About Spear Bristol North West
Spear Bristol North West is a partnership between Spear Bristol Trust, St Andrew’s Church Avonmouth and Spear.
St Andrew’s Avonmouth
St Andrew’s Avonmouth is part of the Church of England, and their vision is to play their part in growing God's Kingdom in their local communities and beyond. They are part of the wider Avonside Mission Area which has a bold vision to bring about the social, cultural and spiritual transformation of their communities in partnership with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. You can find out more at St Andrew's-St Peter's Church's website.
You would be employed by Spear Bristol Trust, working from St Andrew’s Avonmouth where Spear Bristol North West is a key missional activity. Prayer and worship are embedded into daily working practices, so there is an Occupational Requirement for applicants to be practicing Christians. The Spear team share a belief in a triune God, and we welcome applications from people of all denominations and expressions of Christianity. You are welcome to reach out to the Spear recruitment team to discuss this further before applying.
Key Information:
- Salary: £25,000 FTE
- Part-time, 3 days a week - Tuesday to Thursday
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- A DBS check will be requested in the event of a job offer
- The Spear Programme offers a rewarding opportunity to work with young people, but it requires a dedicated commitment. Due to the term-based nature of the programme (i.e. two consecutive 4-week programmes in autumn, spring and summer), we expect annual leave to be taken between, rather than during terms
Recruitment Process
Application Deadline: 29th May 2026
Informal Call
Assessment and Interview Day: 24th June 2026
For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with us pack.
If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know.
Person Specification
- An active Christian, dedicated to representing the values of Spear and St Andrew’s Avonmouth.
- A commitment to grow and learn spiritually and as a Christian leader, and a desire to learn and understand coaching techniques.
- Passion for social justice, especially supporting young people in employment or education.
- Confident communication and interpersonal skills, both over telephone and face to face, particularly in group facilitation.
- An ambitious and self-motivated individual with the ability to prioritise workload, exercise initiative and work well under pressure.
- High emotional intelligence, a sense of humour and fun!
Registered Charity
101 - 500
Spear is a dynamic, growing youth employment charity that coaches young people to overcome barriers and thrive in work and life.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Welsh Language Coordinator
We have an exciting opportunity for a Welsh language Coordinator to support early years, childcare and play work practitioners with Welsh language skills.
Position: Welsh Language Coordinator
Location: Home Based, Travel will be required to undertake this role.
Hours: Part-time, 22.5 hours per week
Salary: £27,500 - £29,000 pro rata (dependent upon experience)
Contract: Fixed term until 31st March 2027, extension possible subject to funding
Benefits: Include pro rata of 26 days paid holiday (rising to 30 days with service increments) plus 8 bank holiday, Personal Pension Scheme, Healthcare Cash Plan, Online Discount Scheme, Employee Assistance Programme, Staff Awards Scheme, Company Sick Pay Scheme, Flexible working patterns
The Role
As Welsh Language Coordinator you will support early years, childcare and play work practitioners with Welsh language skills. Targets are agreed annually between the Welsh Government and charity partners. You will co-ordinate the charity’s Welsh language project, encourage Members to embark onto the online self-learning course, and provide ongoing support to practitioners on increasing their use of the Welsh language.
Main duties include supporting the wider organisation and our UK and international customers through:
- To establish and manage robust procedures and systems to support the co- ordination, delivery and monitoring of the Welsh Language project
- Identify settings and recruitment of practitioners for the delivery of training courses
- Promote the development of Welsh language skills by providing information on the online self-learning course, encouraging practitioners to sign up for the training
- Provide support to practitioners to ensure learning from the training is implemented in the workplace
- Development of resources to ensure training influences practice
- Delivery of live interaction sessions with practitioners and other partners
- Collection of data, monitoring and tracking the progress of participants
- Provide regular written reports identifying progress against targets
- Systematically gather and record sector intelligence and research
- Carry out visits within member settings in North Wales to identify settings which may want to transition to Bilingual or Welsh medium status.
About You
To be successful in the role you will need the following skills and experience:
- Effective communication skills - fluent in both English and Welsh
- Knowledge of the benefits and value of the Welsh language in the early years sector
- Experience of using a range of IT applications including Microsoft Office/ Excel
- Excellent administrative skills with attention to detail
- Able to build relationships easily and communicate at all levels, including the ability to use language and other communication skills that very young children can understand and relate to
- Enthusiasm for quality early years, childcare and play work opportunities
- Ability to meet deadlines and prioritise a busy workload
- An enthusiastic, self motivated, organised, team worker and networker
- Ability to work independently and use their own initiative
- Ability to organise and prioritise work with a minimum of supervision
In order to fulfil this role you must have the use of your own transport and the ability to travel as needed.
To apply you will be asked to submit your CV along with a covering letter detailing how your skills, knowledge and experience meet the requirements of the role.
About the Organisation
The organisation is a national charity and membership association specifically for nurseries. They work in partnership with nurseries, local authorities, national government and a range of partners to develop an environment in which early learning and care can flourish.
The organisation is committed to a policy of equal opportunities and is actively opposed to discrimination in society.
You may have experience in areas such as Welsh Language Support Officer, Welsh Speaking Project Manager, Welsh Speaking LSA, Welsh Speaking Teaching Assistant, Welsh Translator, Teacher of Welsh, etc.
Thank you!
About Parenting for Lifelong Health:
Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) aims to empower parents to improve child development, reduce family violence, and promote mental health. We give parents the support they need, the skills that work, and trusted advice they can count on to protect and support their children’s health, safety and development. Our parenting courses are developed with families, powered by low-cost and accessible technology, backed by rigorous evidence, and delivered within systems. Originally founded as an initiative in 2012 in collaboration with UNICEF and the WHO, Parenting for Lifelong Health was established as a UK charity in 2022 and since then has reached over 8 million families in more than 35 countries.
PLH Values
- Courage We have the courage to design for the big picture and complex problems with a commitment to creating sustainable solutions that last.
- Evidence We believe our work transforms the lives of children, families, and communities. Evidence of impact guides every decision, and we are relentless in pursuing the greatest impact with the least investment of time and resources required for parents and providers.
- Playfulness Parenting and child wellbeing thrives on play — and so do we. We experiment, learn from each other, as well as from parents and children, and create playful and engaging products and programmes that inspire joy, curiosity, and connection.
- Respect Everyone brings something essential. We show kindness in our team, honesty with our partners, and deep respect and empathy for parents and children, and those who are on the frontline of providing services for them.
PLH has a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity in how we work, who we work with, and what we do. Candidates from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
PLH also has a strong commitment to the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA). All candidates considered for the role will be subject to background and reference checks in their country of residence.
Benefits: Flexible remote-working, home office set-up, unlimited annual leave, professional development opportunities, enhanced pension contributions, enhanced statutory leave provisions including maternity and paternity leave.
About the role:
The Finance Manager is responsible for PLH’s financial systems, controls, and compliance. The role is responsible for ensuring smooth financial operations, accurate and timely reporting, and full compliance with UK Charity Commission requirements and donor regulations.
The position acts as:
- the primary point of contact between PLH and its outsourced accounting firm;
- the operational counterpart to a strategic Senior Director of Finance; and
- the primary source of financial support for programme teams.
Responsibilities:
Financial Operations
- Act as the primary organisational contact for the outsourced accounting firm, setting expectations, reviewing performance, and ensuring service quality.
- Oversee the monthly financial close process, reviewing outputs from the outsourced accounting firm and producing management reports and key financial insights, including:
○ Cash flow and liquidity position
○ Income recognition
○ Restricted vs unrestricted funds
○ Project-level budget variance and cost recovery
- Maintain and update PLH’s Financial Model to reflect actuals, updated revenue and expense projections, and key variances against the approved annual budget, highlighting any significant issues or risks to the Senior Director of Finance.
- Regularly update forecasts based on actual performance and current assumptions within PLH’s Financial Model.
- Manage PLH’s project budgets and work closely with project managers, enforcing consistent standards of budget management, forecasting, and financial reporting.
- Oversee the monthly payroll process, ensuring accuracy, compliance with local regulations, and timely coordination with external providers.
- Manage internal accounts payable and receivable processes, ensuring appropriate controls, approvals, and segregation of duties.
- Manage and maintain PLH’s expense management and banking systems.
- Oversee PLH’s donation processing systems, with a strong focus on fraud prevention, anti-money laundering, and donor due diligence.
Financial Compliance
- Review accounting records and supporting documentation prepared by the outsourced accounting firm.
- Ensure compliance across all donor-funded projects, in line with donor regulations and PLH’s internal financial policies.
- Enforce and evaluate strong financial policies and internal controls, regularly reviewing and aligning these systems with UK Charity Commission guidance and reporting requirements.
- Lead audit preparation, coordinate internal inputs, and act as primary day-to-day contact for external auditors.
- Organise the completion and submission of PLH’s annual return and HMRC corporate tax return.
- Monitor exchange rate fluctuations and advise the Executive and Operations teams on mitigation measures (including approved salary adjustments) to buffer sharp decreases in currency value, in line with organisational policy.
Essential criteria:
- Fully or part-qualified professional accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CPA, or equivalent), or demonstrably equivalent professional experience.
- Minimum of five years’ experience in a finance role, including at least two years in a finance management or senior finance position.
- Demonstrable experience overseeing monthly close processes and producing high-quality management accounts and financial reports.
- Strong experience monitoring budgets, maintaining rolling forecasts, and updating financial models based on actuals and revised assumptions.
- Experience preparing for, coordinating, and supporting audits, including liaison with external auditors.
- Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including complex formulas, linked models, and scenario-based inputs and assumptions.
- Strong experience working with cloud-based accounting systems and the ability to rapidly become fully proficient in PLH’s finance systems.
- Strong understanding of internal financial controls, segregation of duties, and financial policy compliance in a regulated environment.
- Ability to work with outsourced accounting or payroll providers, ensuring accuracy, quality control, and timeliness.
- High attention to detail, analytical rigour, and ability to interpret financial data to support evidence-informed decision-making.
- Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and support budget-holder capacity-building.
Preferred criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics, business administration, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
- Experience working within a UK-registered charity and familiarity with Charity Commission guidance and reporting requirements.
- Experience implementing or maintaining financial policies and procedures aligned with UK charity governance standards.
- Experience managing multi-currency transactions and foreign exchange exposure, ideally using Xero or comparable systems.
- International donor compliance experience, particularly with institutional or multilateral funders (e.g. UNICEF, UN agencies, WHO, major foundations).
- Demonstrated success working in early-stage or scaling organisations, with the ability to operate both independently and collaboratively.
- Experience working with globally distributed teams and multiple country contexts.
- Confidence delivering financial guidance or training to project managers and non-finance staff.
- High level of proficiency in written and spoken English.
