Assistant finance director jobs in Manchester

Do you want to work for a dynamic, creative, fast-paced charity?

At Action Together we see the amazing things people achieve when they work together to make the lives of others better. If you share our values: believe it’s possible, strengthen others, and be true, we’d love you to consider joining our team.

Operations Director

The ideal candidate

We are looking for a values‑driven operational leader with significant experience in senior operations, systems, or transformation roles. You will bring strong technical capability in designing and embedding systems and processes, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to produce high‑quality management information for senior leaders and Boards.

You will be an influential communicator who can lead through change, build strong relationships across the organisation, and support others to work in consistent, effective, and collaborative ways. With a strong grasp of governance, risk, compliance, and organisational assurance, you will balance strategic vision with hands‑on delivery. Above all, you will share Action Together’s commitment to social justice, equity, and strengthening people, places, and partnerships

The role

The Operations Director will lead the development, optimisation, and continuous improvement of Action Together’s systems, processes, and organisational infrastructure. Working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, you will co-design, develop, and maintain internal systems and processes that enhance operational delivery and organisational efficiency, ensuring they are fully embedded into day-to-day use with clear ownership, guidance, and effective performance monitoring.

You will oversee core central functions including HR, Communications and Impact, Data Protection and Information Management, and Health & Safety. You will play a key role in internal digital transformation, policy development, risk management, and organisational compliance. You will produce high‑quality management information that supports strategic decision‑making, work closely with Locality Directors to standardise and enhance delivery models. In addition, with reference to our constitution and Scheme of Delegation you will be responsible for supporting governance at Board meetings, and the AGM.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Action Together we value diversity, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We are committed to ensuring that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, or race.

In order to ensure that our workforce reflects our communities across all levels of seniority, Action Together is offering a guaranteed interview to any candidate who meets the essential criteria listed in the person specification and who is also:

• A disabled person and/or
• A member of a community experiencing racial inequality

Action Together is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom we work. We expect all of our employees to demonstrate this commitment.

Right to work

We do not hold a Sponsor License and are unable to accept applications which require sponsorship to work in the UK

Please note, the successful candidates will be required to undertake a basic Disclosure and barring Service (DBS) check. A positive Disclosure of Offences will not automatically bar an applicant from being appointed and suitable applicants will not be refused employment because of offences that are not relevant.

Are you a qualified finance professional who enjoys working in partnership with others to turn financial insight into better decisions? Join Shelter as a Senior Finance Business Partner and play a key role in supporting our directorates to plan, prioritise and deliver work that helps end the housing emergency.

About the role

This role will be leading in the financial business partnering needs of our Income Generation directorate. 

Among your responsibilities will be the need to align financial plans to operational and strategic plans and make sure they’re clearly understood by Business Units. Seeing that each Unit is provided with a channel of effective, two-way communication with Finance will be important too. And, when it comes to seeing that they receive regular relevant and useful financial insight and analysis, again, we’ll count on you to deliver. You’ll be working within a great finance department to achieve this, who work as a team of experts to safeguard resources and support decision making across Shelter. We strive to ensure Shelter is financially sustainable in order to achieve our vision of a home for everyone.

Role specifics

We’re looking for a qualified accountant who is confident working with colleagues across an organisation and able to explain financial information clearly to non-finance audiences. You’ll have experience assessing financial risk and producing clear, insightful analysis to support good decision-making. With strong attention to detail, excellent numeracy and solid Excel skills, you’ll be comfortable managing your time, meeting deadlines and reprioritising when needed. Experience of charity finance and working with fundraising teams would be an advantage.

Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.

Benefits 

We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.

We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.

About the team

 Shelter’s Finance Team sits within the Strategy Enablement Directorate, which also includes HR Operations, Technology and Data, and Governance, Planning and Property. The Finance Team consists of 32 people led by the Assistant Director of Finance.

This role sits within the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Team. FP&A produces financial reports and analysis, provides expert advice, and enables collaboration to support effective decision making throughout the charity.

How to Apply

Please click ‘Apply for Job’. You are required to submit your work history and a supporting statement. The supporting statement should include your responses to the points in the ‘About You’ section of the job description of no more than 350 words each. 

Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below in your responses:
 

• We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset

Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered.

About Shelter

Home is a human right. It’s our foundation and where we thrive. Yet everyday millions of people are being devastated by the housing emergency.

We exist to defend the right to a safe home. Because home is everything.

We need ambitious, passionate people to join us. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.

Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. To win this fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, equitable and transparent. We are committed to combating racism both within and outside Shelter. We welcome you on our journey to becoming truly anti-racist.

Safeguarding statement

 Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies. 

Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.

About Us 

The Good Ancestor Movement is a UK-based advisory and consultancy firm supporting individuals and organisations to redistribute wealth in ways that are reparative, regenerative and aligned with their deepest values. We work with wealth holders to challenge traditional models of accumulation and tax avoidance, and instead imagine futures where wealth actively contributes to social equity, economic justice, and ecological resilience.

We support clients to shift from extractive to regenerative practices, helping them translate their values into meaningful action through redistribution, reparations, and investment aligned with justice. 

Our programmes, like Reimagining Wealth, invite individuals to understand the wider impacts of their capital and take intentional steps toward responsible stewardship.

Good Ancestor Movement’s consultancy work includes strategy design, values-aligned redistribution planning, and building tools and systems that support collective accountability and transformative impact. We are committed to building a regenerative economy where wealth is mobilised in service of repair and liberation. 

About Your Role

This role is central to how the organisation functions day-to-day.

The Operations & Executive Support Lead will provide trusted executive support to the CEO and diary management support for directors while also holding the operational backbone of the organisation. This includes managing administrative flow, designing and strengthening systems, and ensuring that work lands reliably and on time.

This is a highly varied, hands-on role suited to someone who enjoys building order, spotting risks early, and creating processes that allow others to do their best work.

You will work closely with the CEO, our Directors, and our finance team to identify and develop operational processes as required. You will work alongside our entire team and be able to contribute to the organisation’s bold aims and ambitions within your role.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Support

• Provide full diary and schedule management for the CEO, including proactive planning, prioritisation and coordination.

• Support our Director level with diary management and bookings as required.

• Manage CEO inbox triage and correspondence, acting as a trusted first point of contact and gatekeeper.

• Prepare agendas, briefing notes and supporting materials for meetings.

• Coordinate travel, logistics and key engagements.

• Track actions and follow-ups to ensure timely completion across priorities.

Operations & Administration

• Act as a central intake point for operational and administrative requests.

• Prepare invoices and expenses for approval and support payment workflows.

• Coordinate room bookings, event logistics and forward planning.

• Support finance processes in collaboration with the outsourced finance team.

• Manage projects, create and maintain operational project trackers, records and documentation.

• Provide administrative and logistical support to programme delivery as required.

• Support fundraising administration and reporting requirements.

• Provide light communications and coordination support as needed.

Systems & Process Development

• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reduce risk and strengthen consistency.

• Design and implement proportionate, fit-for-purpose processes aligned with organisational needs.

• Create and maintain clear operational processes and documentation.

• Support the selection and introduction of appropriate tools and systems where required.

• Contribute to the development of more structured, predictable ways of working.

About You

• You come from an operations, executive assistant, office management, or organisational support background and are confident working across administration, coordination and operations.

• You are highly organised and reliable, with a strong ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines and moving parts, and anticipate executive needs.

• You have experience providing executive support, including diary management, inbox triage, meeting coordination and preparation of briefing materials.

• You are excited by the opportunity to grow beyond day-to-day execution and take on a more strategic role over time.

• You are comfortable owning operational processes end-to-end and ensuring consistent follow-through.

• You can spot gaps, inefficiencies or recurring issues in ways of working and take initiative to improve them.

• You are confident in handling approvals preparation, tracking actions, and supporting financial and administrative workflows.

• You work well with senior stakeholders and external partners, communicating clearly and professionally.

• You are trusted to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.

• You are calm under pressure and able to respond effectively to changing needs and priorities.

• You are open to learning new systems and tools and adapting as the organisation evolves.

We understand that the issues we work on disproportionately impact on low-income, marginalised and minoritised communities. We are an organisation led by a Black female founder and CEO and as an inclusive employer that values both lived experience and professional experience, we hope to be able to attract applicants from a range of backgrounds for this important role. You do not need to have a university degree for this role, nor is it essential for you to have experience in the new economy ecosystem: we care about your character, your experience and your ability to demonstrate leadership and practice personal growth.