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Foundation Director
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About The AIM Foundation
The AIM Foundation is a family-led charitable foundation committed to creating meaningful, long-term impact through thoughtful grantmaking. Established over 50 years ago, AIM combines strong governance with a personal, collaborative approach to charity funding. The Foundation is overseen by a Board of family and independent trustees and operates through trustee-led governance supported by programme committees and a Foundation Director.
AIM’s funding currently focuses on Early Childhood, particularly school readiness and inequalities affecting children’s early development, and the restoration and protection of the UK’s rivers. It also manages the Family Fund and agreed legacy commitments. AIM has an investment portfolio of approximately £12 million and an a grantmaking budget of around £500,000 a year.
The opportunity
As AIM enters its next chapter, we are seeking a Foundation Director to help maintain and build upon the strong foundations that have already been established.
This is a distinctive opportunity for someone who enjoys working closely with trustees, charities and advisers while taking ownership of the day-to-day leadership of a family foundation. The successful candidate will become a trusted partner to the Chair and Board, helping AIM to operate effectively, make the best possible use of its resources and preserve its family-led and collaborative approach.
Role at a glance
- Reports to: Chair of Trustees
- Accountable to: Board of Trustees
- Basis: Part-time, currently engaged on a freelance basis
- Time commitment: One to two days per week, with flexibility around the Board and grantmaking cycle. Four Board meetings per year, two in person in London and two on Teams.
- Location: Home-based, with travel for meetings, visits and sector events as required
- Direct reports: None currently
- Fee: £250-£300 per day, commensurate with experience, plus reasonable expenses, reviewed annually
Role purpose and accountability
The Foundation Director is AIM’s sole staff lead and is responsible for coordinating its strategic, grantmaking, governance, financial and operational activity, with support from trustees, committees and external professional advisers.
The Director is trusted to use their experience and judgement with a high degree of day-to-day independence, within AIM’s agreed strategy, budgets, policies and delegated authority. They bring forward clear recommendations and translate trustee decisions into action, while the Board retains its legal responsibilities and approval of reserved matters. The role is supported by weekly catch-ups and ad hoc discussions with the Chair.
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Key responsibilities
Strategy and leadership
- Advise trustees on AIM’s direction, priorities and use of resources, drawing on evidence, sector intelligence and grant-partner experience.
- Translate agreed strategy into programme plans, budgets, grant pipelines and a practical annual workplan.
- Identify opportunities, risks and areas where AIM’s independence, relationships and resources could add particular value.
Grantmaking learning and influence
- Lead AIM’s proactive, relationship-based grantmaking, from research and proportionate due diligence through to recommendations, awards, monitoring, renewal or exit, ensuring records and payments are complete in Salesforce.
- Track portfolio balance, outcomes, learning, risk and future commitments, using insight to inform strategy and trustee decisions.
- Represent AIM and develop constructive relationships with other funders, networks, researchers, advisers and sector partners.
Governance trustee and family support
- Work closely with the Chair, coordinate the annual cycle of Board and committee meetings, and prepare concise papers, recommendations, minutes and action records.
- Maintain conflicts, policy and governance records and support trustee induction, family engagement and access to timely information and appropriate professional advice.
- Support the Chair and trustees to make informed decisions while respecting the distinction between the Director’s delegated authority and the Board’s formal responsibilities.
Finance investments risk and compliance
- Prepare and monitor annual budgets, liquidity and multi-year grant commitments for committee review and Board approval.
- Coordinate the annual accounts, statutory reporting, banking, payments and professional advisers, including AIM’s investment managers, and ensure financial controls are followed.
- Maintain the risk register and escalate material financial, operational, governance, safeguarding, data or reputational concerns.
- Ensure relevant charity, data-protection, safeguarding and other regulatory obligations are understood and met.
Operations and communications
- Run AIM’s day-to-day operations, including reliable systems, records, advisers, suppliers, access controls and continuity arrangements.
- Keep Salesforce, Dropbox, AIM’s website, public information and 360Giving publication up to date, preserving institutional knowledge and protecting confidential information.
- Writing of concise summaries of reports, recorded minutes – these can be supported by AI.
What success looks like
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- Trustees receive the insight and support needed to make timely, confident decisions.
- AIM’s resources and grant portfolio remain clearly aligned with its strategy and values.
- Grant partners experience AIM as thoughtful, responsive, proportionate and trustworthy.
- Budgets, commitments, records, risks and statutory obligations are well managed, and learning from grants informs future funding.
The person
Experience And Skills
- Senior-level experience in foundations, grantmaking, charities or a closely related field.
- Strong understanding of charity governance and the respective roles of trustees, staff and advisers.
- Experience of developing strategy and translating it into practical plans, budgets and delivery.
- Sound financial understanding, including accounts, controls, risk and multi-year commitments.
- Ability to assess organisations and programmes and present concise, balanced recommendations.
- Excellent judgement, integrity and discretion, with the confidence to offer constructive challenge.
- Strong relationship-building, communication and Board-paper writing skills, with the organisation to work independently across competing priorities.
Desirable
- Knowledge of early childhood, UK rivers or environmental restoration.
- Experience of family foundations or intergenerational governance.
- Familiarity with Salesforce, 360Giving and investment-manager relationships.
Values and ways of working
- Independent, thoughtful and focused on charitable impact, while remaining collaborative and curious.
- Open, trusting and respectful of grant-partner expertise and lived experience.
- Proportionate and risk-aware, maintaining appropriate standards without unnecessary burden.
How to Apply (or Find Out More)
To Apply, Please Send
- your CV, and;
- a short covering letter or email (no more than two sides of A4) telling us about your experience and why you might be a good fit for AIM.
Please send these to Sarah Irving, Foundation Director (sarah@theaimfoundation.org.uk) by 5 p.m. on Sun 1 November 2026. If you have questions or would like to discuss this role before applying, then please contact Sarah who can put you in touch with one of our Trustees.
Successful candidates will be invited to interview in early November.
This position was originally posted by the AIM Foundation and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link on the side. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
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