Impact Operations Lead

Acumen is looking for an Impact Operations Lead with at least 8 - 10 years of experience to lead the operations of Impact Measurement and Management and help Acumen’s regional investment teams to deliver Acumen’s impact. This role reports to the Director of Impact and will manage impact leads and touchpoints across the organization. Acumen operates under a hybrid work agreement; we are in the office three days a week.

About Acumen

Acumen is a global force of entrepreneurs, investors, philanthropists, and social innovators working together to build a world based on dignity. We were founded by Jacqueline Novogratz on the radical idea that business, when cultivated with moral imagination, can break the cycle of poverty. We invest in transformational companies, build sustainable markets, and prepare leaders with the tools they need to create a more just and inclusive future. Since 2001, we have scaled companies and shaped markets in some of the hardest-to-reach communities on the planet, impacting over half-a-billion lives. To learn more visit acumen.org.

About the impact function

The impact function leads on impact strategy and alignment between Acumen and external funders, impact measurement and management, and impact systems and technology. It is part of the CIO function that oversees and strengthens portfolio management, analytics, impact discipline and strategic coherence across Acumen's investment portfolio. The CIO function works closely with all regional investment teams as well as all the relevant departments, including office of the CEO, Development and Partnership, Legal, Finance, Communication.

About the Role

We’re looking for an Impact Operations Lead who will manage our impact measurement and management, across our regions and initiatives. In this role, you will lead the implementation of our updated impact toolkit to leverage information from our portfolio companies, via our systems and technology, with the aim to understand and improve Acumen’s impact across our various global regions and initiatives. You will ensure that Acumen builds the evidence, delivers quality reports to a range of funders, and drives learning based on our impact data.

This is a role for a proactive operational professional applying technical impact expertise. Someone who can identify what’s most needed to evidence our impact, get things done, and bring internal and external stakeholders along. At Acumen we focus on measuring for action. We are not looking for someone to blindly apply industry "best practice"; we need a leader who can prioritize what matters most. You are someone who can think like an engineer, communicate clearly, and manage execution effectively. You can understand the impact frameworks and translate requests to those holding the information, as well as providing meaning to those needing to manage the impact. You thrive on collaboration, coordination, and cross-functional teamwork, allowing you to build our impact evidence while managing complex grants across multiple regions.

This role will report directly into the director of Impact and collaborate closely with the other members of the Impact function. You will work closely with the regional investment teams and the Development and Partnership as well as finance teams. This role is expected to manage direct reports as we expand the impact function.

Accountabilities Include :

• Own Global Impact Operations: Implement frameworks and standards, maintain and optimize Acumen’s impact operations workflows. You will lead the deployment of all core impact tools, ensuring they are user-friendly and fully integrated into daily investment and reporting operations.
• Bridge Investment and Funding Lifecycles: Partner directly with Regional Investment, Development & Partnerships, and Finance teams to embed impact practices both per deal and across portfolio management
• Govern Data Collection & Quality Assurance: You will collaborate with your direct reports and regional investment teams to manage and audit incoming data, resolve bottlenecks, and ensure data integrity across diverse geographies.
• Translate Data into Insights: You lead the analysis and learning processes and ensure that the evidence can drive insights and actions based on what we learn. Turn raw metrics into strategic assets by aggregating portfolio data and leading the analysis. You will build clear dashboards and data packages that deliver actionable internal insights and audit-ready external reporting.
• Support Funder Engagement and Communication: Serve as the technical expert alongside the Development and Partnerships team during grant management; you will directly shape impact reporting frameworks, renegotiate metrics with funders where adaptation is required.
• Enable Regional and Portfolio Impact Management: Build the frameworks, training, and tools that allow regional deal teams to independently manage their own impact targets, ensuring local ownership over data and performance.

Skills & Qualifications

• 8-10 years of operational management in an international, cross-functional role.
• Experience in impact measurement and management and impact investment.
• Experience in private sector context.
• Self-reflective and aligned with Acumen values.
• Permanently authorized to work in the UK.

Location
London, United Kingdom

Deadline
Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Given the high volume of applications we receive, we kindly request that you refrain from submitting duplicative applications.

The salary range for this role is £55,000 to £66,000 plus a performance-based bonus. This range represents the present low and midpoint of pay range for this role. Actual compensation will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience. Acumen has equal pay, so pay is determined through comparison to a cohort of employees in the market at the same level of accountability.

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