The Hg Foundation
Recruitment Pack
Programme Officer
July 2026
Our vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background.
We help underrepresented groups to access high quality jobs in tech by supporting education - and employment - based programmes across the UK, Europe and the US.
Our work is funded by Hg, a leading transatlantic software investor.
$45m — Committed since 2020
55 — education and employment programmes supported to date
80,000+ — Young people and adults supported to date
13 — countries with Foundation-funded programmes
By 2029 we aim to catalyse 100,000 impactful opportunities on the tech talent pipeline for underrepresented groups in Europe and North America.
www.thehgfoundation.com/partnerships
About The Hg Foundation
Technology continues to have a huge impact on every aspect of our lives. It has transformed the way we behave and operate and is progressing at a fast pace. With the rapid development of AI, it is more important than ever that young people and those already in the workforce have the skills and knowledge to make the most of new opportunities in tech. At the same time, some groups – especially women and girls, those from low-income backgrounds and from certain ethnic groups - are far less likely to gain good tech qualifications and access tech jobs.
The Hg Foundation's vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background. To achieve this, we help underrepresented groups to access high quality jobs in tech by supporting education and employment programmes across the UK, Europe and North America.
The Foundation began work in 2020 and has now funded over 50 partnerships, ranging from work to support girls' aspirations in STEM, to projects to support undergraduates from minority and low-income backgrounds access tech careers. Thanks to its main funder, Hg, the Foundation has committed $45m to date and its work reaches over 80,000 learners.
In Autumn 2022, it appointed its first Chief Executive, James Turner, former CEO of the social mobility charity The Sutton Trust. Since then, the team has expanded to include three Portfolio Leads and a Data & Impact Lead. The Foundation also draws on the support of external expert consultants and has financial, legal, operational and communications support from Hg, including two Hg staff embedded in the Foundation team.
With its new 2027-2029 strategy about to launch, the Foundation has ambitious plans for the future, including deeper operational involvement in some of its flagship partnerships and supporting well-evidenced, high intensity interventions that ensure fair access to tech-enabled opportunities at a time of AI transition. In line with this new strategy, the Foundation are working with a co-funder on designing a multi-million pound Fund, set to launch in autumn 2026, that would fund 4-5 UK-based programmes helping low-income non-graduates secure tech jobs. As well as supporting programmes, the Fund will generate research evidence on the tech hiring landscape and implications for social mobility, as well as evidence on which programmes are most effective at securing jobs. To support these plans, the Foundation is expanding its team and seeking someone eager to begin or advance their career in the non-profit sector. This newly created role at The Hg Foundation will provide essential support to our Portfolio Leads for Employability and offers an excellent opportunity for professional development in the foundation space. The role is funded for three years initially.
The Hg Foundation is an independent UK-registered charity, but its work is generously funded by Hg, through a portion of carried interest from current and future funds, and a percentage of annual profits. The Foundation's Trustee Board comprises a range of senior individuals from the business, as well as independent figures with experience of education and tech, including Sir Kevan Collins, the lead non-executive board member at the Department for Education, and Elona Mortimer-Zhika, former UK Tech CEO of the Year at software firm IRIS.
Please see www.thehgfoundation.com for more information.
About Hg
The Foundation is generously funded by Hg and supported by colleagues across the firm, who share their expertise and knowledge to advance our mission.
Hg is one of the most active transatlantic software and technology investors, with ~400 employees across five offices (London, Munich, Paris, New York and San Francisco), managing c.$100bn for over 200 institutional investors. Founded in 1990, Hg is the fastest-growing PE firm in Europe with an expanding US presence.
Responsible investing is central to Hg's approach - from being carbon neutral since 2019 to setting science-based climate targets and being recognised as Private Equity Diversity & Inclusion Leader 2024.
For further details, please see www.hgcapital.com.
Responsibilities
Programmes
- Supporting Portfolio Leads with the set up and management of new and existing partnerships, including a new Fund of 4-5 UK-based partnerships supporting low-income non-graduate young adults
- Overseeing the monitoring and tracking of programme partners' progress against KPIs and milestones
- Assisting with the monitoring of existing partnerships and assimilating data into meaningful insights
- Producing reports and analysis of programme performance for co-funders
Evaluation and research
- Supporting the effective evaluation and impact measurement for partnerships, working closely with Portfolio Leads, our Data & Impact Lead and our independent evaluation consultant
- Providing briefings to CEO and trustees as needed; undertaking internal analysis to inform decision-making
- Supporting externally-commissioned analysis and research projects
Communications
- Supporting the delivery of a range of events and webinars, including volunteering events, roundtables for employers, policymakers and non-profit partners, and events to launch and discuss our research
- Working with colleagues to provide content from our partners and the sector to use across social media, website, press releases, events etc
- Collecting case studies and impact reports from partners
- Supporting with drafting and collecting content for The Hg Foundation's annual Impact Report
Convening and collaboration
- Developing the Foundation's work on identifying cross-portfolio learning and common themes
- Helping to develop our relationships with Portfolio Companies and the Hg team to further enhance our impact, including supporting on volunteering opportunities with our non-profit partners
- Assisting with the coordination of cross-portfolio activities, bringing together the Foundation's non-profit partners to share best practice and insights with each other
Person specification
This role would be ideal for someone either in the early stages of their career or looking for a career change, who is keen to establish their experience in the foundation and non-profit sector. No previous non-profit experience is required, as the role is an opportunity to learn about the foundation sector - but the role could suit someone who has supported outreach, widening participation, charity or volunteering initiatives, or has an interest in supporting underrepresented groups to succeed in education and employment.
We are looking for people who can demonstrate:
- At least 1-2 years' experience in the workplace, but previous social mobility or non-profit experience is not required
- A positive, can-do attitude; eager to learn and contribute
- Great organisational and administrative skills, follows through tasks to completion
- An analytical mindset – able to distil complex information and to pursue projects logically and with independence
- Good communication skills, especially in writing
- A commitment to our mission of fairer chances in tech education, skills and employment
- Willing to be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of a small and evolving team
Working arrangements
- Reports to Gemma Collins, Portfolio Lead: Employability
- Salary: £35,000 per annum
- Benefits: 9% employers' pension contribution; private health insurance; life insurance; office lunch; plus other discretionary benefits
- Holiday: 30 days paid annual leave, plus public holidays
- Location: Flexible – 1-2 days a week in Hg's London office at London Bridge
- Travel: Occasional travel to partner projects
- The successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK
Application and Timelines
The Foundation is looking to make an appointment to start as soon as possible.
Please submit your application via email to Steph Silver (Steph.Silver@hgcapital.com) by Sunday 2nd August, 11:59pm and include:
- An up-to-date CV of no more than two pages (named in the format 'FULL NAME – CV')
- A document (named in the format 'FULL NAME – Programme Officer Role') with answers to each of the following 4 questions:
- What is it about The Hg Foundation's mission that resonates with you and why do you want to work with us? (Max. 350 words)
- What are your key achievements that make you a strong candidate for this role? (Max. 350 words)
- Tell us about a time you had to bring together information from different sources (e.g. data, reports, research) to produce something useful for someone else (e.g. summary, recommendation, report). What was the outcome? (Max. 300 words)
- This role involves building relationships with a range of partners and adapting to the needs of a small, evolving team. Describe a time you had to adjust your approach or communication style to work effectively with someone, and what you learned from it. (Max. 300 words)
If your application is successful, the next stages of the recruitment process are as follows:
- Round 1 interviews: Thursday 13th & Friday 14th August
- Round 2 interviews: w/c 24th August
Using AI in the application process
At The Hg Foundation, we sometimes use AI tools to help refine job descriptions, interview questions and tasks, and ensure consistency across the Foundation. But we do not use AI to support with sifting or reviewing applications. All applications are fully reviewed by humans who make the hiring decisions.
We understand that AI tools are now becoming more prevalent as people write and prepare applications and we don't expect candidates to avoid them entirely. However, what matters most to us is that your application reflects your own thinking, experience and voice. We want to understand who you are, what you've done, how you approach problems, and how you would fit into this role and the Foundation — not how well an AI tool can write on your behalf. If you do use AI tools as part of your process, make sure the final application is genuinely representative of you and something you are comfortable and confident speaking to in a potential interview.
This position was originally posted by the Hg 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.
