• Parental leave 12 months contract

We, at Sefa Partnerships are all about doing good – and having a good time doing it. The Sefa family are a group of avid tea drinkers (and some coffee connoisseurs too), each with a strong case of wanderlust. A diverse bunch of generalists, you’ll often find us immersed in deep and meaningful discussions, always learning from each other. We balance our weekly team gatherings with a healthy love of chocolate – and the occasional choreographed dance session. But above all, we're united in our commitment to making sure great social enterprises can thrive well into the future.

Sefa Partnerships exists to create healthy, resilient and empowered communities. Sefa Partnerships is a charity, and we work in close partnership and under a joint strategy with our sister organisation Sefa Ltd, an impact investor and capacity builder for the social enterprise sector.

Sefa Partnerships has a unique legal structure, a broad social purpose and nearly a decade of success behind us delivering innovative programs and unlocking capital for for-purpose organisations. And we are just getting started...

Right now, Sefa Partnerships is at an exciting inflection point. We are working on a bold new strategy which leans into our innovative, risk-taking roots with a view to shaking up the social enterprise and for-purpose finance sector. Whilst there are changes in the works, we will always be arming social changemakers with the capabilities and capital to change the world.

Our objective is to:

Relieve disadvantaged communities and persons in Australia suffering poverty, sickness, distress, misfortune, disability or helplessness by any means, including:

• (1) providing financial assistance; and
• (2) working in partnership with other organisations on benevolent projects

The Head of Innovation role will oversee all aspects of Sefa Partnerships’ business development and priorities as well as product and service strategy delivery to help maintain:

• A robust and profitable portfolio of fee-for-service / grant-based products and services that achieve our charitable objectives
• A strategic, impactful and sustainable portfolio of capital collaborations and other blended or catalytic capital programs that unlock Sefa Partnerships’ DGR 1 and PBI status to provide access to capital for underserved markets and communities
• An engaged stakeholder group with a focus on corporates, philanthropy, government and other partners aligned with our charitable objectives and appetite for social innovation and learning, whilst integrating with strategic activities of Sefa Ltd (capital and capability offerings)

Key responsibilities include:

Social innovation and learning

At Sefa Partnerships we deliver programs that tackle the challenge of how we can create systems and tools to incentivise and sustain positive social impact. We bring together people and organisations from across the financial system to learn, challenge and innovate. At Sefa Partnerships, we measure success based on how we translate learnings and ideas into reality. All our programs are designed to produce actionable outcomes, whether it be launching a new financial mechanism in-house, or securing support to scale up an innovative intervention.

This role would be responsible for:

• Leading Sefa Partnerships’ fee-for-service or grant-based offerings with a focus on developing long-term partnerships and programs that contribute to the impact frontier across the ecosystem
• Project managing the program portfolio and pipeline, overseeing Sefa Partnerships / Sefa staff, and consultants as required
• Coordinating with Sefa’s Head of Engagements on joint projects and proposals for earlier-stage organisation

Blended finance and catalytic capital

Sefa Partnerships has the capability to unlock philanthropic capital for social purpose organisations via auspicing partnerships, and we have discovered significant demand for this service. Our portfolio of partner organisations has grown more than 10x in 2024, and we are exploring ways to create additional social impact through complementary offerings. Our partners are working on initiatives which range from launching innovations to tackle the housing crisis to developing world-first finance products for regenerative entrepreneurs.

This role would be responsible for:

• Making sure we work together in accordance with our regulatory DGR1/PBI status, our internal collaborations principles and Investment Committee policy
• Overseeing the accessibility in market, due diligence process and ongoing portfolio management of our capital collaborations
• Assisting in developing and drive new philanthropy-focused business, partnerships and relationships that integrate capital and capability for social outcomes
• Coordinating with Sefa’s Head of Portfolio Management on joint proposals and programs, and providing support to the Social Finance team for blended finance transactions

Sustainability and integration with Sefa Group

We work in deep collaboration with the wider Sefa group. In this role, you would:

• Work with the Sefa CEO on (a) maintaining impactful strategic objectives for Sefa Partnerships that complement and amplify Sefa’s, (b) developing business and product development priorities and (c) analysing, measuring and sharing Sefa Partnerships’ social outcomes and impact contributions
• Be supported by the Sefa CEO, lead philanthropic fundraising and partnerships in support of Sefa Partnerships’ operations and charitable objects
• Conduct research and engage in market sounding on new trends, gaps and opportunities for business development
• Support the Sefa CEO in managing key stakeholders and partners
• Contribute to the Sefa Group’s marketing, events, thought leadership and advocacy activities to build the for-purpose market and drive systems change
• Represent Sefa Partnerships at events and conferences

Knowledge and Skills required

It would be essential to have the following:

• Passion, energy, commitment and understanding of the social enterprise development / venture philanthropy / impact investing / innovation / social enterprise / for-purpose sectors and a ‘can do’ attitude
• Existing networks in the Australian philanthropy sector
• Demonstrated knowledge of social impact and innovation with an ability to apply this to the development of fit-for-purpose products, programs and collaborations
• Strategic thinking with an appetite for business development and an ambition to develop and manage a small enterprising charity
• Ability to multi-task and coordinate a broad range of clients, stakeholders and partners
• Sound understanding of social impact frameworks, business strategy, governance, commercial acumen elements (e.g. revenue models, financing options) and investment readiness considerations (e.g. capital options, structures) that underpin the successful creation and development of social initiatives
• Patience and resilience with strong relationship building skills
• Demonstrated program management experience with responsibility for managing multiple deliverables and stakeholder relationships with people from a diverse range of organisations
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to interact with a variety of audiences and levels of technical expertise

It would be helpful if you can demonstrate:

• Experience working in a high tempo program environment that is targeted at achieving long-term outcomes and contributing to systematic impact in the for-purpose ecosystem
• Experience working in philanthropy as a funder
• Skills in co-design, workshop facilitation and public speaking
• Analytical skills, e.g. around financial analysis and/or investment assessments
• An interest in systems change

If you thrive on variety, building deep relationships and want to carve your own path with an organisation that supports your personal growth, we’d love to meet you.

The role is suitable for part time (4 days per week) or full time. There is also potential to extend following the 12 month period.

We encourage applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ and diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

For more information, please contact Alice Brennan, Head of Innovation, at [email protected] using the subject line: Head of Innovation enquiry via EthicalJobs.

We are keen to get someone on board as soon as possible to ensure a good handover. Applications will be considered weekly and interviews will commence from 15th October if we find the right pool of candidates.

A position description is attached.