Head of Thought Leadership | Voluntary role

Reports to: Director of Strategy and Portfolio

Direct reports: Volunteer leads and project teams, as agreed

Time commitment: 4–6 hours per week, with flexibility around key publications and events

Location: UK-wide and primarily remote, with attendance at selected meetings and events

Role type: Voluntary leadership role

About WIBF

Women in Banking and Finance is a volunteer-led membership organisation working for over 45 years to support, connect, challenge, inspire and enable women throughout their careers, while helping organisations take measurable action towards gender-balanced leadership across financial services and finance.

The opportunity

The Head of Thought Leadership will shape the ideas, evidence and insights that define WIBF's voice and influence across financial services. Working with the CEO, Executive Committee, corporate partners and a diverse network of volunteers and subject matter experts, the role will lead an ambitious programme of research, insight and commentary that informs debate, challenges conventional thinking and helps organisations take meaningful action.

This is an opportunity to establish WIBF as one of the UK's most respected and trusted sources of practical insight on gender-balanced leadership, talent, inclusion and the future of financial services.

Key responsibilities

·        Set and maintain WIBF's thought leadership strategy and rolling editorial roadmap, balancing flagship publications with timely responses to industry, government and regulatory developments.

·        Lead the development of WIBF's intellectual property, including the annual State of the Nation report, Women in Finance Charter insights, research reports, white papers, executive briefings, good-practice frameworks and implementation toolkits.

·        Commission and curate robust, independent and practically relevant research with corporate partners, universities, research organisations, data partners and subject matter experts.

·        Build a diverse contributor network spanning industry, academia, government, policymakers, volunteers and members, ensuring different backgrounds, experiences and career paths inform WIBF's work.

·        Own the intellectual direction of WIBF's year-round thought leadership programme, working with the Strategic Events team to connect conferences, roundtables and webinars to research priorities and flagship moments.

·        Provide strategic ownership of WIBF’s Accelerating Change Together research, ensuring its evidence and recommendations remain central to WIBF’s thought-leadership agenda and continue to influence industry debate and action.

·        Oversee the evolution of ACT as enduring WIBF intellectual property, identifying opportunities to refresh its evidence, extend its reach and translate its findings into practical tools, partnerships, programmes and future

·        Work with Marketing and Communications, Regions, Networks and Corporate Partnerships to turn insight into influence through media, social content, podcasts, speaking opportunities and executive engagement.

·        Develop strategic research partnerships that extend WIBF's capability and reach while protecting its independence, quality and credibility.

·        Establish proportionate standards and governance for commissioning, reviewing, publishing and retaining research so WIBF's knowledge becomes a lasting organisational asset.

·        Lead, coach and support volunteers contributing to research and publications, creating meaningful development opportunities and an inclusive, collaborative culture.

Key relationships

The role will work particularly closely with the CEO; Director of Strategy and Portfolio; Head of Benchmarking, Insights and Tooling; Head of Strategic Events; Marketing and Communications; Corporate Partnerships; Regions and Networks; and relevant external partners and contributors.

Experience and skills

Essential

·        Senior-level experience in thought leadership, research, policy, insight, strategy, journalism or a closely related discipline.

·        A strong record of turning complex evidence and diverse viewpoints into clear, credible and practically useful outputs for senior audiences.

·        Experience leading high-quality publications or research programmes from concept through to delivery, with sound editorial judgement and attention to evidence.

·        The credibility and relationship skills to engage senior industry leaders, academics, policymakers, partners and volunteers while maintaining an independent voice.

·        Strong programme leadership, prioritisation and collaboration skills, with the ability to deliver through influence in a largely volunteer-led organisation.

·        A clear commitment to WIBF's purpose and to advancing gender-balanced leadership across financial services and finance.

Desirable

·        Knowledge of UK financial services, the Women in Finance Charter, workplace inclusion or the future of leadership and work.

·        Experience of research partnerships, public policy engagement, media commentary, conferences or the development of proprietary intellectual property.

·        Experience leading, coaching or coordinating volunteers and subject matter experts.

What success looks like

·        A clear organisation-wide strategy and editorial calendar connects WIBF's research, publications, events and commentary.

·        The State of the Nation report and wider portfolio become recognised for their authority, practical relevance and contribution to industry debate.

·        WIBF builds a strong, diverse contributor community and enduring partnerships with respected research, data and knowledge organisations.

·        WIBF's insights inform organisational decisions, support measurable action and strengthen the organisation's visibility and influence.

·        Research standards and knowledge-management processes create a growing body of intellectual property that can underpin future products, services and AI-enabled capabilities.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion

WIBF is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and identities and particularly encourage candidates whose perspectives are underrepresented in financial services leadership. We assess candidates on their skills, experience and potential and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. You do not need to meet every desirable criterion to apply.

How to apply

Please submit a CV and a short statement explaining your interest in the role and the experience you would bring to our recruitment team at [email protected]. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified. This role will close on Friday 4 December