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Join Mersey Rivers Trust and Help Make a Real Impact for Rivers, Wildlife and Communities! 

Are you a skilled finance and governance professional looking to use your expertise for good? Mersey Rivers Trust is seeking a Finance and Governance Manager to join our Senior Leadership Team and help shape the future of our environmental charity. 

We’re a passionate team working to protect and restore rivers across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire — and we need someone like you to ensure our finances and governance are as strong as our mission. 

APPLICANTS MUST LIVE WITHIN OR CLOSE TO THE MERSEY CATCHMENT – APPLICATIONS FROM OUTSIDE THIS AREA CANNOT BE CONSIDERED.

The Mersey Rivers Trust (MRT) is an environmental charity focussing on the protection and enhancement of rivers and waterbodies in the Mersey Catchment. It operates in an area covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. We have an annual turnover of c£1m and employ 19 staff delivering up to 30 projects per year. The Trust works with partners, local communities, and volunteers to deliver a wide range of projects including river restoration, reduction of flood risk by Natural Flood Management techniques, river monitoring, volunteer events (eg river clean-ups/invasive species control and citizen science), community engagement and education events, farm advice/plans and biodiversity net gain. The Trust continues to evolve to meet the increasing challenges of protecting and enhancing rivers and waterbodies in the catchment.

We are seeking a Finance and Governance Manager to join our Senior Leadership Team and lead the Trust’s finance, governance, and back-office functions. This is a pivotal role focused on ensuring financial integrity, regulatory compliance, and effective charity governance. While not involved in field-based project delivery, the Finance Manager plays a strategic role in supporting the organisation’s mission by enabling robust financial planning, reporting, and operational support. You will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Board of Trustees, and project teams to ensure the Trust remains financially resilient and well-governed.

As the Finance and Governance Manager, you should possess expertise in financial control and reporting, allowing you to effectively handle delegated responsibilities. Your numerical skills and critical thinking abilities will enable you to proactively address challenges and streamline processes. 

The role holder will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer and will be a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The role will also include direct line management responsibilities of the Administration Officer. 

If you are a motivated financial professional with a passion for driving organisational success, we invite you to apply and contribute to our team’s growth. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the management of the back-office function and Charity governance of MRT.
• Act as the Company Secretary to ensure compliance with financial and legal requirements, as well as maintaining high standards of Charity governance.
• Work with the Chief Executive Officer to prepare and manage budgets, provide input to the Trust’s business plan and strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the Trust as a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Provide financial insight and analysis to support strategic decision-making and long-term planning.
• Support the development and implementation of organisational policies and procedures to ensure good governance.
• Act as a key liaison with the Board of Trustees, preparing and presenting financial and governance reports to inform oversight and decision-making.
• Lead on the development of internal controls and risk management strategies to safeguard the Trust’s assets and reputation.
• Oversee all payments, manage cash flow, income and claims.
• Support financial planning for grant funding applications to support delivery of our objectives.
• Line management of the Administration Officer.
• Renew the annual insurance policy ensuring adequate cover and value for money.
• Maintain, oversee, and update all project management reporting systems on time and to budget (including timesheets, expenses and monthly reports).
• Complete all necessary reports and keep suitable records in line with the funding requirements and document retention policy.
• Highlight any new risks and issues identified whilst carrying out duties, and work with the team to manage and resolve them.
• Fulfil duties as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer.
• Any other reasonable duties as required by MRT.

The post holder will be home based with travel throughout the Mersey catchment. The applicant will need to live within or close to the Mersey catchment to facilitate regular travel to meetings. Remote working from other parts of the country cannot be considered for this role due to the need for regular face-to-face interactions. 

Candidate profile

Essential

• A financial control and reporting background, qualification or qualified by experience. 
• Experience of organisational governance, ideally with knowledge of UK General Accounting Practice and Charities regulations.
• Experience of financial and management reporting within a small to medium-sized organisation.
• Experience of liaising with accountants to prepare annual accounts and reports required by the Charity Commission.
• Experience of cash flow forecasting.
• Familiarity with Xero financial and project management software (or similar).
• A confident and clear communicator with the ability to communicate financial information in an appropriate manner for non-financial trustees and staff.
• Aptitude in problem-solving.
• Self-motivated and able to work effectively from home with strong communication skills and with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work flexibly across the working week when necessary.
• Ability to prioritise and plan activities to meet strict deadlines.
• Excellent literacy, numeracy and report-writing skills.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills.
• Good computer literacy skills (e.g. with Excel, Word, PowerPoint and project reporting systems).
• A reliable team player with good attendance and work performance.
• Ability to set performance objectives and ensure these are achieved.
• Excellent organisational / admin skills and attention to detail.

Desirable

• Experience in financial planning for funding applications.
• Experience of working in the charity or not for profit sector.
• Understanding of small-scale charitable trading.
• Experience of commercial contract management.
• Experience of managing an IT service provider.
• Knowledge of the Mersey Catchment.
• Good network of contacts in the sector. 

General notes

• Some travel around the Mersey Catchment will be necessary therefore a current driving licence and access to a vehicle (insured for business use) is desirable or otherwise access to public transport networks. 
• This position will from time to time require work during some evenings, weekends and public holidays to meet the needs of the post. A time-off in lieu system is operated by the Trust.
• We will also require the successfully applicant to undergo a basic DBS check and provide satisfactory references from previous employers.