 participating companies and we are growing quickly. The Network Secretariat Team is currently 26 people strong and also growing.

Our work is guided by the core values of the UN – Integrity, Respect for Diversity, and Professionalism – and nine additional values and behaviours of the UN Global Compact. Find out more here. During a recent review, the team used words like friendly, inclusive, supportive, family, passionate, and hard-working to describe our workplace.

About the role

We are seeking a Social Sustainability Project Manager who will report to our Head of Social Sustainability Programmes and support our work driving corporate action on human rights, diversity & inclusion, living wage, modern slavery, and other issues linked directly and indirectly to social sustainability.

We’re looking for:

  • Someone who has good subject knowledge. We need you to be familiar with business & human rights issues generally, but particularly the social inequalities agenda. We’ll also need you to be aware of the key external stakeholders in this field and initiate or maintain positive relations with them.
  • Someone who thinks strategically. Knowing the issues is just the start, you will also be expected to generate ideas for new projects to engage businesses in our Social Sustainability Programme.
  • Someone who manages efficiently. You will need to plan and deliver multiple projects concurrently. ‘Projects’ can take many forms, but will definitely include organising B2B events (both virtual and in-person), including researching themes, designing agendas, recruiting speakers, managing logistics, and producing follow-up reports.
  • Someone who communicates effectively. You will need to inspire and enable business action through a variety of media including speaking at virtual and live events, writing reports and blogs, creating website content, and posting on social media.

The UN Global Compact Network UK has a broad remit, but the Network Secretariat team is relatively small, so the Social Sustainability Project Manager may be required to support other activities from time to time.

In your first six months in the role:

Through online training and meetings with relevant colleagues, you’ll become familiar with our way of working and all the programming offered by the UN Global Compact Network UK and our Global Compact colleagues around the world.

While you get settled, you will support other Project Managers with their work and manage a participant Working Group. In due course, you will lead a project currently in development (on child labour, decent work, or DEI). Eventually, you will start creating your own projects.

*This is not an entry-level position. We expect that the successful applicant will have a minimum of 2-3 years experience working on social issues.

Before applying for this role, please note the following:

  • We utilise plagiarism software that can also detect the use of AI. Applicants found to be using these services will have their application immediately disqualified.
  • Applied is a ‘blind’ hiring process designed to eliminate biases. To preserve the impartiality of the hiring team, we do not engage candidates outside the programme until the final stages.
  • The UN Global Compact Network UK is not able to sponsor work visas. We will only consider applications from candidates who currently have the right to work in the UK.
  • While this role is within the UN Global Compact Network UK Secretariat, the successful candidate will not be formally employed by the United Nations. You can find information about the UN Global Compact Network UK’s governance here.

What are the next steps?

The application process includes the following steps:

1) Complete an equal opportunities questionnaire and provide some essential admin information.

2) Complete a written test. The test will include some questions designed to test your ability to do the job. Please give it your best effort, bringing in your personal experience as much as possible. To avoid bias, we don’t look at CVs until later in the process, so your scores on these questions will be the primary consideration in whether you will proceed to the next step. Your answers will be scored by people, not AI tools.

3) Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview with the Head of Social Sustainability Programmes, the Chief of Staff, and another member of the team.