Permanent jobs for the Disability sector

Blenheim Palace professionalised its fundraising in 2024, and has already been successful in fundraising from HNWIs, Trusts & Foundations, corporate partners and our wider visitors.

 It is one of the best possible locations for fundraising in the UK and is full of potential. 

As this area continues to grow, we are now looking for a talented Trusts & Foundations Officer to play a key role in that success. This is an exciting opportunity to join a small but high-performing team and help secure vital support for one of the UK’s most iconic heritage sites, building strong funder relationships and developing compelling cases for support that deliver real impact.

We are looking for someone who can bring the right skills and mindset to the role. You might not meet all the criteria, and that’s okay, transferable skills and experience are highly valued.

• Highly motivated and proactive, with the ability to work independently whilst remaining a collaborative team-player
• A passion for, and interest in, the heritage sector and Blenheim’s mission
• Knowledge of current trends and fundraising best practice in the heritage and cultural sectors
• Ability to work in a target-driven environment and deliver results
• Professional, diplomatic and thoughtful in all funder and stakeholder communications

About Us:

At Blenheim and Pye, we believe our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to helping every individual thrive. Our Promise is simple: to support you to Grow, Give, and Belong.

We help you Grow by nurturing your talents, championing your wellbeing, and creating opportunities for you to develop.

We encourage you to Give by contributing to meaningful work, supporting the wider community, and collaborating with others to achieve our shared goals.

And we want you to truly Belong by being part of something special, knowing that you matter, your voice is heard, and you are an important part of our journey.

Together, this is what makes Blenheim and Pye a place where people can flourish and make a real difference.

Head of Finance | DFN Project SEARCH

Remote, with travel to London on average once a month plus occasional site visits | £51,500 – £61,500 | 9-day fortnight (after probation), flexible working welcome

DFN Project SEARCH is a national charity supporting young adults with a learning disability, autism, or both, into real, paid, lasting work. Last year alone, 431 young people started jobs through our programme. We work with around 200 employers, colleges and local authorities across the UK, and we've supported over 2,900 people since we started. We're good at what we do, and we want to do a lot more of it. Our aim is to support 10,000 interns by 2030.

We've grown rapidly, which is exciting, and this role has been newly created to make sure all the finance processes are set up so that we can continue to grow and scale properly. So, this isn't a steady-state job where you inherit clean processes and just keep them ticking. You'll be helping to build the structure as the charity grows around it.

That means we need someone who can lead and do. You'll own the finance function end to end: month-end, management accounts, statutory reporting, cash flow, controls. You'll also shape how all of it should work as we continue to grow. One day you're posting journals and reconciling the balance sheet; the next you're helping a budget holder who's never read a P&L understand their numbers, or modelling what reaching 10,000 interns actually means financially. You'll report to the Finance Director and line manage our Finance Administrator.

What your time will look like:

- Running the finance function day to day and ensuring everything is accurate, compliant and efficient, which means journals, reconciliations, month-end close, the monthly rhythm

- Producing management accounts and board-level reporting that people can act on, with clear commentary

- Working with the Finance Director on budgeting, statutory accounts, audit and VAT

- Strengthening cash flow forecasting, treasury, reserves and credit control

- Owning the controls framework, financial policies and procedures, and getting more out of Xero so we have real-time insight, not using out-of-date assumptions to make business critical decisions

- Managing restricted, designated and unrestricted funds, and reporting to funders properly and on time

- Supporting fundraising and bid colleagues with budgets for grant applications and tenders

- Overseeing payroll and pensions with our provider

- Helping non-finance colleagues across the charity get more confident in their own financial understanding

What we need from you:

- A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent)

- Solid charity finance experience. You'll know Charity SORP, restricted funds and grant reporting, and you're across the changes coming to SORP

- Someone happy with their hands on the controls: month-end, reconciliations, statutory accounts and board reporting

- Strong on Xero (or quick to get there) and advanced Excel

- The ability to explain numbers clearly to people who don't think in numbers

- Experience setting up or developing financial instructions, controls and processes in a charity

You don't need to tick every single box. If you've been part of a finance team that's been through this kind of change and you're ready to step up and lead it yourself, we'd still really like to hear from you.

But honestly, the most important element is you, and how you bring people along with you through a period of change. You'll be comfortable bringing structure and calm to an organisation that's still growing into its processes. We need someone who can be calm and measured when the numbers feel busy, who can be a steady anchor point for the team when a lot is changing, and who knows when to help and when to teach someone how to help themselves. You'll be relentless about making things better, but able to bring people with you rather than drag them. If you want to lead a change rather than just be part of one, this is for you!

The practical stuff: This is a remote and flexible role, and we mean it, but it isn't a "never-leave-the-house" role. The leadership team comes together regularly, on average once a month, plus occasional travel to sites and the odd away day. Travel is always planned in advance and we cover the costs. If you can reach London comfortably and you value time with the people you work with, you'll get the best of both.

- 25 days' annual leave, plus your birthday off and bank holidays on top, with the option to buy back additional leave

- 9-day fortnight after successful completion of probation: 37.5 hours worked across nine days, with the tenth day off

- Flexible working genuinely considered: job share, part-time (minimum 4 days), compressed hours

- Pension: 6% employer contribution

- Employee Assistance Programme and NHS top-up wellbeing support

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship, so you'll need the existing right to work in the UK.

It won't be a surprise that we're a Disability Confident employer. We share interview questions in advance, and if you need any adjustments to the process, or a different format for any stage, please just tell us.

If you're a charity finance person who wants their work to really mean something, and who fancies building something rather than just maintaining it, we'd love to hear from you.

Dates to note:

- Closing date: 16th June

- First interviews (remote): 24th–25th June

- Final interviews (London): 30th June

Finance Manager

Business Disability Forum is the leading business membership organisation in disability inclusion.

We are trusted partners, working with business, Government and disabled people to improve the life experiences of disabled employees and consumers, by removing barriers to inclusion.

• We work with over 600 Members and Partners employing over 5 million people in the UK, and a further 16 million people worldwide.
• We advise, support and encourage businesses (many of them global) to become more disability smart.
• We influence policymakers, informed by the experiences of business and disabled people – as employees and consumers
• We provide evidence-based thought leadership on how business affects the lives of disabled people.
• We help effect changes in business practices, products, services and policies that positively impact the life experiences of disabled people and also benefit business.

The role

Business Disability Forum has recently restructured its corporate services function.

The Finance Manager role will be a pivotal position in the newly formed Resources Directorate. This role will work closely with the Resources Director and lead on financial management.

In addition, the Finance Manager will have the remit to optimise and innovate our ways of working by embedding controls, automating processes (where feasible), optimising the use of our systems and streamlining financial reporting.

The requirement

• Strong knowledge and understanding of FRS102, Charities SORP, PAYE and VAT through experience and/or accountancy qualification.
• Experience of preparing monthly management reporting and year end accounts.
• Proven ability to prepare insightful management information packs including KPI’s and dashboards.
• Advanced use of excel formulas.
• Ability to work collaboratively with peers to deliver budgets, forecast and project level analysis.

For the full job description and person specification of this role and instructions on how to apply please visit our website below via the link on this page:

How to apply

Applications should be by CV and a supporting statement, of up to 400 words, detailing why you think you would be suitable for the role. If you require any adjustments to the application process please contact Barnaby Powell as set out below. Applications should be addressed to Barnaby Powell, HR & Office Manager, Business Disability Forum, Dowgate Hill House, 14-16 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2SU. If you are submitting your application by email please do so to jobs @ businessdisabilityforum .org .uk

• Closing date for applications: 22 June 2026.
• First interviews are planned for the week commencing 29 June 2026.
• Second interviews are likely to take place in the week commencing 6 July 2026.

Business Disability Forum is committed to ensuring that all its information, products and services are as accessible as possible to everyone.

If you wish to discuss anything in regards to accessibility or if you require alternative formats please contact Barnaby Powell by email a hr @ businessdisabilityforum .org .uk or by telephone on 020-7403-3020.

For further information on Business Disability Forum please refer to our website via the link on this page

Equal opportunities

We are committed to becoming disability-smart and an employer of choice irrespective of race (which includes colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, or pregnancy and maternity. The ethical and business case of ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society is at the heart of what we do. When we are recruiting, disabled candidates who meet all of the criteria will be offered an interview.

About Designability

Designability is a national innovation charity advancing inclusive design across the UK.

The world is full of barriers for disabled people because society is not designed with everyone in mind. For disabled people, those barriers can take away things that everyone deserves: freedom, confidence, and opportunity.

But it doesn’t have to be that way — not if we design and build differently. And that’s where we come in.

By collaborating with disabled people, we dismantle unfair barriers and turn lived experience into practical, creative solutions that unlock everyday independence. From prototypes to sketches, and from problems to solutions, we engineer products and services that make the inaccessible accessible — and we help brands, other charities and designers do the same.
We are at an exciting point in our nearly 60-year history. We have launched our biggest ever research project — The Unfair Index — exploring everyday barriers disabled people face. We will be launching a new international award winning, world-first product — The Accessible Pushchair. And we continue to deliver our flagship service, the Wizzybug Scheme, providing free powered wheelchairs to very young disabled children across the UK.

The Role

We are seeking a highly organised individual to support the day-to-day administrative functions across finance and operations. This is a varied role suited to someone who is detail-oriented, commercially aware, and confident managing multiple priorities in a busy environment.

Key tasks

Finance

· Control and monitoring of the finance inbox

· Manage the purchase and sales ledgers, accurately processing all associated transactions

· Processing incoming donations from various sources and accurately maintaining records

· Support and assist with month and year end processes

· Monitoring and maintaining data and records 

· Ensuring strict adherence to financial controls, processes, and internal procedures

Operations

· Manage and keep up to date the operations annual calendar of activities and compliance requirements

· Liaise with and co-ordinate all external contractors, including utility companies and RUH Estates, to ensure Designability meets all legal requirements and premises remain fully operational and compliant

· Support the staff member responsible for IT, including IT asset and software tracking and administration

· Support the relevant team member with GDPR compliance, including tracking data held

· Assistance with operations administration as required

General

· To conduct such other duties as may be required by the organisation from time to time

· Willing and able to undertake work outside normal hours and to travel as required

· Supporting and collaborating with colleagues across the organisation to achieve our charitable purpose

· Prepared to take on a range of tasks as needed to support the organisation’s work

About you

The successful candidate will have a natural aptitude for numbers, strong organisational skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across different areas of the business. This role requires a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, helping to ensure that Designability remains compliant. You will be driven by achieving excellence in your work, underpinned by demonstrating Designability behaviours every day: Reflective, Tenacious, Collaborative, Curious and Honest.

If you enjoy variety, take ownership of your work, and can confidently support both financial and operational activities, this could be the new job for you.

Terms of Employment

All applicants must be willing to undergo safeguarding checks, including checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service and employment references. 

All applicants must have a legal right to work in the United Kingdom without the need for visa sponsorship - Designability is not able to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

Benefits that come with working for Designability

Looking after its employees is important to Designability. To find out what benefits we currently offer to our team, please visit our website. 

Designability is a Real Living Wage and Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job, based solely on their ability and individual merit as measured against the criteria for individual roles; through a process that is fair, open, consistent and free from bias and discrimination.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, disability status or length of time spent unemployed. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to making reasonable adjustments.

‘Offer an Interview’ Scheme

Designability welcomes applications from disabled applicants and is committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role, as set out in the job description.  If you wish your application to be considered under the ‘Offer an interview’ scheme’, please indicate this in your covering letter

Recruitment Timeline

1. Applications open: 19th May 2026

2. Applications close: 9th June 2026

3. Interviews will be held online and/or in person at our Bath office at a mutually convenient time.