Director of finance operations jobs in central london, greater london

We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Finance Manager to join our team on a part-time basis. This new role will play a key part in overseeing all financial operations of the organisation, ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and transparency across our financial systems.

Working closely with the Director of Finance & Resources, the role holder will support the organisation in budgeting, forecasting, and year-end preparation. They will also contribute to strategic planning and performance monitoring alongside the wider Senior Leadership Team (SLT).

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with a strong financial background alongside core organisational skills to support governance and office management, who is looking to work for a small organisation which makes a big impact around the world. 

IHP’s vision is to see a world in which all suffering due to lack of healthcare is eradicated. Our Christian faith underpins all that we do. It motivates us to care for those in need, and give our best in all circumstances, as an expression of God's love. We serve the poor in health without regard for ethnic or religious background, focusing on where the need is greatest.

About You

You’ll be a qualified (or part-qualified) accountant or have equivalent experience, with a strong grasp of financial management and reporting in a dynamic environment.

Essential Skills and Experience

• A relevant professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or qualified by experience
• Experience gained in a financial management role within a small or medium-sized organisation
• Experience in business planning, performance management, or impact reporting 
• Strong IT skills, particularly with accounting software and Excel
• Understanding of charity finance and accounting practices
• Strong understanding of charity law, governance best practices, and regulatory frameworks
• Excellent written and verbal communication, minute-taking, and document management
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work collaboratively across teams
• Ability to work independently, prioritise workload, and meet deadlines

Personal Attributes

• Meticulous attention to detail and high standards of accuracy
• Analytical and solution-focused
• A strong understanding of the importance of confidentiality and discretion
• Approachable and supportive team member
• Committed to IHP’s Christian Ethos and values

For further details regarding responsibilities and person specification, please see the job description.

IHP is an Equal Opportunities Employer and is committed to working and embedding diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work, including recruitment and selection. We actively encourage applicants to inform us of any specific support or reasonable adjustments we can make in the recruitment process (eg for disability or neurodivergence) and will continue this conversation into employment, as appropriate. 

Staff regularly spend time together praying for IHP’s work and there is an occupational requirement for the post holder to have a personal commitment to the Christian faith.

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a meaningful mission with a strong values driven organisation
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time hours)
• Health and wellbeing support through Unum help@hand
• Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover 
• Hybrid and flexible working options in a modern office near Chancery Lane Tube Station 

Over the past three years, our staff satisfaction scores have averaged above 85%. Staff describe working at IHP as ‘impactful and rewarding’ with ‘always new challenges and opportunities’.

We have an active Equality, Diversity and Inclusion staff working group that champions belonging across the organisation. One of our newest team members summed it up perfectly:

‘IHP offers a welcoming environment, making a conscious effort to promote the voices of everyone. I have quickly felt part of the team.’

Join a supportive and inclusive team where your skills are valued, your voice is heard, and you have the space to work independently and develop.

Applications will be reviewed w/c 6th October and initial screening calls via MS teams will be held w/c 13th October.

Interim Director of Finance & Operations (Environmental Charity, Home based in England)

Contract: Interim circa £500 a day ltd company, or £75k per annum PAYE , 4-day week, approximately 9-month assignment. Weekly travel to London.

The Opportunity

An exceptional interim Director of Finance & Operations (DFO) is sought to join at a pivotal moment in this organisation’s journey.

Operating in a challenging financial context, with a deficit budgeted for the current financial year following a major change programme, the incoming DFO will play a critical role in restoring financial stability, strengthening governance, and ensuring robust infrastructure across finance, IT, facilities and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide effective leadership of Finance, IT, Governance and Facilities, ensuring development and implementation of strategies and effective practices across all operational areas.
• Drive financial recovery and sustainability: deliver robust financial planning, budgeting, reporting and control processes, while providing clear and strategic advice to the Board and Executive Director.
• Lead on governance, including regulatory compliance, Board reporting, and supporting a review of the organisation’s dual legal structure (limited company and charitable trust).
• Oversee people management within the Finance team, ensuring high performance, effective development, and clear leadership through a period of significant change.

The Candidate

• Professional accountancy qualification and significant leadership experience at Director level, ideally including the charity sector.
• A strong track record of restoring financial stability and leading organisations through periods of financial and cultural change.
• Experience of managing governance, compliance, IT and central services.
• Excellent judgement, interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to handle sensitive and complex issues (e.g. disciplinary/capability cases, compliance matters, decision-making in ambiguity).

For further information and to apply for this exciting interim opportunity, please contact Syed at Civitas Charity Recruitment.

About the Role

The Director of Grants and Operations is a senior role within the Jack Petchey Foundation with responsibility for leading our operations, partnerships and grant-making. You will ensure that our operations are agile, efficient, effective, forward-looking and robust. In addition, you will have strategic responsibility for ensuring our grants and partnerships teams deploy over £10m pa to benefit young people and strengthen the youth sector across London and Essex.

As a member of the Executive Team, you will play a crucial role in delivering our ambitious strategy, expanding our impact and investing more through JPF’s proven grants and partnerships. You will work to ensure that JPF programmes benefit more young people, particularly in areas and groups with the greatest need.

We are seeking an experienced, forward-thinking leader with a proven track record of building and improving highly effective operations functions within complex organisations. You will bring strategic vision and operational excellence, ensuring that our systems and processes are robust, inclusive and future-focused. With significant experience in digital transformation, financial oversight and people leadership, you will know how to create the infrastructure that enables impact at scale. At the same time, you will be motivated by our mission, committed to youth empowerment, comfortable leading high volume grant programmes, developing programmes to fill identified gaps, and skilled at translating strategy into practical action.

Main Areas of Responsibility:

You will provide strategic leadership to our operations, partnerships and grant-making, ensuring that JPF

achieves maximum positive social impact through our programmes, funding and operational delivery.

Key responsibilities include:

Strategic Operational Leadership

 Lead the strategic development and implementation of operational infrastructure, including HR, IT, digital

systems and facilities.

 Lead and oversee digital transformation and the efficient and effective use of CRM systems to support

effective decision-making and operational delivery.

 Ensure robust, efficient and inclusive systems, policies, and procedures that drive organisational

effectiveness and resilience.

 Ensure systems are user-friendly and future proof.

Financial Leadership

 Provide executive-level oversight of financial planning, budgeting, reporting, analysis and reporting.

 Ensure compliance with statutory, legal, and regulatory requirements.

 Work closely with the Finance Manager to ensure strong financial controls and risk management systems.

Grant Making and Partnerships

 Lead strategic oversight of JPF’s small grants programmes (>£5m pa to over 1500 schools and youth

organisations) as well as our 16 partnership programmes (>£4m pa) and paid youth sector internship

programme.

 Identify and develop innovative partnership models that align with the Foundation’s mission, vision,

values and theory of change.

 Lead the management and implementation of JPF’s c£2m new legacy grants programme.

 Ensure grant-making processes are efficient, from application to evaluation.

 Build and maintain strong relationships with delivery partners, funders and with the sector.

People and Culture

 Lead, manage, and support staff across the Grants, Partnerships and Operations functions, fostering a

high-performing, inclusive and collaborative team culture.

 Foster staff wellbeing and bring excellent judgement and good humour to your work.

 Champion continuous improvement, learning and data-driven decision-making.

 Work to embed youth-centred approaches, safeguarding, equity and inclusion across the organisation.

Organisational Leadership

 Actively contribute to strategic planning and organisational leadership as a member of the Executive

Team.

 Represent the Foundation at events and engagements and act as an ambassador.

 Undertake other duties in line with the role as organisational needs evolve.

We are looking for that special person with drive, empathy and business acument to support Circle an already proven and successful youth employment charity to the next level. Our model achieves very high outcomes as we take small cohorts and listen to what our young people want. We have partnerships with many large corporates who understand how we are differant from most charities.

National Rural Touring Forum (NRTF) is looking for a new Director to lead our national network and champion rural arts across the UK. We’re seeking an inspiring leader with a collaborative approach to advocate for our members and sector, to strengthen partnerships and support a vibrant network that ensures creativity and culture thrive in every community.

About NRTF

NRTF is an Investment Principles Support Organisation (IPSO) within Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Portfolio. As a national membership and strategic organisation, we unite and champion the diverse parts of the rural touring sector. We advocate on behalf of our members, offering up-to-date information, advice, guidance, professional development and networking opportunities. By sharing news, stories and opportunities, supporting rural touring-focused projects and initiatives, and through our Annual National Rural Touring Conference, we raise the profile of rural touring, embedding its value in the wider cultural landscape. We celebrate the work and achievements of the volunteer promoters, professional artists and organisations who make culture accessible for rural communities. This is an exciting moment to join NRTF as we enter our third decade as an organisation and continue building the profile and impact of rural touring across the UK, while supporting the passionate and committed members at the heart of our network.

Main Purpose of the Role

The Director is the strategic and operational lead of NRTF, responsible for the organisation’s vision, management, performance, and long-term sustainability. They ensure delivery against NRTF’s mission and business plan, champion rural touring at a national level, and act as the primary liaison with Arts Council England, stakeholders, and the wider sector. Working closely with a proactive Board of Trustees, the Director provides leadership on governance and compliance in line with UK Charity Law and NRTF’s Articles of Association, ensuring the organisation operates with transparency, accountability and good practice. The Director is a visible ambassador for rural touring, building strong relationships across the cultural sector, advocating for members, and promoting the role of rural touring in ensuring that creativity and culture thrive in every community.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

● Lead and implement NRTF’s Business Plan and strategic objectives.

● Oversee the delivery and evaluation of all funded programmes and initiatives.

● Develop and sustain relationships with our members, including the rural touring schemes, national and regional stakeholders, funders, and policy-makers.

● Ensure alignment with ACE’s Investment Principles and “Let’s Create” strategy.

● Ensure long-term sustainability through innovation, partnerships, and appropriate diversification, ensuring the organisation remains relevant and forward-thinking.

Finance and Fundraising

● Lead financial planning, budgeting, and reporting in collaboration with the Finance Officer and Treasurer.

● Ensure ACE and funder reporting is accurate and timely.

● Lead on developing new funding opportunities, working with colleagues and freelance support to secure income from trusts, foundations and diversification streams.

Membership and Sector Support

● Foster strong relationships with membership, particularly scheme members.

● Understand and respond to member needs, ensuring services and benefits are relevant.

● Foster a strong member community through events, forums, and networking opportunities.

● Together with the NRTF team, design and deliver initiatives to grow, engage, and retain members.

● Represent NRTF and advocate for member interests at national and international events, conferences, and sector forums.

Project and Event Delivery

● Provide strategic oversight of all NRTF projects, ensuring they are well-managed, impactful and aligned with the business plan.

● Lead and represent NRTF at the Annual National Rural Touring Conference and other national events, with project managers and freelance teams responsible for delivery.

● Foster partnerships with schemes and sector organisations to co-create and deliver events and projects that serve members and raise the profile of rural touring.

Communications and Advocacy

● Provide strategic leadership for NRTF’s communications and advocacy, ensuring consistency of voice and alignment with the business plan.

● Lead sector advocacy and act as spokesperson and ambassador for rural touring.

● Maintain and develop national visibility for rural touring through partnerships, media opportunities and press engagement (with support from NRTF’s freelance press agency).

● Oversee delivery of marketing and communications, working with the Marketing & Digital Coordinator to manage campaigns, content and social media.

● Build strategic partnerships with other organisations, funders, and influencers.

HR and Operations

● Lead on recruitment, contracting, staff management, and HR policy implementation.

● Line-manage employed staff, ensuring fair and effective working conditions.

● Manage Contracts for Services for freelance teams and contractors

● Maintain organisational infrastructure, including IT, office resources.

Governance and Legal

● Support and develop the Board of Trustees, ensuring sound governance practices.

● Organise and service Board meetings, the AGM, and working groups.

● Act as Company Secretary: ensure compliance with charity and company law, maintain registers, and submit returns.

Person Specification

Essential

● Proven senior leadership within arts or cultural organisations.

● Commitment to rural/community engagement.

● Strong understanding of the UK arts funding landscape, especially ACE.

● Demonstrable experience in finance, HR, governance, and fundraising.

● Experience in project delivery.

● Strategic thinker with exceptional communication skills.

● Experience of working and engaging with key stakeholders.

● Experience working with or supporting a Board of Trustees.

● Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

● Evidence of original thinking, idea making and bold ambition.

● Caring and positive leadership style.

Desirable

● Awareness of the ethos, principles and practice of rural touring.

● Knowledge of community arts and engagement, and/or cultural networks.

● Experience in legal compliance and company secretary responsibilities.

● Understanding of contemporary cultural policy and advocacy.

● Experience in digital communications, social media, and PR.

● Experience in event management and programming.

If you are excited by this role but are not sure if you fully meet the person specification, we encourage you to reach out to our Interim Head of Operations, Jo Purseglove to discuss further.

Director of Engagement & Fundraising

Location: London (Hybrid)
Salary: £140,000 per annum
Contract: Permanent

Every child deserves to be safe, loved, and free from abuse. At the NSPCC, that belief drives everything we do.

We are the UK’s oldest and largest children’s charity, and today our mission has never been more urgent. From tackling the challenges of online safety to delivering vital frontline services, we are responding every day to the changing world children are growing up in. children.

This is a pivotal moment for the NSPCC. We are establishing an Engagement & Fundraising Directorate to modernise how we connect with supporters and unlock new opportunities for growth and that is why we are on the hunt to find a bold, visionary, and collaborative leader to join us as our Director of Engagement & Fundraising.

What You’ll Do:

As our new Director, you will lead the charge in transforming our income generation strategy and driving sustainable growth. You’ll inspire and empower teams to achieve their best, champion supporter-first thinking and strengthen our brand and digital presence to reach more people than ever before. Sitting at the heart of our Executive Board, you’ll shape strategy, spark innovation and deliver real impact for children on a national scale.

This is an opportunity to shape the future of the NSPCC and ensure we can protect children for generations to come.

Who You Are:

You will bring a proven record of driving income growth at scale, with deep expertise in fundraising and supporter engagement, including digital. You’ll be an experienced leader of large, diverse teams, skilled at guiding transformation with clarity and resilience. Strategic yet hands-on, you combine vision with execution and you are an outstanding communicator who can inspire trust and build strong relationships at every level.

Above all, you’ll be driven by the belief that together, we can end child abuse. 

Ready to Learn More?

Click below to view our full Candidate Pack for everything you need to know including how to apply.

Closing date: Wednesday 8th October, 9am.

Job details:

• Location: FLEX office, Vauxhall, London - Flexible hybrid working with a mixture of in person and home/office working.
• Salary: £54,000 per annum subject to deductions for tax and national insurance contributions as required by law, pro-rated if part time.
• Working hours: Full time, 5 days, equivalent to 37.5 hours per week. There is also the option to work part time at 0.8 FTE (30 hours per week).
• Pension: 4%, with incremental pension contributions.
• Contract: Fixed term, 2 years (with the expectation to continue, subject to funding)
• Reports to: CEO
• People management: 4-5 staff members.
• Benefits include: 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays (pro rata) with incremental leave (one extra day per year worked up to 5 days); extra paid days off over the end of year holiday period; enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity pay; occupational sick pay; Employee Assistance Programme, including counselling support; and opportunities for skills development

About the role

The Director of Operations will serve as a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and a key driver of our organisational strength. This role leads the development and smooth running of the systems, processes, and culture that enables FLEX to deliver its mission effectively. You will oversee day-to-day operations across human resources, finance, governance, and key compliance areas such as data protection and health and safety.

Working closely with the CEO and the SMT, you will implement and continually improve our operational plans, infrastructure, and procedures, ensuring they are efficient, legally compliant, and aligned with our values. Your leadership will foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing environment, enabling the team to focus on achieving FLEX’s strategic goals.

How to apply

To apply please visit our website to download the recruitment pack. Deadline: 6 October 2025, 12pm (midday).

Shortlisting: Your application will be assessed against the criteria specified in the job description. Please explain how you meet the items marked for the ‘application form’ stage.

Interview: If you are invited to the next stage of the recruitment process, your experience, ability and skills will be further assessed at an in-depth interview with the Recruitment Panel.

Staff panel: Interviewed candidates will also meet a small group of FLEX staff in a separate session. This panel is informal and will focus on values and on how you might contribute to our organisational culture. Staff feedback will be shared with the Recruitment Panel to help inform its decision.

We would be grateful if you can also complete our Equal Opportunities Form. This information help us monitor and analyse the level of diversity within the organisation in order to assess gaps and actions needed to increase reach to underrepresented groups. This information will not be used as part of the selection process and will remain anonymous.

We encourage applications from people with lived experience of the immigration system or who identify as part of marginalised communities.

If you are disabled or become disabled, we encourage you to tell us about your condition so that we can make reasonable adjustments and consider what support may be provided at the interview and task stage.

EarthPercent is growing and we're looking for a dynamic Head of Finance & Operations to join our small, passionate, and high-performing team. This is a rare opportunity to play a central role in an organisation that’s inspired hundreds of artists to take meaningful action on the climate crisis. As we enter an exciting new phase of growth, we need someone who can help us scale our impact by building smart systems, strengthening our internal operations, and driving financial and organisational efficiency.

This is a pivotal leadership role at a critical moment for EarthPercent. You’ll be responsible for rapidly developing our internal infrastructure, supporting a growing portfolio of revenue and fundraising streams, and ensuring we continue to operate with excellence, transparency, and care - for our mission and for our people.

Your role will also be responsible for ensuring that we operate within UK legal & regulatory frameworks and stay up to date with changes in relevant legislation. This will sometimes include an international scope as EarthPercent operates in other territories too. 

NEON’s People & Operations Hub makes sure all our internal systems run smoothly and that our team is happy, high-performing and cared for. As Co-Director of People & Operations, you will lead on the “People” (HR and culture) side of this Hub – overseeing our people strategy, HR policies, and team development – while your co-director focuses on other operational areas like finance, fundraising and compliance. Together, you’ll ensure NEON is both  high impact and a joyful place to work, embodying our values of respect, generosity and solidarity in all internal practices.

This is a senior leadership position for an experienced people-operations professional who is passionate about social justice and building healthy organisations. If you’re excited about developing teams and culture in a way that challenges oppressive systems while delivering real-world impact, we’d love to hear from you!

Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation: Executive Director of Charities

Location: Office based at Southwark
Salary: £120,000 per annum
Contract: Full-time, Permanent

Because everyone deserves a fair chance at a long, healthy life, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation works to tackle health inequalities and support outstanding NHS care. We’re now seeking an ambitious, senior leader in fundraising and marketing for a unique opportunity to become our new Executive Director of Charities. The role will be responsible for shaping the future of our three NHS charities - Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, Evelina London Children’s Charity, and Guy’s Cancer Charity and deliver impact that changes lives every day.

About Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation

At Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation our vision is to build a society where everyone stays healthier for longer. Every day, people across our communities face health challenges that shape their lives and futures. We are one of the UK’s oldest and largest health Foundations, with over 500 years of history. Rooted across Lambeth, Southwark and beyond, we work with the NHS, communities and partners across sectors to tackle health inequity, support innovation and back bold ideas that can transform society.

Now, we’re scaling our ambition. With Board backing for long-term investment in fundraising growth, and a new capital project at Evelina London Children’s Hospital on the horizon, this is a career-defining opportunity to lead that transformation.

What you’ll do

Reporting directly to our CEO, you will lead the Charities Team – overseeing directors across fundraising, marketing, funding & impact, strategy and innovation, and business and play a key role on the Foundation’s Executive Team.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leadership & culture – uniting teams behind a shared vision, fostering high performance, and embedding diversity and inclusion.
• Strategy & fundraising – driving ambitious income growth, shaping large-scale propositions, and championing a culture of philanthropy across the Foundation and the Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
• Funding & impact – ensuring we invest strategically in health and equity, while strengthening how we measure and demonstrate impact.
• Partnerships – building deep, collaborative relationships with the Trust’s Executive team, senior clinical leaders, donors and partners.
• Governance & oversight – ensuring robust structures, efficiency and capability for long-term growth and success.

Who you are:

• A vision and mission driven leader, encouraging diverse, positive and collaborative cultures; and developing inclusive processes.
• A proven track record in strategic fundraising and marketing leadership and income growth.
• Experience building and leading high-performing teams in complex organisations, including leading leaders.
• Skill in strategy development and delivery, with the commercial acumen to drive results.
• The ability to inspire diverse stakeholders from senior NHS leaders to high-value donors.
• A confident communicator with excellent interpersonal and communication skills. 

This is more than a leadership role, it’s a chance to redefine what philanthropy can achieve in healthcare. You’ll have the platform, resources and partnerships to deliver lasting impact at scale.

Ready to Learn More?
If you share our vision and are ready to inspire change, click below to view our full Candidate Pack for everything you need to know – including how to apply.

Closing date: Monday 13th October, 9am

The Centre for Progressive Change is looking for a full-time Operations Director that will be part of the newly formed Executive Team. This role will be responsible for running the operations of the organisation with a focus on our people, systems and processes. They will work closely with the Executive Team, ensuring the organisation runs smoothly and efficiently so that we can have impact.

The Centre for Progressive Change (CPC) is an organisation that builds campaigns for national policy change in the UK. Our focus is on making progressive gains that improve the lives of low- and middle-income communities. We want the UK to be a place where everyone has the financial resources they need, where people are treated as equals and are free to be who they are without persecution, and where we look after our environment.

To achieve this vision, our mission is to build proactive campaigns for progressive legislative change, do research on what works when campaigning for national policy change and offer training and consultancy to support other organisations to build effective campaigns. Our campaigns use an inter-disciplinary approach including community organising, mobilising, advocacy, business engagement, campaign research and press work.

We’re looking for an exceptional leader to join Community Action Redbridge as  our new Operations Director – a pivotal role at the heart of our organisation.

With an income of just under £1 million and a diverse portfolio of new and established grant-funded programmes, we’re entering a period of transformation, with ambitious plans to grow our impact and strengthen our organisational resilience.

At the heart of our work is a commitment to social justice and to tackling the root causes of inequality. We’re passionate about shifting power, amplifying community voices, and working collaboratively to create social change. 

The Youth Endowment Fund

Assistant Director of Public Affairs and Partnerships

Reports to: Director of Change, with significant engagement with Director of Public Affairs and Comms and CEO

Salary: £75,500 per annum

Location:  Central London or Hybrid

Contract: 2-year fixed term – potential to extend. Open to 0.8 FTE for the right candidate

Closing date: Friday 26th September by 12pm

About the Youth Endowment Fund

We’re here to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

Last year, 244 people in England and Wales tragically died after being assaulted with a knife. Of these, 32 were children. Every child captured in these numbers is an important member of our community and society has a duty to protect them. Even when violence doesn’t strike directly, we know that the fear of violence has a terrible effect on children’s lives.

The Youth Endowment Fund exists to try and permanently change things. To succeed, we must build an exceptional body of knowledge about violence affecting young people and how we reduce it. This knowledge has to be both rigorous and highly relevant to those making decisions about how to support vulnerable young people. We need to find out what works and what doesn’t through evidence synthesis, data analysis and qualitative research into children’s lives. We need to convert this into highly accessible content on what works, how delivery organisations need to change their practice and how the systems they operate in need to be reformed. We then need to work with the right people that can make change happen, across systems, policies and practice, to have a real impact on reducing violence affecting children’s lives.

We can’t do this alone, we have to build and maintain brilliant partnerships across government, with other funders and with wider society. We are looking for an exceptional individual to lead on this work. We also need to have an eye for the future. Our present endowment must be spent down by April 2029. We need someone who can lead on planning for the future.

Key responsibilities

You ensure that we:

· Are ready for the future: Born with a ten-year endowment, the YEF has become the leading authoritative voice on how to reduce violence affecting children. We must spend down this endowment by April 2029, so need to start thinking about after this date. You will lead on ensuring we have a great plan for post 2029. You will spot the best opportunities, assess them and, over time, take them. This includes both building great external relationships and also ensuring there’s a clearly articulated, inspiring narrative – filled with facts, examples and case studies - of what has been delivered to date and what needs to happen between 2029 and 2039 to double down on our mission. To do this, you will orchestrate the expertise and knowledge of colleagues across the organisation – ensuring that what you need comes together perfectly.

· Build and maintain great relationships across government: We have an increasingly large number of relationships across government – providing advice and support on what works to prevent violence. You will be ready to offer advice to colleagues on those relationships where needed. You will build new relationships and maintain them where they are needed so we are ready for the future. You will be really well organised too ensuring that internal colleagues know which relationships they own and making sure that key regular meetings are in place. We have a simple process that tracks these relationships; you will make this process work well for us – with minimum bureaucracy and maximum effectiveness. You will also provide help and advice and coaching as YEF colleagues think through how best to get system changes to happen that will ultimately reduce violence.

· Build great relationships with other organisations that will be key to the future: As the lead organisation on reducing violence affecting young people, we increasingly receive and see a host of opportunities to partner with other organisations including funders on projects, co-funding and research. You will support this work – leading on relationships that are essential in making us ready for the future. You will spot the opportunity, build relationships, bring in other YEF colleagues, pull together key information, write brilliant documents where needed, win others over. In short, you will make great things happen.

As a senior member of staff in the organisation you also:

• Lead on culture: Build and maintain a culture where it is natural to perform well and support colleagues brilliantly.
• Deliver on strategy: Contribute to setting the strategy, delivering results, and building and modelling the culture that we need to succeed.

About you

You are this sort of person:

· You make things happen. You’re organised, delivery-focused, and produce high-quality work, even under pressure. You work independently and to a high standard. You are quick at really understanding something so you can make good decisions quite fast. You put plans together and make them happen. Wherever you work, people think of you as someone who makes things happen. You do it in a generous, kind way that means people are feel delighted to see you succeeding, never trampled upon.

· You like bringing order and clarity to a big project that involves lots of people. You are at home bringing order to a big project: working out who is going to do what by when, having a regular steering group to ensure progress, keeping everyone on side and delivering a great result at the end.

· You understand how government works – as in really understand. You understand the nuance of how decisions are made within government. You understand that there is no such thing as ‘the department’s position’ (instead there are different views competing) and that while some decisions are very rational, some are more about personalities and politics. You find the process of how decisions get made within government departments, and with Number 10 and the Treasury, fascinating.

· You are fantastic at spotting how to get something done in Whitehall or Westminster. You are really good at thinking about how to make change happen. To some, Westminster and Whitehall can seem like a blob but you are brilliant at spotting how to make change happen there. You can think through the intricacies of who to get onside, who to get advice from, who to persuade and how to get the job done. You have a track record of doing this.

· You write really well. The idea of writing one or two pivotally important longer documents (30-40 pages) for the organisation that makes the case for something and pulls in content from lots of colleagues, synthesising and making it all fit together sounds interesting. You know – from experience – that you would be good at it.

· You win people over. People tend to warm to you and respect you. You easily build good relationships with both very senior and very junior people. You can be at ease talking to a senior politician or a 15 year old. It is important to you to be humble. You acknowledge how much you don't know as well as how much you do.

· You are great at building lasting partnerships with other organisations. You have experience of building partnerships or collaborations with other organisations, winning them over, doing conflict well when you need to, communicating clearly so that the work gets done and people feel as good as possible about it.

· You are a team player. You work brilliantly in a team. You are not motivated by being the individual winner. You want the team as a whole to succeed. You enjoy coaching other people so that they perform excellently in a meeting. You are not possessive of your contacts. You don’t care who gets the credit as long as things get done. You like the idea of being part of a small, well-motivated team and are ok with the downside of this – that we don’t have a lot of junior admin staff to do the jobs we like less.

· You think and communicate really well from the big picture to practical reality. You’re a strategic thinker who can see the big picture without losing sight of the detail.  You find it quite easy to summarise in a few sentences, a few pages or a few words a complex argument or case. Whether speaking or writing, you break down complicated concepts in ways that make sense to different audiences – without oversimplifying. You bring clarity where others bring jargon.

· You care about our mission. You can be easily motivated to do work to prevent violence. This is something that matters to you. You believe in getting people to do things that are most likely to save lives, rather than just things that sound good.

· You’re committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Not just in theory – but in how you work, who you listen to, and what you prioritise.

While it’s not a criterion, we are especially interested to hear from applicants who have lived experience of violence affecting young people.

It’s also important to us that the people we hire do not discriminate. We believe in being inclusive and giving everyone an equal chance to succeed. Applications are welcome from all regardless of age, sex, gender identity, disability, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, race, sexual orientation, transgender status or social economic background. 

Secondments

We are open to candidates that would prefer to join us on a 2-year secondment or career break. Secondment candidate should ensure that their current organisation is in support of this in principle, all candidates will go through the full interview process. Candidates should state clearly in their covering letter if they would like to join us as secondee.

Hybrid Working Details

The office is based in Central London. Those living in and around London are expected to be in the office for a minimum of 2 days per week. If you live outside of London and work remotely, you’ll be expected to work from the London office 2 days per month.

As part of our commitment to flexible working we will consider a range of options for the successful applicant. All options can be discussed at the interview stage.

To Apply

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter, and complete the monitoring form click on "Apply for this" button by Friday 26th September 2025.

When applying for this role, please ensure that your cover letter can answer, within a maximum of 1000 words (there is no need to be this long though) the following questions:

1. Tell us in two paragraphs about something you made happen. We are keen to find someone who is good at be a self-starter, organised and finding the way to make something happen. Tell us what you were trying to get done, how you organised the task and how you made it happen.

2. Summarise in one or two paragraphs your experience of working with or in central government. We are keen to find someone who knows how decisions are made in government and has seen them being made.

3. Tell in two paragraphs about someone or an organisation you won over or built a good relationship with.Tell us how you went about it. We are keen to find someone who quite easily builds good relationships with other organisations.

Interview Process

This will be a two-stage interview process. The first stage interviews will take place in the week commencing 13th October 2025. Second stage interviews are currently scheduled for the week commencing 20th October 2025

PLEASE NOTE: We do not sponsor work permits and you will be required to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK.

Benefits Include

· £1,000 professional development budget annually

· 28 days holiday – 3 of which are taken between Christmas and New Years - plus Bank Holidays

· Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr phone line for free confidential support

· Volunteering days - 4 half days per year

· Death in service - 4 times annual salary

· Flexible hours. Core office hours 10am – 4pm

· Financial support including travel and hardship loans

· Employer contributed pension of 5%.

Personal Data 

Your personal data will be shared for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes our HR team, interviewers (who may include other partners in the project and independent advisors), relevant team managers and our IT service provider if access to the data is necessary for performance of their roles. We do not share your data with other third parties, unless your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers to obtain references for you. We do not transfer your data outside the European Economic Area.   

We are looking for an experienced Finance Director to join our team of nearly 100 staff, ideally before the end of 2025.

This is a full-time, home-based, permanent position. You can be based anywhere in mainland UK or Ireland, with some travel and occasional overnight stays to meeting and conferences mainly in England and Wales.

We offer flexibility around working hours, including the option of a 9 day fortnight - time off in lieu is also available. We offer 25 days holiday pro rata (rising to 28 days) plus statutory public holidays. We are happy to make adjustments for people with disabilities and/or caring responsibilities, and we welcome applications from all communities.

The role is a grade 7 position with a starting salary circa £75,000 plus benefits including 9% employer pension contribution.

The Finance Director (“FD”) works alongside the Chief Executive and Operations Director to manage the finances and governance of The Rivers Trust, a leading conservation charity with three associated trading subsidiaries operating across the UK and Ireland, with a collective annual income approaching £10m.

Given the prospective retirement of the current postholder at the end of 2025, we are seeking a well-qualified and experienced individual to take on this senior leadership role as soon as possible to enable handover to occur.

The role is very varied and wide-ranging, including presenting financial information to the Trustees and senior management on a quarterly basis, reviewing monthly management accounts, leading on annual budgeting, appraising internal project concepts and contracts, statutory compliance administration and liaising with auditors.

The postholder will lead a team of eight in the Finance department and join a very welcoming team of 95 highly engaged and passionate staff at The Rivers Trust.

Main duties and responsibilities:

Working alongside the CEO, the Finance Director will provide commercial, financial and governance management and leadership for The Rivers Trust ("the Charity") and its associated subsidiaries (“The Companies”). The FD will not only be an exceptional accountant, with executive oversight of the finance function, but will be commercially astute and have the confidence to represent robustly the best interests of The Companies. The FD will also be an experienced manager of people.

Key Accountabilities:

1. Act as a business partner to support and constructively challenge the CEO in the general management of the Charity and the Companies, reporting to the board.
2. Lead all aspects of the finance function (including maintaining and developing the financial control environment; robust financial accounting; cashflow management; incisive management information; clear and concise reporting to Board) to ensure that the Charity and the Companies’ assets are secured, risks are managed, and the Board of Trustees, subsidiary boards and committees can make well-informed decisions.
3. Manage relationships with auditors, funders, IT specialists, banks, investment platforms and other external organisations.
4. Provide support to project bids and the development of other commercial opportunities to ensure that bids/opportunities are optimised for the Charity and the Companies as a whole.
5. Provide input to project and programme delivery from time to time, to ensure that performance is maximised for the Charity and the Companies.
6. Attend Board meetings and Business Audit and Risk Committee meetings to guide the Board and the Senior Management Team on financial, commercial and governance issues.
7. Ensure compliance with the requirements of the Charity Commission and Companies House and, from time to time, provide guidance to members of the Rivers Trust movement on good governance practice.
8. Maintain the finance department operational manual for business continuity.
9. Serve as the Company Secretary for the Charity and Companies.

Staff Management:

1. Lead, manage and develop the finance team (who work remotely) and ensure the team understands their respective and collective contribution to achieving the Charity's and the Companies’ objectives.
2. Support the team in their professional development.
3. Ensure the team delivers a high-quality service focused on internal and external customers and funders.

Knowledge, skills, experience, and personal qualities:

Essential

• Significant experience in financial management and senior leadership roles, ideally gained in a range of organisations.
• A strategic thinker, able to see the big-picture, shape long-term direction and balance this with attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills combined with creativity and openness to innovate.
• Strong IT and digital skills, with experience of using technology to improve efficiency and automate processes.
• Proven people leadership experience, with a track record of managing, developing, and inspiring teams and creating a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative culture.
• Excellent relationship builder, with the interpersonal skills to influence, collaborate, and provide constructive challenge while maintaining positive relationships across the organisation, including with trustees and senior stakeholders.
• Experience reporting to boards of trustees and/or directors, with the confidence to contribute to board-level discussions as a trusted adviser.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, able to distil complexity into pertinent, concise and understandable messages tailored to diverse audiences.
• The courage to make and communicate tough decisions and be open about risks and setbacks.
• Resilient and calm under pressure, with the ability to maintain focus and steady leadership in challenging circumstances.
• Impeccable standards of integrity and personal ethics, acting as a role model for the organisation values.
• Knowledge of Sage financial software packages.
• Work to a good standard in Microsoft 365, especially Excel, Word, Outlook and Teams.

Desirable

• Experience of working in the charitable sector.
• Experience of being a Company Secretary.
• Understanding of the environmental sector or a passion for making a positive impact.
• Familiarity in using Sharepoint, Sage and Slack.
• Knowledge of Partial Exemption VAT rules.
• A basic understanding of Irish tax law, Irish and UK payroll taxes and corporate governance.

Qualifications/ Education

• Qualified Accountant, preferably ICAEW or ACCA.

Additional information

Everyone who works for us is expected to contribute to a respectful and inclusive working culture and follow our policies and procedures including Health & Safety, EDI, Cybersecurity and GDPR.

Please note we can only accept applications made through this site, and not sent by email or other methods.

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. We warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. If you would benefit from any adjustments to support you through the process, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

To apply please send your CV and a covering letter.

Closing date: Wednesday 24th September 2025

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a strong pool of applications, so we encourage early submission