Managing Director (m/f/d) at ignato

Shape the social future of Europe with us Are you passionate about social change? Do you know that the best solutions emerge through collaboration? ignato is looking for a Managing Director with a founder’s spirit to jointly ensure that the best social innovations grow internationally and reach the places where they are most needed.

About ignato ignato – Fostering Social Innovation is a newly established non-profit innovation transfer agency that builds bridges between innovative social enterprises and one of the largest welfare networks in Europe. We identify proven innovations and support their implementation within Caritas organizations across Europe – multiplying the positive impact for millions of people. With four Caritas founding partners across Europe, we’ve laid the foundation – with the potential to access a network spanning 46 countries, 750,000 employees, and 25 million people served.

Deine Aufgaben

Key Responsibilities:

As Managing Director, you will be responsible for the following areas:

Strategic Development

• Advancing ignato’s vision to become Europe’s central hub for social innovation transfer
• Building strong partnerships with Caritas organizations, social enterprises, and innovators
• Establishing collaborations with investors, foundations, and funding institutions to enable financially sustainable growth
• Further developing and refining our service portfolio and our 4-stage innovation transfer process

Operational Execution

• Developing a sustainable business model and actively marketing ignato’s offerings to acquire clients
• Securing additional funding sources to ensure financial sustainability, especially during the initial build-up years
• Building and leading a high-performing team of innovation scouts and implementation coaches

Network Building

• Maintaining strong relationships with the four founding partners and gradually expanding the network
• Creating a dynamic ecosystem of international social enterprises, digital solution providers, foundations, and NGOs
• Promoting knowledge exchange and learning communities within the network

Impact & Growth

• Acquiring new social organizations as clients
• Developing effective impact measurement and monitoring for all implementations
• Preparing successful innovations for broader dissemination
• Positioning ignato as a pioneer in social innovation transfer

Dein Profil

Qualifications:

What you bring

• Several years of leadership experience in social enterprises, foundations, innovation management, or consulting; additional experience in the social sector is a plus
• A track record of building and scaling initiatives
• Strong network in the European social landscape
• Experience leading complex, multi-country projects with numerous stakeholders
• Eligible to work in Austria

Your strengths

• Entrepreneurial mindset: You’re drawn to pioneering work and bringing innovative concepts to life
• Leadership skills: You’re experienced in leading small teams of skilled, self-driven professionals
• Sales acumen: You enjoy and excel at selling products and services you genuinely believe in
• Persuasive communicator: You can convince clients and funders of your product and organization
• Big-picture thinking: You recognize patterns and develop transferable solutions
• Cultural sensitivity: You navigate different organizational cultures with ease
• People person: You build relationships effortlessly and earn trust quickly
• Impact-driven: You are motivated by creating real, societal change
• Clear communicator: You make complex topics understandable to diverse audiences

Ideally, you also have

• Experience in social entrepreneurship, funding consultancy, or innovation facilitation
• Experience collaborating with established social organizations
• Proven success in securing foundation funding and public grants
• Understanding of digital transformation in the social sector

Unser Angebot

What we offer

• Purpose-driven mission: Lead an initiative that can improve the lives of millions
• Creative freedom: Build an organization aligned with your vision
• European scope: Work across borders with dedicated partners
• Fair compensation: Salary aligned with comparable leadership roles in the non-profit sector
• Ground-up building: Create something new with strong institutional support

Minimum gross salary of €5,000 per month, with willingness to pay more depending on qualifications and experience.

Work Location
Vienna (occasional travel across Europe)

We look forward to receiving your application!

Wir freuen uns besonders über Bewerbungen, die zur Vielfalt unserer Organisation beitragen. Dies umfasst für uns insbesondere die Dimensionen Behinderungen, Herkunft, ethnische Zugehörigkeit, Nationalität, Alter, Religion und Weltanschauung, sexuelle Orientierung und geschlechtliche Identität. Klick einfach auf „Jetzt bewerben!“ und übermittle uns deine Unterlagen.