Business Transformation Lead

Change Please is a social enterprise on a mission to end homelessness through coffee. Since launching from a small cart in Covent Garden in 2015, we’ve grown into an international, multi-award-winning organisation operating across four countries.

Our profits fund life-changing support for people experiencing homelessness, including barista training, living-wage employment, therapy, housing guidance and long-term career pathways. We believe in business as a force for good, one that unlocks potential, restores dignity and creates opportunity.

As we continue to scale nationally and internationally across wholesale, retail and fundraising operations, this is a pivotal moment to join Change Please and help shape the next phase of our growth.

The Business Transformation Lead is responsible for embedding AI and automation into how Change Please works day to day, and for continually improving efficiency across the business.

Working across wholesale, supply chain, IT, HR, finance, sales, operations and impact services, plus international Change Please in the future, the postholder will focus on three core areas:

• reducing the time colleagues spend managing email
• automating workflow processes
• making sure external communications flow between users without manual intervention

Alongside this, the role owns the documentation of how each department works. This includes mapping workflows, deciding where AI should and shouldn't be adopted, and keeping an up-to-date index of the business's systems and how they connect.

This is a permanent, hands-on role. It suits someone who enjoys understanding how things work, fixing what slows people down and seeing improvements through to everyday use. There is scope to take on greater ownership and responsibility as the function grows.

Location

This is a London-based role, with a primary base across our Peckham office and WeWork Aldwych, alongside some travel to customer sites across the UK from time to time.

The role is expected to be office or client-site based minimum three days per week, with flexibility depending on business needs.

We recognise that flexibility matters and are committed to supporting colleagues to balance work with family and other caring responsibilities wherever reasonably possible .

Reporting

The Business Transformation Lead sits within Change Please CIC and reports to the Director of Operations.

The role will work collaboratively across departments consulting with colleagues across the wider Change Please Group to support the delivery of transformation projects.

Key Responsibilities

AI adoption and efficiency (primary)

• Day-to-day email: Introduce and continually refine AI tools that help colleagues triage, draft, summarise and respond to email, reducing time spent in inboxes across every department.
• Workflow automation: Identify repetitive, manual tasks in each department, such as data entry, reporting, approvals, reconciliation and scheduling. Automate them using no-code and low-code tools wherever possible.
• External communication: Design and maintain automated communication between Change Please and external users (customers, suppliers, partners, candidates and beneficiaries), so routine enquiries, updates and hand-offs happen without manual intervention.
• Review automations that are already live on a regular basis, keeping them accurate, reliable and fit for purpose as the business changes.
• Maintain a live register of the AI tools in use: what they do, what they cost, who owns them and what they have replaced.

Process documentation and workflow design

• Document current processes department by department, working with teams to capture how work gets done.
• Create and maintain clear workflows for each department and update them as processes change.
• Build and look after a central process library of standard operating procedures, templates and guides, held in one place and kept current.

Departmental understanding and AI decision-making

• Build and maintain a working understanding of the technical functions, systems and data used by each department.
• Assess where AI adoption will add value and where it won't. Make recommendations to the Director of Operations based on benefit, effort, cost and risk.
• Maintain a rolling pipeline of improvement opportunities, prioritised with department leads.

Implementation with department teams

• Work alongside department teams to put agreed changes in place: set up tools, test them, train users and support them until new ways of working are embedded.
• Test changes with a small group first, confirm the benefit, then roll out more widely.
• Build AI confidence and literacy across the business. Offer accessible, practical support for colleagues at every level of experience.
• Develop a network of departmental champions so improvements are sustained.

System architecture index

• Create and maintain an index framework of the business's system architecture: every system, its owner, its purpose, how data moves between systems and which automations depend on it.
• Use the index to spot duplication, gaps and risks, and to support decisions on consolidating or retiring tools.

Governance and responsible use

• Make sure all AI and automation work complies with the Change Please AI use policy and data protection requirements (UK GDPR, EU GDPR and applicable US law). Work with the Data Protection Officer where personal data is involved.
• Make sure human oversight remains in place wherever an automated decision affects a person.
• Respect the separation between Change Please CIC and the Foundation in all process and system design.

Measurement and reporting

• Set a baseline before any change and agree how success will be measured.
• Report regularly to the Director of Operations on progress, adoption and benefits, such as hours saved, cost avoided, error reduction and faster turnaround.
• Track adoption as closely as delivery, and flag or stop anything that isn't working.

Skills, Experience & Attributes

Essential

• Hands-on experience using AI tools (e.g. Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, SpaceX) to improve productivity, with a strong interest in how AI can change the way a business works
• Experience with, or a strong aptitude for, automation and no-code/low-code platforms (e.g. Power Automate, Zapier, Make)
• Ability to map and document processes clearly, and to turn them into practical workflows
• Analytical, curious and quick to understand how different teams, systems and data fit together
• Confident communicating with colleagues at all levels, including explaining technical ideas in plain language
• Highly organised, able to manage several departmental priorities at once
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint)

Desirable

• Experience in business improvement, operations, business analysis or a similar role
• Understanding of system integrations, APIs or data flows
• Awareness of data protection and responsible AI principles
• Experience supporting people through change or delivering training
• An interest in social enterprise and Change Please's mission

Package

• Salary: £40000 per annum,
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: Full time, 40 hours per week
• Location: London

A note about Change Please Job Descriptions

A job description is an outline of this role, setting out the main responsibilities and the skills, knowledge and experience required. It is not intended to be a complete detailed account of all activities involved. We would encourage anyone who has experience that would match this role and wants to join our movement to get in touch.

Change Please is a fast moving, developing business so roles need to be flexible, and we need flexibility from our latest Changemaker!

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

At Change Please, equality, diversity and inclusion are not side projects; they sit at the heart of who we are and why we exist. As a social enterprise supporting people with lived experience of homelessness into employment, we see first-hand how systemic barriers, stigma and inequality can affect opportunity. We believe everyone deserves the chance to thrive, not just survive.

We are committed to building a workplace where people feel safe, respected and empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, particularly those from communities that are under-represented in our workforce or who may have experienced barriers to employment.

We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and working environment. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.

Safeguarding Statement

Change Please is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all clients, many of whom may be adults at risk.

All roles require a commitment to safeguarding, and the successful candidate will be expected to uphold safe working practices at all times.

This role may be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including references, right to work verification, and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks where applicable.

Pay: £40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Free fitness classes
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Referral programme
• Sick pay

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person