Assistant accountant jobs

Everyone deserves a decent place to live – join Habitat for Humanity Great Britain as our new Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance, and support people to find a safe, affordable home. 

We’re on the lookout for an experienced finance and operations professional, with the energy and drive to lead a team focused on excellent service delivery, continuous improvement and sustainable growth. This is your chance to take charge of a support services team with a real purpose—helping families build a better future through safe and affordable housing.

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll take the lead on all financial, compliance, operational and people support activities.  This role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of your team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

You’ll also be working closely with colleagues across the international Habitat network, so good communication and collaboration skills will be key to success in this role. 

Job Title: Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance 

Department: Finance, Operations & Compliance 

Reports to: National Director/CEO 

Budget responsibility: Yes 

Line management: Team of 6, with 3 direct reports (Head of People, Finance Manager, Finance Business Partner) 

Location: Home-based with regular travel to internal meetings and team events, and occasional travel to our registered office in Slough 

About Habitat for Humanity Great Britain 

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain (Habitat GB) is part of the global Habitat for Humanity network fighting global poverty and homelessness. We believe that a decent home helps to permanently break the cycle of poverty and allows families to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Habitat GB has recently completed a strategic review, resulting in a new National Strategy and an organisational restructure, to ensure the organisation is able to deliver the Strategy impactfully, efficiently and effectively. This has included the integration of a subsidiary entity (GB Homes) into Habitat GB.  As a result, the Finance, Operations & Compliance team has been expanded to ensure the right capacity and capability for these crucial functions.

Habitat’s turnover for the financial year ended 30 June 2023 was £3.0m with net assets of £2.5m: for the year ended 30 June 2024, it was £3.5m with assets of £2.1m. 

Job Purpose 

The Director of Finance, Operations & Compliance will be a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, working to ensure the impact, sustainability, diligence and productivity of the organisation, with a commitment to organisational transformation within the framework of a values-led approach to people and culture. 

Taking a lead on all financial, support and compliance activities, the role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of their team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

Key responsibilities include: 

• All aspects of financial strategy, planning and control. 

• Providing oversight of organisational priorities, productivity, performance, people & HR, risk and due diligence. 

• Support to fundraising and programmes. 

• Being an active leader across the organisation, collaborating effectively with teams, and contributing fully to organisational wide initiatives and opportunities. 

• Co-creating ways of working to enable an adaptive, collaborative and high performing organisational team. 

• Leading and managing a team of 6, including 3 direct reports. 

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

Financial Strategy, Planning and Control: 

• Accountable for organisational financial strategy, working with senior staff and trustees to ensure multi-year planning, target setting and monitoring in line with Habitat GB’s strategic objectives.

• Accountable for all aspects of financial management and control, including budgeting, reforecasting, treasury management, cashflow, management information, performance and statutory reporting.

• Accountable for the development and continuous improvement of reporting frameworks, including leading regular reviews with Senior Leadership team and providing quantitative and qualitative reports for the Board including clear and accessible narrative analysis.

• Provision of financial management and accounting services, management information, and statutory reporting. 

• Lead the organisation of quarterly Finance, Audit & Risk Committee meetings, in line with the Committee Terms of Reference and in consultation with the Treasurer, and National Director/CEO. 

• Responsible for the preparation and submission of annual statutory accounts in accordance with SORP and legal requirements and coordinating the external audit exercise and seeing the process through to Board approvals and filing with statutory bodies. 

• Lead a positive and collaborative relationship with HFHI Finance teams and ensure that Habitat GB meets its regular reporting requirements. 

• Lead Habitat GB’s relationship with relevant external partners, including auditors, bankers, insurers, pension providers, HMRC, Charity Commission and Companies House. 

GB Homes Subsidiary Entity: 

• Working closely with the National Director/CEO on planning for the future wind-up of the entity, providing all financial management, reporting and compliance resources as required in the interim. 

• Working with the Director of Programme Delivery, provide financial resource and support to the management of the former GB Homes asset portfolio, developing appropriate reporting mechanisms that provide data which can be included into the combined budgeting and reporting of Habitat GB 

• Accountable for integration and ongoing provision of the operational requirements of the GB Homes subsidiary, including insurance, technology, and communications requirements. 

Fundraising & Programmes support: 

• Work closely with the Directors of Fundraising & Partnerships, and of Impact & Influence to set ambitious and achievable targets across restricted and unrestricted fundraising, track performance, and ensure high quality forecasting, reporting and budget management. 

• Be responsible for the development and oversight of policies, protocols and systems required for restricted fund management which align with Habitat for Humanity International and external donor requirements. 

• Work collaboratively across Habitat GB to agree service delivery expectations and ensure the timely provision of relevant inputs from the Finance, Operations & Compliance team across partnership and programme cycles.  For example, audit or financial reporting requirements from donors, up to date policies, review of proposal documents, grants and contract agreements. 

• Work closely with the Directors of Programme Delivery & Retail to ensure Habitat GB has the specialist knowledge and financial skills relevant to our diverse types of programmes, including a new and growing retail operation, as well as construction project delivery. 

Risk Management and Compliance: 

• Lead on the development and maintenance of the organisational Risk Register, being responsible for the management and mitigation of financial, regulatory and operational risks and coordinating with others on the reporting and review of other risk areas. 

• Ensure Habitat GB is fully compliant and up to date with all its data protection and insurance requirements and has access to appropriate legal and other expert resources where necessary. 

• Be responsible for technology infrastructure, hardware and the management of outsourced support services. 

People Policies and HR Administration: 

• Support the Head of People to deliver a high-quality People and HR service to the organisation and our partners, including efficient HR administration, pension and payroll, people management, safeguarding, strategy and leadership. 

• Working closely with the National Director and others, have overall responsibility for the provision of up to date, user-friendly and legally compliant policies and procedures which support an efficient and effective organisational culture and environment. 

Leadership & Management: 

• Lead a high performing and ambitious team, inspired to implement and grow the strategy and with a core focus on positive impact for Habitat GB’s community and strategic partners through the provisional of excellent functional and subject matter expertise. 

• Develop, lead and focus the Finance, Operations & Compliance team, its budget, activities and performance, to ensure the delivery against targets. 

• Manage, motivate and develop team members. Ensure regular 1-2-1s are held, set individual objectives, encourage a culture of giving and receiving feedback, where kindness and ambition support the progression of people and plans. 

• Set quality standards and meaningful KPIs to encourage ownership and accountability with direct reports, team, and others and effectively monitor progress towards agreed targets. 

• Role model our values in line with Habitat GB’s inclusive approach to people and culture. 

Organisational Leadership: 

• Support the National Director/CEO in delivering Habitat GB’s strategy and vision, acting as a collaborative and supportive member of a shared leadership team. 

• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, provide oversight of organisational priorities, productivity, performance, risk and due diligence. 

• Be an active leader across the organisation, collaborating effectively with teams, and contributing fully to organisational wide initiatives and opportunities. 

• Co-create ways of working to enable an adaptive, collaborative and high performing organisational team. 

• Deputise for the National Director when required and represent HFHGB in external meetings and forums. 

Person profile: 

• Holder of a relevant professional or accounting qualification: e.g. ACCA or equivalent. 

• Expertise in charity sector compliance (FRS102) reporting requirements. 

• Expert knowledge of financial strategy, management and reporting, with experience relevant to funding and grants, retail, commercial or construction. 

• Proven track record of developing and leading complex financial strategies and supporting teams to deliver high quality functional inputs in an inclusive, collaborative environment. 

• Hands-on experience with relevant accounting systems and the ability to quickly learn new systems (Habitat GB uses SUN and SAGE systems). 

• Experience working in and leading teams responsible for operational and people related functions. 

• Experience of working in a similar organisation, collaborating across teams and operating in a highly effective way across a diverse, networked structure. 

• Significant and successful experience in senior management roles, encompassing strategic management and team leadership. 

• Understanding and experience of complex organisational change projects, including the ability to support new teams to develop and thrive. 

Skills and competencies: 

• You have excellent interpersonal skills and can communicate with impact across diverse audiences. 

• You are a strategic, analytical and details orientated thinker who can also appreciate the big picture, be pragmatic, collaborative and focus on increasing impact in line with Habitat GB’s mission. 

• You are resilient, able to lead positively in a role which carries significant responsibility and requires you to prioritise effectively across multiple areas of work, problem solve and demonstrate strong organisational and planning skills. 

• You are a values-led leader, who demonstrates integrity, respect for others and a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Strong leadership skills and commitment to the highest levels of integrity, honesty, openness and good governance with the capacity to inspire and motivate others. 

• You are an experienced manager, able to lead and inspire others, offering kind and constructive support to others enabling them to improve their impact and performance. 

• You are confident and able to work across different and competing priorities which require you to flex between hands on activities and strategic leadership. 

• You can demonstrate business planning acumen, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. 

The role and responsibilities will be carried out in a way which reflects: 

• Habitat GB’s commitment to safeguarding children in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. 

• A commitment to Habitat GB’s vision, mission, values and approach. 

• A commitment to effective management of risk, by operating within the Charity’s code of conduct, policies, procedures and controls and by carrying out the risk management and assurance responsibilities of the role as set out in relevant Policy and Procedures. 

Reporting to the CEO, you’ll take the lead on all financial, compliance, operational and people support activities.  This role demands a combination of the hands-on approach needed in a medium-sized charity with the strong people management skills to enable all members of your team to deliver high quality services and to thrive in their roles.

You’ll also be working closely with colleagues across the international Habitat network, so good communication and collaboration skills will be key to success in this role. 

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If this role sounds like it could be a good match for you, please take a look at the Candidate Pack.

Please note: this role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK. The sucessfull candidate will be required to have a DBS check before starting the role.

Habitat for Humanity requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguard our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work.  Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of our code of conduct. The employment of this position will be subject to a satisfactory reference check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. 

At Habitat for Humanity GB, we aim to build, develop and retain a talented workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. We welcome and actively encourage applications from anyone who feels they’d be a good fit for our organisation, regardless of race, religion, colour, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity or any other protected characteristics. 

Unfortunately, because of high volume of applications we will not be able to contact unsuccessful applicants. If you haven’t heard from us within a month of the application deadline, please assume that your application has not been successful. 

We’d prefer to hear directly from applicants – we won’t be working with third party recruiters on this role.