Director of operations and finance jobs

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.

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.

ID: 1557

Job Title:  Deputy Director of Services & Innovation, Central Region of England

Service: Services & Innovation

Salary: £65,782 - £72,959 Additionally, £480 home-based allowance FTE per annum

Location: Homebased with regular travel across the central region of England and occasional London Head Office.

Hours: full-time 37 hours per week.

We offer flexible working arrangements - please see below for more details.

Contract: Permanent

Family Action & the Role’s Impact:

At Family Action we support people through change, challenge or crisis. It’s what we’ve done for over 150 years. We protect children, support young people and adults and offer direct, practical help to families and communities.

We see first-hand the power of family to shape lives, for better or worse, so we speak up for the

importance of family in national and local policymaking, amplify family voices and represent the changing needs of families in the UK today.

Are you an innovative, strong, team player, who is solution focused and passionate about making a difference in everything you do?  Do you have a proven track record of growth and retaining services, delivering excellent, inclusive services and cultivating quality and diversity?  Are you looking for a diverse, ambitious and fast paced organisation – if so, you have found it.

About the role:

The roles primary function is to lead the operational teams and lead on strategic development and growth across the region. The post holder will model the organisations values; people focus, can do, excellence and mutual respect.

The Deputy Director leads the strategic development and transformation of Family Action services across the Central region, and implements the organisation’s strategic plan and its 5 key objectives. The role focuses on stakeholder engagement, partnership, service development, and system leadership across sectors. It requires inclusive leadership and the effective line management of Operational Managers and one Assistant Director.

The role has responsibility for service delivery, risk management, performance, quality and practice, safeguarding, income generation and budgets across the region. The post holder drives accountable leadership, innovation, co-creation, and continuous improvement across all the Central region. The Deputy Director will be an excellent communicator, highly resilient, and a decision maker, while always championing Family Action’s values in delivering inclusive, outcome-focused support for children, families, young people and adults.

Main Responsibilities:

· Be accountable for service delivery across the region, contractual performance, safeguarding, quality assurance, risk management, ensuring services meet regulatory standards, delivering positive outcomes and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in everything we do.

· Lead senior stakeholder engagement and foster strong cross-sector partnerships across the geographic area.

· Line manage Operational Managers, and an Assistant Director, oversee budgets to ensure efficient, cost-effective service delivery. Champion the sharing of learning, development of staff and volunteers and best practice across services to support continuous improvement and innovation.

· Strategic and accountable leadership, leading the region by motivating and galvanizing the team to achieve innovation, growth and quality services maximising outcomes for the people we support

· Working alongside the Business Development & Corporate and Marketing team, drive the region’s income generation through generating and responding to new opportunities, and by leading innovative service design and modelling.

· Be part of a dynamic and supportive team of other regional and national Deputy Directors, sharing and influencing cross-organisational decision making, resource allocation, strategy and organizational development and leadership. 

Main Requirements (for details check the job description and person specification):

· Passionate about social justice and improving the life chances and supporting children, young people and adults who experience disadvantage.

· We are looking for someone who has senior level leadership and management experience and expertise in at least one of the settings in social care, health, young people and community sector. Who is highly robust, able to priorities multiple workflows and issues, with a good understanding of and leadership around service risks and decision making.

· We are also looking for someone who can think strategically across systems, contribute to innovation, creativity and diversity, and is an excellent inclusive leader that can inspire their teams as well as their peers and senior leaders in Family Action.

· Appointments are subject to Family Action receiving a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service – Enhanced and children’s barred list.

· Benefits:

- an annual paid leave entitlement of 30 working days plus bank holidays

- up to 6% matched-pension contributions

- flexible working arrangements and new starters have the right to make flexible working requests from day one of employment

- enhanced paid sick leave and paid family leave provisions

- eye care and winter flu jabs vouchers

- cycle to work scheme

- investing in your professional development with ongoing quality training and career development opportunities

We are forward looking, ambitious and committed to continuous improvement. We are a people focused, can-do organisation, which strives for excellence in all we do and operates with mutual respect.

To Apply:

Click 'Apply Now' to complete our online application form by the closing date of Sunday 28th September at 23:59

Interviews and an assessment exercise will be virtual over Microsoft Teams – Week commencing  13th October.

For any queries, or if you would like to discuss any aspect of the selection process or the potential for flexible working, please email: Helen Cantrell (full email address on advert document)

All appointments with Family Action are subject to satisfactory Safer Recruitment checks.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process and you will be asked whether you require any adjustments if shortlisted for interview. We also make reasonable adjustments on the job, where required.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Intersectionality is important to us and we particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ candidates and disabled candidates because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Family Action. We know that greater diversity will lead to even greater results for families and children and we strive for our workforce to be truly representative of the diverse communities we support.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role. For this vacancy, we are also applying positive action to improve the representation of people of colour in management roles at Family Action. As such, the guaranteed interview scheme is extended to applicants of colour who meet the minimum criteria.

To help remove financial barriers to working with us, we will reimburse travel costs if you are invited to attend an interview in person.

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 Childhood Trust is London's child poverty charity. We are dedicated to creating opportunities and brighter futures for the 700,000 children growing up in poverty in London. While we work to alleviate today’s impact of poverty, we support children and families to build pathways to become happier, healthier, safer and more resilient, breaking the cycles of inequity. Listening to and engaging with young people who have experience of living in poverty, is critical to ensuring our efforts truly reflect their needs and aspirations.  

As Director of Fundraising, you will be a key member of our senior leadership team delivering on the strategic objectives of the charity with responsibility for raising £4m this financial year in voluntary income for the Childhood Trust across trusts & foundations, corporates, major donors and community.  Delivering growth year on year to support the ambitious plans of the organisation.  Directly managing three ‘Heads Of’ fundraising roles, you will create a new fundraising strategy, steer the fundraising team’s activities, secure funding, and cultivate relationships that fuel our mission. 

Benefits to working at the Childhood Trust include: 

• Competitive holiday package including a day off for your birthday and the days between Christmas and New Year Off
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity Leave
• Flexible working environment
• Hybrid working, with the expectation of ideally two days in our office in Victoria a week
• Part time hours are considered

To read more about the responsibilities in the role, please read the attached Job description. 

We are aiming to hold interviews the week beginning the 6th October. 

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!

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.

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.

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. 

Direct Reports: Estates Manager, Operational Finance Lead, Strategic Finance Lead

Main duties and responsibilities:

· Directly assist the Chief Executive and the Board on all strategic and tactical financial matters

· Discharge strategic financial management and financial control to ensure the long-term financial viability of the Hospice Ltd and Hospice Trading Ltd

· As a member of Executive Team to work in partnership with the Board to execute the charity strategy

· Clear empowering leadership to ensure effective management, organisation, and delivery of objectives

· Close and effective partnership working with the Charity Treasurer

· Accountable for the effective working of the Finance and Resources committee and Capital planning group with high calibre support to committee chairs, our Treasurer and Deputy Chair of the Board respectively

· Executive attendance and effective contribution at Board, Income Generation Committee, Finance and Resources Committee and the Annual General Meeting

· Accountability for digital capability of the Charity to sustain pace and productivity across the organisation

· Overall accountability for the capital programme

· Director representative on the Hospice Lottery Partnership Board

· Accountability for the SIRO, SORP and Charity Commission Guidance and corporate governance with specific reference to financial company secretary functions

· Accountability for the collection and processing of financial data to ensure decisions and strategy are informed by accurate integrated information and analysis

· Ensure accrual accounting is central to the Trust’s finance systems to provide an accurate financial picture

· Oversee the financial management and accounting systems and be accountable for all finance and finance-related administration systems

*The Hospice of St Francis supports flexible working, paid carers leave and jobshare

 Key Accountabilities, Responsibilities & Tasks

Departmental & Role Specifics

 · Seek out methods and practices to minimise financial risk, cyber security breach and fraud

· Support the Board of Trustees in the discharge of their responsibilities for reserves

· Accountability for the three year rolling financial plan of the Charity

· Manage the cash flow of the Charity, ensuring the Charity meets its liabilities as they fall due and implement the Trust’s Savings and Investment Policy and Financial Free Reserves policy.

· Co-ordinate the Charity’s insurance requirements, liaising with insurance brokers to ensure adequate insurance cover is maintained and ensure claims are dealt with

· Accountability for performance to contract and contract review with our external ICT providers

· Overall accountability for the hard and soft facilities annual plan and health and safety compliance supported by the Head of Operations

· Support the implementation of EPOS and accurate and timely financial information on trading

· Undertake benchmarking exercises from time to time to assess value for money.

· Disaster prevention planning, review and implement the Charity Business Continuity Plan

· Excellent analytical and numeracy skills with accuracy and consistency

· Skilled in evaluating performance to contract, constructing tender processes and executing them effectively

· Strategic and operational risk management

· Prepare and monitor financial reports with explanation of variances, including management accounts and cash flow forecasts

· Develop our commercial portfolio, including competitor analysis for market entry

· Train and supervise staff to support assurance of adherence to the charity finance policy and procedure

· Complete the statutory year-end accounts; manage the audit for the Charity and its trading subsidiary

· Reconcile and submit the Charity’s Annual Partial Exemption Special Method for VAT recovery

· Report to the Trust’s Leadership Team and Board on financial matters including explanation of variances, and the financial position of the Trust and its subsidiary and on any issues requiring action.

· Ensure rapid counting, receipt and banking of donations to minimise the differences in reporting between two different systems (access dimensions and donorflex) ensuring the Joint Directors of Fundraising and Income Generation Committee have timely and accurate information

· Co-ordinate the Board’s Finance & Resources committee; agenda, meeting dates, and review of relevant financial policies and the annual audit of accounts

· Lead budget and forecasting processes, develop, maintain and update effective procedures and standards on budget, financial control and productivity.

· Advise and assist Department Heads and budget holders  

· Bank reconciliation, Quarterly VAT Submission (Making Tax Digital),

· Month-End and Year-End Process

· Model the impact of planned pay awards with accountability for annual adjustments

· Monthly payroll changes to external Payroll advisors; Auto-enrolment Pension submission and PAYE

Qualifications, Skills, Experience, Knowledge & Approach

 · Qualified ACA or ACCA accountant

· 10 years’ experience in all aspects of accounting/finance for medium sized organisations

· Excellent current knowledge of PAYE and VAT

· Management responsibility for a finance team

· Oversight of IT functions

· Completion of accounts and audit information packs and resolution of issues as specified by the Auditors

· Presenting and interpreting financial information to a range of stakeholders

· Effective financial management and control through delegated budget holders

· Leadership of productivity &/or efficiency programmes

· Commercial experience at a senior level

· Skilled in being able to quickly establish effective relationships at all levels (internal and external) with gravitas and strength.

· Skilled in implementing system and business change

· Business continuity planning skills

· Superior attention to detail, even when working under pressure

· Highly competent use of Microsoft Office 365 Suite with particular expertise in Excel

· Charity Finance and Governance

· Excellent current working knowledge of accounting systems and payroll systems including Access Dimensions

· Excellent understanding of unconscious bias in your own practice

· Data protection, Information Governance and GDPR

Key Accountabilities, Responsibilities & Tasks

Communication

 Creative and approachable leader with gravitas who communicates clearly with colleagues

· The ability to inspire others – direct reports, at executive team, the wider organisation  Board, committee and with supporters, donors and stakeholders

· Diplomatic, persuasive with excellent negotiation skills

· The ability to speak more than one language relevant to the population served

Internal & External Contacts

·  

Decision Making

 · Solution focused approach, be ready to listen to others’ ideas and share our vision for what it means to be Outstanding

· Able to get ideas across quickly and effectively and gain relevant buy-in and support

· High level organisational and planning skills

· Solution focussed approach

· High level of personal integrity and honesty

· Positivity and highly self-motivated

· Effective team player

Mental and Physical Consideration. Working Conditions & Environment 

· Commitment to the aims and ethos of the Hospice

· Strong facilitation skills - able to lead a team through effective idea generation to collation of output from group work

· Critical thinking and analytical skills

· The ability to work from different locations

· Continually strive to improve the business

· Development of others to succeed

· Keen to develop self within role

Health & Safety

 · Understand and comply with all Health and Safety, Fire and Infection Control regulations

· Complete all mandatory training and ensure compliance of direct reports and contractors

Safeguarding

· Act in a manner at all times to safeguard the interests of individual patients/clients and their  families and justify public trust and confidence in the Hospice of St Francis

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

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.