Business support officer jobs in dumfries, dumfries and galloway

First Steps ED are looking for a passionate and strategic Head of Fundraising and Communications to join our team and help make a difference in the lives of those we support. First Steps ED provide person-centred support to our service users for a range of disordered eating and eating disorder presentations.

The Head of Fundraising and Communications will lead on the development and implementation of strategies to diversify and grow our income streams, strengthen our brand, and increase engagement with key audiences. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, the postholder will be responsible for building and maintaining relationships across trusts and foundations, corporate partners, individual donors, and community supporters. This role will also oversee all aspects of external communications and marketing, ensuring a consistent and compelling voice for the organisation across digital, print, media, and stakeholder channels.

The Head of Fundraising and Communications will provide line management and strategic direction to the fundraising and communications team, with accountability for delivering income targets and enhancing the charity’s profile and impact.

Role Overview:
This position requires a strategic leader who will be a proactive engagement lead and support the charities overall strategy and mission. You will have a proven background of successful fundraising activities, diversifying engagement and income and cultivating key relationships through communication strategies.

Key Responsibilities:
This is an opportunity to develop and shape the fundraising and communications strategy for a growing charity, in an are that is getting more and more attention. The role will require an agile mind to adapt to the ever changing environment, and in return the charity leadership promises flexibility and understanding, as we test learn and adapt these strategies.

Some of the area you are expected to work on are the following, and the rest can be defined by you:

• Budgets and Targets: You are directly responsible for the budgets, and income targets attached to Fundraising and Communications.
• Engagement and Income Diversification: Develop and implement strategies to diversify income streams, including legacy giving, corporate partnerships, individual donations, and major donors.
• Marketing and Communications Strategy: Create and implement strategies to reach a wider audience through innovative marketing and communications channels.
• NHS and Private Sector Opportunities: Identify and pursue new business opportunities within the NHS and private sector.
• Relationship Management: Manage key relationships with donors, partners, and stakeholders.
• Team Leadership: Manage and support Fundraising, Marketing and Communications officers, ensuring alignment with fundraising goals and charity objectives overall.
• Lead our flagship campaigns: This year we are developing an online campaign, currently called Scroll Safe, to tackle the issues with online safety, we are included in the parliamentary act, and we wish this to be a multi-year campaign. It is in development for 2025, and you are expected to hit the ground running. Other campaigns include Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and Christmas.
• Digital Agency and PR Management: Oversee the work of digital agencies and PR consultant to enhance online presence and engagement with public relations and media outreach.
• Ambassadors and Patrons Management: Engage and manage relationships with ambassadors and patrons to leverage their support and influence.
• Web Development Leadership: Lead the development and maintenance of the charity's website to ensure it effectively supports fundraising and communication efforts as well as providing clear and concise support to our service users, carers and professionals.
• Manage our portfolio of events: We have an emerging trend in challenge events, and we manage these carefully and mindfully especially long-distance sporting events. This requires key insights in trends and work with our marketing team on key insights.
• Working with the CEO: You will identify opportunities for strategic communications and growth. You will network with likeminded individuals from other charities and build sector connections.
• Senior Leadership Team: You will be an integral part of our Senior Leadership Team, which means working across the whole charity on tasks that may pop up, and planning with the team our Organisational Development.

Qualifications:

• Experience: Minimum of 5 years in a senior fundraising and communications role, preferably within the charity sector.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Relationship Management, or a related field.

Skills:

• Strong strategic planning and implementation skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in fundraising software and CRM systems.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.

What we offer

• 28 days annual leave (pro rata for part time)
• Enhanced sick pay
• Company events
• Blue Light Card
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program + Wellbeing App
• Company pension - 5% employee, 3% employer
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Work from home (depending on role)
• Accredited training programme towards CPD

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Should we met our target number of applications we reserve the right to close the advert earlier than the closing date.

About the opportunity

Are you passionate about using data to create change for children and young people in education? We are looking for a Data and Insights Manager to lead the ongoing development of our Salesforce CRM and help us make the most of our data to achieve our charity mission.

At Action Tutoring, data is central to everything we do. With an evidence-based culture and impact at the centre of our strategy, gathering and analysing high-quality data is a key priority.

Our highly customised Salesforce database supports every aspect of our work—capturing and managing data from volunteers, pupils, schools, and tutoring sessions. As Data and Insights Manager, you will make sure our system remains fit for purpose and help turn data into meaningful insights that can inform decision-making.

Duties and responsibilities 

Salesforce and systems development

• Collaborate with external Salesforce development consultants to continue building our system capabilities and design.
• Design and oversee the collection of stakeholder, tutoring delivery, quality assurance and evaluation data, working with colleagues to ensure data is collected in a timely, accurate and consistent manner.

Team leadership and support

• Line manage the Data Lead, ensuring their work is of high quality and they have clear development objectives.
• Plan and oversee training and support for the whole organisation on the effective use of Salesforce, developing their understanding of the purpose and value of data.

Data insights

• Support the Head of Impact and Quality to generate insights from data to inform evidence-based decision-making across departments, including through dashboards.

• Data governance

• Champion data security and GDPR compliance across the organisation, including contributing to the upkeep of privacy notices, responding to queries, and facilitating stakeholder GDPR rights.
• Any other reasonable tasks as per the request of the CEO.

About you (person specification)

Qualifications criteria:

• Right to work in the UK.

We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others:

• Two or more years experience with Salesforce administration.
• Experience working with complex datasets in Excel (including data cleaning in preparation for import, export or analysis).
• Experience analysing and visualising quantitative data.
• Good understanding of GDPR compliance and processes.
• Able to design new processes that are scalable, impactful and user-focused.
• Experience managing projects effectively.
• Confident in communicating change to stakeholders at all levels.
• Creative and inquisitive about how technology and automation can improve efficiency.
• Committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Committed to the mission and values of Action Tutoring.
• Committed to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children.

You will be likely be more successful in this role if you have:

• Salesforce Administrator Certification (or on track to complete within the next six months).
• Line management experience.
• Experience with data visualisation tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
• Experience using coding languages R, Python or SQL for data cleaning or analysis.
• Experience working in the charity or NGO sector.

Reports to: Head of Impact and Quality

Place of work: Flexible/hybrid. The candidate can be based anywhere in England. Our London office address is: 8-10, Fivefields, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH

Contract and hours:  Permanent, full time contract (37.5 hours)
We offer flexible hours 9.30-4pm as core hours.

Application deadline: Sunday, July 13th, 2025

Interviews: Tuesday, July 22nd – Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025

Ideal start date: Monday, August 18th, 2025 (though we are flexible for the right candidate)

DBS requirement: All Action Tutoring staff must have an enhanced DBS check suitable for the child workforce. 
If you don’t already have one, we’ll process one for you. Should you be aware of any incidents, cautions or convictions that would appear in a DBS check, please notify us when you apply. 

For more information on the role and information about Action Tutoring, please see the attached job pack.

We are bold, we are brave and we’re not afraid to work differently. At All We Can, your working days will be filled with purpose and meaning as we work in partnership with local communities towards a more just world. Your work will play an important part in the wider ambition of the organisation. In this team, we value trust and accountability, inclusive decision-making, anti-racism and care. We also care for each other and create a sense of purpose-driven community.

When you join us, you will be: 

1. Leading the Churches Team to ensure the effective delivery of the fundraising strategy in an environment aligned with All We Can’s culture and team leadership principle.
2. Delivering speaking engagements at churches and at larger events.
3. Engaging with Methodist Church in Britain’s leadership and key stakeholders to inspire long-term commitment and support.
4. Analysing fundraising performance and making data-driven decisions to improve it.
5. Contributing to the leadership of the organisation through Quarterly Business Reviews and collaborating with colleagues to enhance the work of the organisation.  

To deliver the role successfully, you will need:

1. Proven fundraising experience, particularly in church, faith-based fundraising, including donor acquisition and regular giving programs, donor stewardship, and income growth strategies.
2. Experience of managing fundraising budgets
3. Understanding of All We Can’s unique partnership approach
4. Exceptional relationship management skills, with the ability to engage and inspire church leaders and congregations.
5. Experience leading and developing a team, with strong coaching and mentoring abilities and ability to set clear goals, drive performance, and foster a collaborative team culture.
6. Ability to analyse fundraising performance, using data insights to refine campaigns and maximise return on investment.
7. Deep practical understanding and relationships with the Methodist Church.

For full list of accountabilities and requirements, and the recruitment process, please see the application pack.

All We Can is an international development and relief organisation, founded by the Methodist Church in the 1930s, working to see every person’s potential fulfilled 

Why should you work with us?

• We pioneer locally-led partnership-based international development model
• Everyone’s welcome! At All We Can, everyone’s welcome irrespective of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We’re committed to building inclusive and caring culture. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit people who reflect diverse communities. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that everyone’s treated fairly and consistently at every stage of your employment, and we are open to consider reasonable adjustments for disabled people.
• We’ll help you grow and develop

Important note about completing your application – please read 

When submitting the application, you will be asked to submit your CV and answer four competency-based questions. There’s no specified length for the answers and we ask you to use your judgment to balance between giving us as much information as needed and being succinct. The scoring is primarily based on the answers to the competency-based questions, so please ensure that you showcase your skills and experiences fully through those answers. We’ll not be able to score answers which say ‘Please see the CV’ or similar. 

We look forward to receiving applications from people from variety of backgrounds and with different experiences. If you would like to find out more about the role or organisation, we encourage you to get in touch - if you wish to do so, 

Use of AI is monitored and if you have used it in your application, we ask that you declare in any case, but especially if you use it as a reasonable adjustment.

Finance Manager - 4 days per week - National

Are you an experienced Finance Manager keen to join a growing organisation that makes a big impact on the health and wellbeing of children and adults through the healing power of music? Charity People is delighted to be partnering with Music in Hospitals & Care, a £1million turnover organisation to help recruit a part time Finance Manager.

Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will be managing one Finance Assistant. Working closely with the Head of Finance overseeing all processes and controls that feed into management accounts preparation, you will also be business partnering with the Senior Leadership Team, and budget holders.

This is a pivotal time to join this amazing charity, with an inclusive and strong CEO and staff.

Salary: £40,000 per annum (this will be pro-rata'd for 30hours per week)
Benefits Excellent benefits package including 35 days per year (inclusive of bank holidays), Employer Pension contribution of 6%, Death in Service benefits, access to an Employee Assistance Programme, and the opportunity for flexible working.
Contract: Part time 30 hours per week, Permanent
Location: Remote based role with an occasional travel to London, we encourage applicants from across the UK.

Key duties and responsibilities will include:

• Oversee day-to-day financial operations, working with Finance Assistant to ensure all financial transactions are recorded accurately.
• Lead the completion of month-end processes including preparation and posting of journals, balance sheet reconciliations including restricted fund reconciliations, and maintenance of control accounts.
• Assist the Head of Finance on drafting management accounts and cashflow
• Provide financial business partnering support to Senior Leadership Team and Managers as required.
• Collate and provide monthly payroll information to external payroll provider, reconciling payroll outputs to financial records.
• Support the Head of Finance in the preparation of year-end financial statements in line with the Charity SORP and statutory requirements.
• Act as the lead point of contact for the annual audit process, liaising with external auditors and preparing audit schedules and documentation as required.
• Act as a key contact for the charity's banking, payment platforms (Stripe, CAF, Paypal etc) and financial systems (Sage).
• Monitor bank accounts, oversee and authorise payment uploads, and ensure accurate reporting via banking platforms.
• Provide reconciliations for fundraising between CRM (Beacon) and Financial System (Sage).
• Lead and empower the Finance Assistant

Candidates applying for this role must have the following:

• Qualified by Experience (QBE), a recognised CCAB qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) or working towards a recognised Finance qualification
• Producing monthly or quarterly management accounts and providing suitable narrative as required
• Supporting or leading on aspects of the year-end processes and/ or the annual audit, including producing year-end schedules, accounts and liaising with the auditors
• Ability to build strong relationships with budget holders and being able to challenge them in a compassionate and respectful manner
• Strong verbal and written communication skills at all levels
• Strong interpersonal skills and being proactive
• Experience working on Sage 50

This role will be closing on 13th July, 2025 and candidates shortlisted will be required to answer three questions which will form as part of shortlisting by the client.

Therefore, please do apply without further delay!

Due to the nature of this role, the client may close this position early if we have suitable candidates.

First stage interviews will be held via MSTeams on Friday 18th July
Second stage interviews via MSTeams on Wednesday 23rd July

Charity People is a forward thinking, inclusive organisation that actively and deliberately promotes equity, diversity and inclusion. We know organisations thrive when inclusion is at the forefront. We evidence our commitment by matching charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates irrespective of background e.g. age, disability (including hidden disabilities), gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. We do this because we believe that greater diversity leads to greater results for the charities we work with.

Are you passionate about community, creativity, and professional development? Join the British Association of Dramatherapists (BADth) and help shape the future of dramatherapy in the UK.

We’re looking for a dynamic and driven Membership Engagement & Development Coordinator to lead on member communications, grow our professional community, and deliver impactful CPD programmes. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference in a creative and caring sector, supporting dramatherapists across the UK and beyond.

In this pivotal role, you’ll:

• Enhance member satisfaction and engagement through strategic communication and outreach.
• Coordinate a diverse and profitable CPD programme, including our annual conference.
• Drive membership growth and diversification, with a focus on inclusion and innovation.
• Support and celebrate our vibrant volunteer network.
• Work flexibly from home, with a supportive and collaborative team.

Whether you're experienced in membership development, event coordination, or communications—and especially if you’re excited by the arts therapies—we’d love to hear from you.

�� Apply by: Sunday 20 July 2025
�� Interviews: Week commencing 4 August 2025
�� Location: Remote (UK-based)
�� Salary: £30,000 per annum (pro-rata if part-time)

About Resource Futures

We want to create a future where organisations, people and communities can thrive, and rebalance their relationship with material resources.

Resource Futures is an organisation accelerating the shift towards a circular world: putting restorative practices of reuse, repair, recycling at the heart of the fight to address the climate crisis. We help governments, businesses, NGOs and non-profits embrace regenerative change.

We are non-profit-distributing and have a close-knit team of 50+ trusted employees who collaborate across various areas of the business. Our multi-disciplined and connected approach sets us apart from the competition and enables us to build robust solutions that have a meaningful impact in the world.

We are passionate not only about what we do but how we do it, and we’re proud to be a part of the global B Corp movement to use business as a force for good. Employee-owned and independent, we’re all about helping each team member grow, and together striving towards our goal of creating a sustainable world.

The opportunity

The Partnerships Lead will act as Project Manager for the community strand of Together for Tomorrow, a five-year National Lottery-funded programme supporting grassroots climate action across Devon. Working in close partnership with Libraries Unlimited, you will coordinate delivery across libraries and grassroots groups, supporting communities to develop practical climate initiatives and helping libraries become active sustainability hubs.

You will lead on toolkits, training plans, outreach and focus groups, while also supporting monitoring and reporting. The role blends strategic coordination with hands-on delivery, ensuring the programme is inclusive, locally rooted, and aligned across all partners.

This role sits within the CAG (Community Action Groups) Devon team, a network that supports community groups to take action on reuse, repair, food waste, composting, biodiversity and wider sustainability issues. CAG provides the tools groups need to thrive, including training, resources, and opportunities to connect with others.

What you will be doing

Project, people and partnership management

• Acting as project manager for the community strand of Together for Tomorrow, overseeing planning, coordination, and delivery.
• Building and maintaining partnerships with libraries, grassroots groups, and underrepresented communities.
• Recruiting and line managing the Project Officer, who will be supporting project delivery. Working closely with the CAG Devon team to align community support and delivery models across the network.

Community development and delivery

• Helping new community groups to form and supporting existing ones to grow, diversify, or expand their climate action work.
• Facilitating focus groups and community consultations to shape project delivery and ensure activity is insight-led.
• Delivering a targeted promotion and outreach plan, with a focus on ‘deep dive’ areas and engaging underrepresented communities.

Reporting and learning

• Contributing to the development and implementation of the project’s monitoring and evaluation framework.
• You will lead on monitoring and quarterly reporting (including financial), ensuring that CAG team and wider community partners meet agreed targets.
• Acting as an ambassador for the project, sharing insights and learning to support continuous improvement and knowledge exchange across the sector.
• Carrying out any other duties required of the role.

The essentials

• Strong project management skills, able to plan, coordinate and deliver complex work with multiple partners.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across sectors.
• Experience in community development, supporting new and existing groups.
• Skilled in engagement and facilitation, including focus groups, workshops, or public consultations.
• Strong organisational skills, with experience of balancing coordination with delivery.
• Experience of monitoring and evaluation and producing project reports.
• Comfortable working both independently and as part of a remote team.
• Commitment to inclusive, community-led climate action.
• Able to travel regularly across Devon.

Great to haves

• Familiarity with the CAG Devon network or experience working in community-led climate action in Devon.
• An understanding of the voluntary sector and environmental players across the County, at a strategic and local level.
• Experience developing toolkits, training, or learning resources for community or volunteer use.

Benefits

• Embedded flexi working culture.
• 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, each year (pro rata for part-time hours) – flexibility to work or use some bank holidays for annual leave.
• Buying and selling annual leave policy to add further flexibility around how you manage your work/non-work time and give you better control over how much and when you take leave from work.
• Paid volunteer time each year (a full day for those working 19 hours or more per week, and a half day for those working up to 18.75 hours per week).
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
• Enhanced sick pay.
• Scottish Widows pension plan – the company will match up to 7% of your contribution.
• Group life assurance cover.
• Healthcare portal offering 24/7 GP access and prescription service, mental health support, wellbeing advice, financial and legal guidance.
• Mental health and wellbeing group with trained mental health first aiders and responders, maintaining a focus on support for our team.
• A cycle to work scheme for all and on-site showers at the Bristol office.
• Home and tech scheme – costs at Currys and Ikea spread across 12 months, and up to 10% savings.
• On-site charging points for electric vehicles at the Bristol office.
• Paid professional membership such as CIWM or IEMA.
• An opportunity to become a company member, contributing to decision making and the future direction and success of our business.
• Consultative Group – a group of employees providing an anonymous vehicle for employee voice, raising issues, proposing changes and engaging senior management.
• Regular line manager 1:1s and performance reviews, with opportunities to discuss and build targets that inspire and push you professionally.
• Annual training budget to ensure continued progression and development, as well as regular internal ‘Lunchtime Briefs’ and other sessions to share skills and knowledge across all roles.
• Two annual team activity days, each followed by evening socials.
• Green and accessible Bristol office, surrounded by nature, and close to the harbourside.
• Accessible central Glasgow office close to local public transport links.
• An opportunity to join a friendly, fun, professional, challenging, and supportive place to work, and a team that is collectively focused on making a positive impact.

Interim Head of Finance & Operations

Career Ready is a social mobility charity that believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to enjoy a rewarding future.

We were founded in 2002 by leading business figures with a mission: to boost social mobility by empowering young people and giving their talents a platform from which to flourish. Since then, we’ve grown in England and Scotland to support young people in areas of need.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, qualified Finance professional to lead our Finance & Operations function.

About the Role

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer the Interim Head of Finance & Operations leads on and assumes day to day responsibility for providing high quality, strategic financial management for Career Ready.

You will lead on business operations to ensure the ongoing effective functioning of the charity and drive sustainable growth.

The Interim Head of Finance and Operations plays a key role in leading greater organisational efficiency and simplifying processes and will continue the delivery of a project plan reflecting the 2025-30 strategy.

You will play a critical role in driving the increased quality of Career Ready’s offer to our stakeholders in line with our strategy, vision and values.

Member of our SMT, comprising of the CEO, Director for Scotland, Director of Programme and Partnerships and Heads of functions.

This is an interim role to cover a period of maternity leave.

Main responsibilities and accountabilities

· Lead, direct and manage the finance and operations functions, overseeing two direct reports, ensuring they deliver a high-quality service to all internal and external stakeholders and are seen as adding value, in enabling Career Ready to achieve its vision and strategic objectives through its people. 

· Continue the delivery of a project plan reflecting the 2025-30 strategy, ensuring that activities happen at pace, are deadline-driven and achieve a high level of impact.

· Assume overall responsibility for the financial management of Career Ready, working with the SMT to ensure high quality and effective use of charitable funds.

· Input into and review the financial elements of funding applications and ensure that fund accounting processes align with funders’ requirements for project reporting.

· Produce financial reports for various stakeholders, as well as leading on financial modelling.

· Have oversight of all financial and accountancy matters including month end reports, management accounts, cash flow management, compliance, tax liability, presentation of management information and KPIs. Ensure that the CEO and Trustees are provided with accurate, timely information and analysis. 

· Oversee and coordinate the fully managed payroll services with the external bureau for all Career Ready employees and for some internship students (Jun to Aug during the Summer)

· Administration of the Staff Opt-In Pension Scheme, including onboarding new staff (Royal London)

· Act as a role model in our ‘one team’ culture. Lead in the development of efficient working practices across the charity, creating momentum and supporting motivation within the charity. 

· Lead risk management strategies and internal control procedures to minimise the risk of loss, or damage to, Career Ready’s assets. 

· Prepare and submit annual operational budgets and annual accounts to the CEO for review and approval.

· Draft and deliver papers for Trustees and Finance and Fundraising Committee (F&FC) meetings. 

· Attend Board and F&FC meetings to present papers and answer questions related to areas of expertise. 

· Provide day to day line management of the Senior Finance Officers and support their ongoing growth and development.

· Management of organisational governance and compliance activities, including policy management.

· Oversee and manage the organisation’s risk management register and process, with input from SMT.

· Oversee reviews and renewals of all insurance policies that affect the organisation.

· Lead on the compliance of statutory and charity regulatory reporting, giving guidance to colleagues where required.

· Ensure any changes to processes and procedures across the function are clearly documented.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

•  Belief and commitment to Career Ready’s mission and values
• Qualified (ACA/ACCA/CIMA/AAT) accountant with at least 5 years’ experience in financial management including budgeting, preferably in the charity sector.
• Significant experience in producing management and financial accounts
• Skilled in financial reporting and producing VAT returns
• Preparing for and ensuring a successful year-end audit, and demonstrable knowledge of UK Charities SORP and other reporting standards
• Experience in budgeting to support strategic decision making.
• Financial dexterity and strong analytical skills.
• Strong IT skills, including advanced MS Excel skills and extensive of using an accounting software, preferably Xero
• Excellent organisational and prioritising skills and ability to work independently and with autonomy
• Strong starter finisher with ability to lead and drive projects
• Knowledge of charity governance and compliance requirements
• Ability to build excellent relationships and have effective engagement with stakeholders
• Good communication skills and ability to communicate financial concepts to non-finance staff
• Attention to detail
• Ability to present financial information to various audiences
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and sensitivity of financial information
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to cope with competing demands to deadlines
• Honest and dependable

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience of leading a team, strong team building skills
• Line management experience
• Experience of using MS Planner or other project management tools
• Genuine interest in the work done by the Charity
• Experience of using a CRM (Salesforce)
• Degree in financial management or accounting

Full details are provided in the candidate pack

Salary and Benefits

Salary: £52,000 to £54,000 FTE (salary will be pro-rata for part time hours)

28-35 hours per week.  Career Ready is committed to supporting condensed/flexible working patterns.

Permanent and remote.  Travel to London required on an occasional basis

You will be rewarded with the following benefits:

· 6% contribution to personal pension plan, subject to 3% employee contribution.

· Annual leave: 27 days per annum plus bank/public holidays (pro rata for part time). The charity is also closed between Christmas and New Year. Career Ready also allows flexible use of some Bank & Public Holidays

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Access to both our Reward Gateway Portal and an Employee Assistance Programme.

· Flexible working

· Work from home allowance and paid travel expenses.

We regret that Career Ready is unable to offer visa sponsorship and candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. In accordance with our commitment to safeguarding, offers of employment are subject to completion of a DBS check. 

Timetable

Applications close at 9am on Monday 21 July 2025 

Please note that the closing date may be brought forward if we receive strong applications.

This is an interim role to cover a period of maternity leave, with a provisional start date of late September for a handover period.

The Association for Cultural Enterprises (AfCE) supports over 500 member organisations across the UK and internationally, helping the cultural sector generate earned income through commercial activity. As an Arts Council England-funded organisation, AfCE delivers sector-leading training, benchmarking, data-led insights, events, and advocacy to drive financial resilience in arts, heritage, and culture.

AfCE runs a year-round programme of live training events around the UK and Europe, as well as its signature annual Cultural Enterprises Conference and Trade Show. We have ambitions to grow attendance at these events, as well as growing our membership.

The Association is a charitable organisation, which also has a trading company, Cultural Enterprises (Trading) Limited (CET).

We are looking for a new Finance Manager to join a small, friendly, and ambitious team, to review the day-to-day processes and policies and identify opportunities to improve reporting  and make operational efficiencies. The Association is growing, so now is an exciting time to join our team and work with our members across the cultural sector.

Job Summary

The purpose of this role is to provide sound financial management for the Association and CET through:

• Statutory financial reporting in line with Charity SORP/UK GAAP, including annual returns to Companies House and the Charity Commission

• Management accounting, reporting and analysis to funders, management, staff, and Trustees/Directors

• Preparation and maintenance of budgets, forecasts and plans, including cashflows and project budgets

• Supervision and control of day-to-day accounting transactions, including oversight of the finance aspects of the Apprentice role

• Oversight and implementation of robust financial systems, policies, and procedures

• Responsible for financial queries, working with the Apprentice as first point of contact for external contacts
   

Main Duties

• Supervise day-to-day accounting operations and ensure accurate financial record keeping, including coding, allocations, reconciliations, and tax accounting

• Oversee invoice generation and debt recovery processes

• Process payments and staff expenses for authorisation

• Produce regular management accounts on an accruals basis, providing interpretation and advice to the Executive Team, Finance & Risk Committee, Trustees/Directors, and funders

• Lead on budget preparation and forecasting, including project-specific budgets; monitor and reforecast as needed

• Prepare statutory accounts in compliance with charity SORP and liaise with external auditors and the Treasurer

• Manage contracts with financial services providers, including bookkeepers, auditors, banks, and investment managers

• Attend AfCE and CET Board meetings

• Fulfil company secretarial duties, including:

  • Filing confirmation statements and annual accounts for ACE and CET with Companies House and Charity Commission

  • Filing changes in Trustees/Directors

• Complete Arts Council England (ACE) returns, including provision of financial information for quarterly payment processes when required

• Negotiate and implement insurance policies including:

  • General insurance

  • Cyber security

  • Life assurance

  • Staff sickness policy

  • Trustees’ liability

  • Conference insurance

• Oversee monthly payroll, including statutory payments to HMRC and pension providers, and liaise with bookkeepers for payroll updates or changes

• Review VAT returns for accuracy before submission to HMRC
   

Note on External Bookkeepers
External bookkeepers currently provide support limited to payroll and VAT processing.

Person Specification

Personal Qualities

• Self-disciplined, organised, proactive and self-motivating

• Logical and methodical approach to finance and administration

• Trustworthy, honest, reliable and conscientious

• Confident, professional, and personable, able to communicate easily within a small team and with external stakeholders
   

Professional Competencies

Essential

• Professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA, or CIMA

• Strong knowledge of charity SORP and charity finance regulations, including VAT and Gift Aid

• Experience with Xero or equivalent cloud-based accounting systems

• Strong reporting skills

• Team player with excellent interpersonal skills

• High level of accuracy and attention to detail

• Experience producing management accounts and supporting senior leadership and boards

• Ability to interpret financial data for non-financial colleagues
   

Desirable

• Experience working in a small charity or business

• Understanding of the cultural or charitable sector

• Experience of remote working
   

Benefits

• Unlimited holiday policy

• 5% employer pension contribution

• Life insurance

• Flexible working arrangements by agreement with the CEO

We are an inclusive, equal opportunity employer and value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of experience, merit and organisational need.