Purpose Associate - a paid alternative to an MBA for the impact sector

Are you looking for a way to make a real difference in the world? On Purpose's Associate Programme offers a unique retraining opportunity that pays you to develop the skills, experience and network to transition into a purpose-led career and make an impact. With On Purpose, you can drive change and be part of a movement of people working to bring about a healthy, regenerative economy. Join us and be the change you want to see in the world!

Apply now for the October 2023 cohort of the Associate Programme.

Fast-track your way to a purpose-led career with:

• Access to the best minds in the social and environmental impact space
• Opportunity to retrain and earn while you learn
• A tight-knit cohort of 15-20 like-minded and ambitious Associates to work alongside
• Work placements with top purpose-driven organisations
• Best-in-class leadership training and mentoring from industry professionals 
• Competitive advantage to propel you forwards in your impact-led career
• A chance to use your skills, competencies and knowledge to help build a more sustainable, equitable and just future.

How it works:

The Purpose Associate Programme is made up of four key parts: 

Purpose-driven work placements

You’ll be matched with two purpose-driven organisations for 2 x 6-month placements (working 4.5 days/week). Organisations we have worked with include Big Society Capital, Save the Children, Oddbox, Samaritans, Systemiq, and many more.

Learn from experts

You’ll be enrolled in an intensive Learning & Development programme with weekly sessions from experts from across the social and environmental impact space (0.5 days/week). You’ll develop your knowledge and leadership skills to help you deliver impact alongside your cohort. 

Mentoring & coaching

You’ll receive access to 1-2-1 support with fortnightly mentoring sessions and executive coaching every quarter to develop yourself personally and professionally.

Develop your network

In addition to your placements, you’ll become part of the On Purpose community, connecting and collaborating with alumni and our international network of impact driven professionals and organisations.

Earn while you learn:

The Associate Programme is unique in providing our Associates with a gross salary of £2,000 per month to support your participation and value the important work you’ll do.

How the Associate Programme can transform your career:

• 90% of our Associates continue working to create social and environmental impact after the programme.
• Alumni have gone on to take roles in all parts of the system, including a former music label services business owner now the CEO of Hubbub, a former Consultant now Managing Director of Divine Chocolate, and a former Marketer at Google now Head of Europe for Terra.Do. 

Who we’re looking for:

Specific sector/ industry experience is not important. We’re looking for talented people from diverse industries who have a determination to bring their skills and experience to purpose-driven projects.

You should apply if you:

• Have a minimum of equivalent to three years full-time professional experience and the right to work in the UK
• Are able to communicate with fluency in English
• Have worked in an office environment and completed tasks requiring some complexity 
• Are genuinely excited about building a career in the impact space
• Can drive forward and manage projects and turn ideas into reality
• Are persistent, and know when to compromise or to involve others when working towards a goal
• Are persuasive, good at inspiring others and have some experience of dealing with conflict or sensitive situations
• Are pragmatic, self-sufficient and are energised by new experiences or changing situations
• Can break down problems into solvable elements whilst not losing sight of the big picture
• Are relatively comfortable with numbers and quantitative analysis 

It would be nice if you had experience in some (not all) of the following:

• Managing stakeholders and partners
• Project management
• Strategy development
• Communications
• Analysis or research  
• Business development 

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences and people often under-represented in the impact sector. This includes people with disabilities, and people from all ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, religions and cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Curious to find out more?

Register your interest in the programme and we’ll share more information on application instructions. To apply you’ll just need to submit your CV and answer four questions about your skills, work experience and why you’d like to join the programme.

Key dates:

• The deadline to apply has been extended by one week to 29 May 2023 at 11:59 pm (BST)
• Interviews are scheduled to take place in mid-late June 
• Programme kick-off: October 2023

We're also recruiting fluent French and German speakers for our Associate Programmes in Paris and Berlin.

You’ve read this far, you might as well apply!