Director of finance and company secretary jobs

Hitchin Youth Trust is a small charity with a big heart. We support local young people (up to the age of 26) through the award of individual grants and bursaries, and we provide grants to local charities and organisations carrying out vital work with young people across our community.

We are also home to the Hitchin Charity Youth Hub at our base on Walsworth Road in Hitchin — a shared space where several local youth charities work side by side, because we know that collaboration makes everyone stronger.

In addition, we provide a meeting space at the Charity Hub.  It is offered free of charge to local youth groups and charities, to help them to provide support and a wide range of other opportunities for the young people in our community.

As Youth Trust Manager — our sole employee — you’ll work closely with an engaged and forward-thinking Board of Trustees. The role is fabulously varied – one day you might be attending an investment meeting in London; the next, liaising sensitively with an individual or organisation enquiring about grant support; the next, checking toilet roll supplies and making sure the building is running smoothly. 

Your work will span six key areas:

• Financial management — keeping our accounts accurate, reconciling income and expenditure, liaising with our investment broker and auditors, and producing monthly reports using Sage.

• Grant applications — receiving and processing applications, supporting applicants, preparing summaries for Trustees, and managing award payments.

• Representing the Trust — networking with local and national organisations, keeping our website and social media fresh, and organising events.

• Trustee clerking — preparing agendas and minutes, managing Charity Commission and Companies House returns, and supporting the annual audit.

• Buildings & facilities — managing the Charity Hub, overseeing bookings, maintenance and H&S compliance, and being the go-to person for building users and contractors.

• General administration — first point of contact for the Trust, maintaining our annual calendar, and keeping us compliant with legislation and best practice (including GDPR).

Who We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who has a genuine passion for supporting young people in our community.  In addition, you will need to offer:

· A great eye for detail.

· Be organised, proactive and self-motivated.

· Enjoy the variety a day will bring you, manipulating a spreadsheet, preparing Board papers, following up grant enquiries or representing the Trust at a local event.

· Have a warm manner.  Be equally comfortable liaising charity directors, educational professionals and individual parents who may be desperately reaching out to the charity for urgent support.

The Deputy Director (Operations & Finance) is a new position in the organisation that will lead the day-to-day running of the organisation, bringing together operations, HR, governance, finance oversight and property management under clear, reliable leadership. Working closely with the Director and deputising in their absence, you will line-manage teams across finance, buildings, studios and administration, and act as Company Secretary to the Board of Trustees.

Beyond keeping the organisation running well, you will play a central role in what comes next including delivery of our 3–5-year strategic business plan, securing a permanent home for the charity, developing Not Another Art School as a scaled income stream, and supporting our pathway toward Arts Council England NPO status.

This is a hands-on, generalist leadership role. You will need to be equally comfortable reviewing a lease, running a Board meeting, troubleshooting an IT system and supporting a member of staff sometimes all in the same week.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead governance and compliance acting as Company Secretary, coordinating Board activity, managing statutory filings, and overseeing health & safety, GDPR, and HR frameworks
• Oversee day-to-day operations across studios, galleries, offices, and project spacesLead on all HR processes recruitment, contracts, appraisals, and staff support for a team of ten
• Manage financial oversight alongside the Finance Manager: budgets, cash flow, management accounts, year-end, and funder reporting
• Develop and manage property relationships lease negotiations, landlord liaison, new site acquisition in line with agreed strategy
• Support fundraising applications and funder compliance, and contribute to building diversified income across earned revenue, trusts & foundations, and public funding
• Drive delivery of the strategic business plan, including NAAS development and ACE Illuminate audience data preparation

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

You don't need to come from the arts sector, but you do need to be operationally excellent, values-driven, and genuinely excited by what TBFAF is becoming. We are looking for someone with strong experience running operations in a small organisation, solid understanding of governance and finance, confidence managing teams, and the breadth to hold a wide remit without dropping the ball.Experience in property or facilities management, HR management, and familiarity with fundraising applications are all desirable, alongside arts, charity, or cultural sector experience and experience working with Boards of Trustees.

Hays Senior Finance is proud to be working in partnership with St Nicholas Hospice, who are looking to appoint a Head of Finance. This is a pivotal appointment where you will lead and deliver on financial aspects of their ambitious plans.

St Nicholas Hospice Care is a local charity, which strives for something better in the provision of high-quality, specialist palliative care, emotional and practical support, so that no-one in West Suffolk and Thetford has to face dying, death and grief alone.

St Nic’s supports thousands of local people. Hospice support is there not just for patients, but for their families and friends too, offering everything from specialist medical and bereavement care to practical help. They aim to provide the very best experiences for those facing dying, death and grief, with our actions and behaviours promoting the charity’s values of compassion, accountability, respect, and equity.

The charity and its trading subsidiary have a combined annual turnover of circa £9m. The Finance Department has responsibility for delivering all finance functions across the group.

In addition, the Finance team plays a strong and increasingly strategic business‑partnering role across the organisation, working closely with directors, heads of departments and managers to provide financial insight, challenge, and support decision‑making, enabling effective operational planning, financial sustainability, and alignment with the charity’s strategic objectives.

The Head of Finance is responsible for the leadership and performance of the Finance team to provide sound financial information and specialist advice to directorate and committees to facilitate the Hospice’s strategic and operational business plans, ensure the effective management of financial resources and to support change and enable improvement.

The Role:

• Strategic Leadership: Drive the financial direction and long-term viability of the hospice and contribute to the financial health of the charity.
• Operational Excellence: Oversee the finance function, ensuring sustainable planning, budgeting, and financial management.
• Team Collaboration: Be a visible member of the Senior Leadership Team, enhancing our positive, values-based culture.

What They’re Looking For:

• Qualifications: ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA, or equivalent.
• Experience: Proven leadership in finance within a charity or similar organisation.
• Skills: Strong financial acumen, stakeholder communication, and team management.

You will also fulfil the role of Company Secretary for the charity and the trading company. whilst operating as a senior leader within the Charity.

St Nicholas Hospice has a collaborative and supportive team culture, so it is essential that you have the ability to “roll up your sleeves” and be involved in the day-to-day operations. In addition, a key element of the role will be leading and influencing others to continue to innovate and improve their financial processes.

Why Join the St Nicholas Hospice?

• Impactful Work: Play a central role in developing and delivering financial plans to support in an environment where everyone is encouraged, energised and enabled to play their part in delivering the Hospice's vision
• Supportive Culture: Join a collaborative team that values innovation and continuous improvement in its service of local communities.
• Great Benefits: Competitive salary, attractive annual leave, life cover, and flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working.

Ready to Make a Difference? If you have the drive, passion, and enthusiasm to help them to achieve their mission and vision, we want to hear from you!

For more information about the role and organisation please contact Senan Pierce, Senior Business Director at Hays Senior Finance who is the retained consultant working in partnership with St Nicholas Hospice.

Closing date for all applications:  28th June, 2026.

Interviews will take place: 7th and 8th July, 2026.

All third party & direct applicants will be forwarded directly to Senan Pierce at Hays Senior Finance to be screened as part of the recruitment process.

We are a not-for-profit organisation committed to increasing the diversity and numbers of young people entering engineering and technology to meet the future workforce needs, as well as promoting roles that help us work towards net zero and drive environmental sustainability. We currently have about 65 employees.
 

We are looking for an experienced and trusted individual to work closely with our CEO, Director of Finance and Corporate Services, and Board of Trustees to ensure strong governance across the organisation. You’ll work with our friendly leadership team to make sure that, as a charity, we have effective policies and procedures in place.

 

EngineeringUK is an independent charity and a company limited by guarantee.
 

About the role

You’ll be accountable for managing all areas of corporate governance relating to our Board of Trustees and related committees. This will include providing general advice on corporate governance matters, as well as drafting, updating and advising on corporate governance policies, documents and processes. You’ll organise recruitment of new trustees, induction and onboarding, preparing, editing and circulating agendas and papers as well as management of a plan of corporate meetings.
 

You’ll manage our register of interests, coordinate the risk register, report on this and provide advice as required, such as around conflicts of interest, while also supporting internal audit and working closely with the CEO and Director of Finance and Corporate Services.
 

You will work with senior colleagues to ensure regulatory requirements are met including submissions to relevant bodies and support board and committee projects, including Charity Governance Code compliance.
 

The role is London based at our office at 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN and may involve some travel in the UK.

We believe that hybrid working has many benefits and are pleased to offer flexible working with a minimum of 40% a week in the office and the option for a flexible start and end to the working day in our vibrant central London office overlooking the Thames. Further details on our flexible working practices can be discussed at interview or you can reach out to a member of our HR team.
 

Further details of the role can be found in the job description and person specification.
 

About EngineeringUK

Our purpose is to drive change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers.

Our vision is that the UK has the diverse workforce needed for engineering and technology to thrive and drive economic prosperity, improve sustainability and to achieve net zero.

Our mission is to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be informed, inspired and progress into engineering and technology.

In the UK, we don’t have enough engineers and demand is going up. So, we need more young people to realise there could be a future for them in engineering and technology. To really thrive, we need a stronger, more diverse and representative workforce and for that we have to do things differently to make engineering more appealing.

We are a not-for-profit working with hundreds of organisations across business, education, professional institutions and the third sector so we can all grow the future talent pool together. We drive that collective effort through research and evidence, leadership, activities for schools and advocacy, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

We guided by a series of values that we apply to all our activity:

• We are inclusive and care about diversity. We understand that we have different needs and create opportunities for everyone's voice to be heard
• We are collaborative. We listen, share and work in partnership to achieve our vision
• We are curious and keen to learn. We challenge ourselves and others to innovate and experiment
• We are insightful. We evaluate what we do and draw on research to make decisions and to improve our collective understanding
• We are driven by a strong sense of purpose. We are determined to make an impact and achieve our goals

About you

Essential Skills / Competencies

• You will have significant experience of working in corporate governance and able to demonstrate an understanding of the governance requirements of charities and companies.
• Able to provide advice and to know when to seek legal advice in relation to governance and company law.
• Experience of working with people across the organisation to support and encourage them to deliver to deadlines.
• Experience of servicing a Board and/or Committee.
• Excellent written skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively at all levels;
• Excellent planning and organisational skills and an eye for detail;
• Ability to work to deadlines;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality;
• Good IT skills.
• Commitment to our mission and values, you will be able to engage with our values and work in a way that supports our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

Education / level of experience

• 5+  years experience of working within corporate governance.
• You may ideally hold ICSA Postgraduate Certificate in Charity Management and/or ICSA/CGI Chartered Secretary.
• You may ideally have experience of working in a small to medium sized organisation with charity status.
   

EngineeringUK is committed to being an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels they belong.  This is supported by the dedicated work we are doing to ensure our policies and practices are inclusive and that our staff are trained to be able to fulfil this commitment.
 

We value the benefits of a diverse workforce and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.  Our recruitment process is designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible and to ensure people are individually assessed regardless of their backgrounds or characteristics.
 

We are an equal opportunities employer and are open to flexible working, including job share.
 

Applying for this role

Applications

If you would like to request to submit your application in an alternative format to support accessibility, please let us know.
 

We want to hear your voice and experience in your application. We acknowledge that you may use AI tools to polish a response, but your application should reflect your experience and voice. All applications are reviewed and scored by our human hiring team.  Our system flags responses that it judges to be AI generated and your application may be disregarded if we feel it has been completely AI generated
 

The deadline for applications is 4pm on 21st June.

Interviews

Applications will be assessed against the requirements for the post as set out in the job description and in the ‘about you’ section above. 
 

We are a Disability Confident committed employer. We guarantee an interview to any disabled people who meet the minimum requirements of the role. Additionally, if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to make this process easier for you then we are happy to do so. Just complete the relevant sections of the online application form. 
 

We aim to notify candidates who have been shortlisted on 24th June. If you have not heard from us after this date, please assume that you have not been successful.
 

First interviews date will be 1st July.

What can we offer you?

• Competitive salary
• 28 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays) pro-rated; in addition we normally close for the Christmas week
• Competitive pension (10% employer contribution)
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Flexible working
• A vibrant office with terrace overlooking the Thames embankment and Tower Bridge
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Life Insurance (4 x salary)
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Long term illness/incapacity insurance cover (permanent health insurance or PHI)
• Annual private health check for employees
• Discounted gym membership
• Yearly flu vaccination