Chief Operating Officer - Generation UK & Ireland
Location: Hybrid – the role can be based anywhere in the United Kingdom, with an expectation to attend the nearest regional office (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, or Glasgow) one day per week on the hub office's designated office day.
Salary: £75,000 to £90,000 p.a. (includes base salary and a performance element).
Contract: Full time, permanent; 40 hours per week; 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday to Friday.
Recruitment timetable: Last date for submission of applications: Sunday, 18 January 2025.
Informal enquiries: Michael Houlihan, CEO – michaelh@generation.org; Yasmeen Seth, People Director – yasmeen.seth@generation.org.
About The Role
As Chief Operating Officer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Generation UK & Ireland at a time of ambition, scale, and opportunity. Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Senior Management Team, you will lead the organisation’s funding acquisition and management team, oversee financial management of the charity, and lead on key strategic planning and operational elements, as well as the Impact and Data function. Your work will ensure Generation UK & Ireland’s bold vision translates into sustainable impact for thousands of learners across the UK & Ireland.
This role sits at the heart of the charity’s growth. You will champion operational excellence while fostering an outcomes‑driven culture that enables teams to innovate, adapt, and perform at their best. As a senior leader and external ambassador, you will build trusted relationships with our funders, partners, and stakeholders across the public and private sectors, including bringing new funders and partnerships into the organisation. You will represent Generation’s work nationally and help shape the future of inclusive employment across the UK and Ireland.
Why This Role Matters?
This is more than a leadership position. It’s a chance to shape the future of a charity, drive innovation in programme delivery, and inspire a dedicated team and wider community. If you are a strategic, visionary leader passionate about creating lasting social impact, with a track record of delivering results and bringing funders and partners together, this role provides a platform to turn bold ideas into meaningful change.
About Generation
Generation’s vision is a world where everyone has access to a good job and income that helps them and their families have a better life. Our charitable mission is to support people facing significant barriers to employment into life‑changing careers. We create impact with a unique methodology: profession‑specific skills bootcamps focused on in‑demand careers, with ongoing pastoral support and matchmaking to employer partners.
Generation launched globally in 2015 and has become the world’s largest demand‑led employment initiative. We have placed over 100,000 people into roles, working with over 4,000 employer partners across 16 countries. Since launching in the UK in 2019, we have trained more than 3,500 people, achieving an industry‑leading ~70% placement rate with learners placed at 800+ employers.
We have secured transformative corporate funding from Microsoft, JP Morgan Charitable Foundation, Macquarie Group Foundation, Barclays, BlackRock, and many more. In recent years, we have also been one of the leading charities delivering contracts for the Department for Education and a number of Combined Authorities, driving our scale into new programmes, regions, and beneficiary groups.
Find out more at https://uk.generation.org/ and hear more about our impact from our learners and beneficiaries at https://www.youtube.com/@GenerationUK-I/videos. Learn more about our culture at https://uk.generation.org/work-with-us/.
Responsibilities
* Funding & Financial Leadership – Lead a team responsible for all funding activity, including acquisition, renewals, and grant management, and play a key role in funding acquisition yourself.
* Build and maintain strong relationships with high‑profile funders, serving as the primary point of contact.
* Partner with the CEO to oversee financial management, including P&L responsibility, forecasting, scenario modelling, and budgeting.
* Collaborate with the internal finance officer and outsourced accountancy partner to ensure robust financial processes.
* Strategic Operations & Organisational Planning – Oversee organisation‑wide planning cycles, from annual plans to cohort‑specific delivery schedules, aligning and motivating a team of 70+ people.
* Manage planning tools and processes to ensure operational alignment and accurate resource allocation across all teams.
* Programme Strategy, Impact and Data – Ensure programme strategy and design achieve intended outcomes over multiple years, driving sustained impact.
* Lead continuous programme improvement, convening teams around Impact, and ensuring strategic reviews and implementation plans are robustly executed.
* Embed an outcomes‑focused, impact‑driven culture across the organisation.
* Oversee data infrastructure and dashboards to support reporting and informed decision‑making, while partnering with teams to improve data quality.
* Special Projects & Strategic Growth – Lead initiatives critical to long‑term impact, including delivery model innovation, expansion into new regions, and new programme launches.
* Support organisational design and project‑manage high‑profile collaborations, including a partnership with the Youth Futures Foundation to evaluate programme impact through RCT.
* External Representation & Thought Leadership – Act as spokesperson for the charity at events, in publications, and to key external stakeholders; support Generation Ireland where relevant, particularly in strategic planning and alignment.
Who will you work with?
Internal: the COO will lead a talented team of 12, including 4 direct reports – Head of Funding, Growth Strategy Manager, Impact Director, and Project & Partnerships Manager (Special Projects). The COO will collaborate closely with the CEO on finance and strategy, and with the Senior Management Team – Chief Learning Officer, Chief Partnerships Officer, Admissions Director, and People Director – on organisational delivery. The COO will also work with programme teams to ensure smooth cohort planning and operational alignment, and partner with Impact/Data teams to drive evidence‑based decision‑making.
External: the COO will engage existing and new funders from the private and public sectors, build partnerships with colleges and other organisations for programme co‑delivery and regional growth, and represent the charity at public events, in publications, and through communications with key stakeholders.
Requirements
* Strong leadership and team management experience in a senior role coordinating teams of similar size to Generation.
* Excellent strategic thinking and organisational planning capabilities, demonstrated through effective improvements or cycles of planning that led to high levels of impact.
* Proven track record in funding acquisition, grant management, and delivering multi‑figure grants.
* Proven ability to source, secure, and deliver new initiatives with partners, creating significant impact.
* Experience running finances, including budgeting, P&L oversight, and scenario modelling.
* Evidence of leveraging data and technology to increase organisational effectiveness.
* Deep understanding of Impact; experience with RCTs or similar evaluations is helpful.
* Strong project management skills with a track record of leading cross‑functional initiatives.
* Outstanding communication and public speaking skills to represent the organisation externally.
* Adaptability and a collaborative mindset to work across teams, regions, and partners.
Benefits
* Purpose and social impact at the core of your work.
* Key role in a pioneering organisation shaping education‑to‑employment programmes with robust evaluation and policy impact across England, Scotland, and Ireland.
* Opportunity to lead a variety of projects across a wide range of topics.
* Flexible and remote working to accommodate personal working patterns and needs.
* Work‑from‑home support allowance of £300.
* Professional development priority – up to £1,000 per year towards learning & development, plus up to 5 days study leave per year.
A FAIR CHANCE
Every role at Generation is open to applications from all sections of society. We believe in the potential of everyone, regardless of race, religion, gender, etc., and promote conscious inclusion. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates from marginalised groups. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis and the posting will close as soon as the right candidate is found.
Support with your application
Here is a recruitment support resource that explains our application process and offers tips to help you put forward your best possible application: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C2eU1_6tGW0ML4OHoXYTYAy_aLApg0M4EqcjU33tj3M/edit?usp=sharing
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