Programme Lead – Social Sustainability

Location: Hybrid · London, UK

Salary £40,000-£45,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Application Deadline: 28 September 2026 9am BST

About the UN Global Compact Network UK

We are a dynamic multi-stakeholder initiative, dedicated to 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 and comprehensive framework for corporate sustainability and business action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our mission is to champion sustainability leadership to create a world we want to live and do business in, by inspiring ambition, enabling impactful action, and collaborating to reshape the business environment for the better.

The UN Global Compact Network UK has over 900 participating companies, with a team of 26 people.

Our work is guided by the core values of the United Nations – Integrity, Respect for Diversity, and Professionalism – alongside nine additional values and behaviours of the UN Global Compact which can be found here. During a recent review, the team described our workplace as friendly, inclusive, supportive, passionate, and hard-working.

About the role

We are seeking a Social Sustainability Programme Lead to join our dynamic team.

The Social Sustainability Lead acts as the primary thematic lead and subject matter expert for the UN Global Compact Network UK's work on social sustainability and the just transition. The Lead is responsible for shaping and delivering high-quality programmes, thought leadership, and practical guidance that support businesses in understanding and addressing their social-related dependencies, risks, and opportunities, including the workforce implications of the transition to a more sustainable economy.

Working closely with member companies, partners, and external stakeholders, the Social Sustainability Lead translates evolving employment law, human rights due diligence expectations, and policy developments into actionable insights and business-relevant solutions. The role convenes key stakeholders to drive knowledge sharing, peer learning, and collective action, helping organisations integrate social value and inclusive workforce practices into strategy, operations, value chains, and decision-making.

This role requires strong expertise in across all corporate social sustainability issues, such as social impact, social value, business and human rights , workforce inclusion, etc combined with excellent stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a wide range of business audiences.

We are looking for someone with…

Demonstrable subject matter expertise in corporate social sustainability, human rights due diligence, and workforce inclusion, with a strong understanding of the UK and EU regulatory landscape and its implications for business practice.
Experience in designing and delivering social sustainability programmes, social value initiatives, or capacity-building support for SMEs, whether through an NGO, consultancy, or corporate sustainability function.
Experience in familiarity with sector-specific social impact challenges, including the ability to identify high-risk practices, tailor engagement to different industry contexts, and connect sector dynamics to the broader just transition agenda, is desirable.
Experience in or familiarity with policy engagement or advocacy, including the ability to monitor regulatory developments, identify advocacy opportunities, and contribute to credible, evidence-based policy positions.
Experience in programme or project management, with the ability to independently plan and oversee delivery and to exercise flexibility across operational tasks in a small organisation context.
Strong research and analytical skills, with the ability to generate thought leadership outputs, evaluate programme evidence, and produce clear, high-quality written reports and briefings for a range of audiences.
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to adapt tone and language for different audiences; confident in presenting and moderating sessions with senior and expert audiences.
Skilled at building and maintaining relationships across a complex multi-stakeholder environment, including corporate members, international organisations, civil society, and regulatory bodies.
Collaborative and inclusive approach, with the ability to lead and provide day-to-day guidance and feedback to project managers working across the portfolio. Work effectively as part of a small, interdisciplinary team and operate with a high degree of autonomy.

Key Responsibilities - after onboarding, we will expect you to:

Project Management

Monitor and assess the implications of emerging regulation and policy developments, including the UK Procurement Act's social value model, the Modern Slavery Act, and the evolving EU corporate due diligence landscape (including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, CSDDD) for member organisations, and ensure that programme content reflects the most current and relevant regulatory context.
Support member organisations in strengthening their approach to social value measurement, human rights due diligence, and workforce inclusion, equipping them to respond to a rapidly shifting regulatory and policy environment across both UK and EU contexts.
Develop and maintain detailed workplans, budgets, and risk registers for all programmes and initiatives within the social sustainability portfolio.
Actively identify funding opportunities and grant prospects relevant to the programme area, and contribute subject matter expertise and programme evidence to funding proposals.

Regulatory Intelligence and Topic Stewardship

Monitor and assess the implications of emerging regulation and policy developments, such as social value requirements in public procurement and evolving human rights due diligence legislation, for member organisations, and ensure that programme content reflects the most current and relevant regulatory context.
Support member organisations in strengthening their approach to social value measurement, human rights due diligence, and workforce inclusion.
Generate thought leadership reports, briefings, and policy papers related to social value, just transition, human rights due diligence, and SME social sustainability performance.
Research challenges and opportunities for business in this topic area to support decision-making and programme development.
Regularly assess programme results and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate impact and progress.
Support the organisation's advocacy priorities.

Partnerships

Act as the primary point of contact with the UN Global Compact Office (GCO) and other country networks participating in social sustainability initiatives, ensuring alignment with the global agenda.
Establish and nurture partnerships with key stakeholders and organisations to enhance the impact and reach of the social sustainability portfolio to enhance the impact and reach of the social sustainability portfolio
Engage with sector-specific social sustainability initiatives and partnerships, identifying opportunities for GCN UK to convene, collaborate, or provide expertise in priority social impact contexts.
Work closely with member organisations, identifying opportunities to deepen their commitment and the visibility of their actions.

Team Collaboration

Collaborate and support assigned Project Managers, ensuring subject matter rigour and content quality throughout the delivery cycle.
Work collaboratively with the Impact Team, sharing relevant updates and contributing to the coherence of the wider programming.

What we offer:

Hybrid working – After onboarding, a minimum of two days in the office per week, working from home up to 3 days per week.
Flexible working, once discussed with your line manager. Our core/active hours are 10 am to 4 pm.
Compressed hours of 9-day fortnights.
Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family.
25 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, increasing with length of service.
Three additional days off between Christmas and New Year, offered at the organisation’s discretion.
Menstruation and menopause leave.
Three additional days off for mission-related volunteering or sustainable travel.
Enhanced pension scheme after probation.
Enhanced sick leave.
Season ticket loan.
Cycle to Work Scheme and Bike-sharing Cycle Scheme.

This is a full-time position (37.5 hours per week).

Before applying for this role, please note the following:

Our hiring process aims to eliminate bias by using a software called Applied. To do this, we do not engage candidates outside the Applied 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 already 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. Learn more about the UN Global Compact Network UK's governance here.

Next Steps:

The application process includes the following steps:

Complete an equal opportunities questionnaire and provide essential admin information.
Upload your CV and cover letter highlighting the skills and experience you would bring to the role.
Longlisted candidates will be asked to complete a written test which includes questions designed to test your ability to excel in this role. Your answers will be scored by people, not AI tools.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview.
Final candidates will be invited to an informal, in-person meeting.

UN Global Compact Network UK

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Programme Lead -Social Sustainability