Executive director of people and culture jobs

About The Role

What if your product vision could transform how one of the UK's largest charities delivers life-changing support to families affected by dementia? Imagine building digital products that empower millions of people to access the support, hope, and breakthrough research they need most? 

About the opportunity 

As Product Lead, you'll oversee the software products and tools that underpin our vital dementia services, funding generation, and campaigning efforts. You'll be at the heart of our exciting Technology Transformation programme. Leading high-performing product teams to deliver modern, secure and user-centred solutions that enhance our capabilities and maximise our impact. 
 
This is an impactful role within our Digital team and part of our Technology Directorate, working closely with the Associate Director of Digital & Data. You'll line manage Senior Product Managers in a matrix environment while establishing our product approach and community of practice. You'll lead multidisciplinary teams using agile methodology to create products that help thousands of people get support from us daily. 

If you're a passionate product expert looking to lead transformational digital change that makes a meaningful difference, we'd love to hear from you.

About you 

You're an accomplished Product Lead with extensive experience delivering high-transactional digital products and platforms in large, complex organisations. You have a proven track record of leading multidisciplinary teams using agile methodology, and you're passionate about user-centred design and data-driven decision making. You thrive on mentoring others and building product communities that deliver exceptional results. 

You'll have:

- Successful track record of leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-transactional digital products and platforms using agile methodology in a large and complex organisation.
- Extensive experience in understanding user, organisational, and technical needs and balancing these when setting product strategy and direction.
- Proven experience of researching, prototyping, launching and scaling products, platforms, and end-to-end services from inception to live.
- Significant experience working with cloud architecture and infrastructure and managing relationships between interdependent technology teams.
- Strong influencing skills with the ability to persuade and negotiate with stakeholders at all levels, including CEO, board and trustee level.
- Commitment to sharing knowledge, having mentored and coached others with a passion for working collaboratively.
- Passionate about Tech for Good with a proven desire to work in an equity-driven organisation solving complex problems. 

What you’ll focus on:

- Leading and delivering digital products, platforms, and end-to-end services that directly support people affected by dementia through strategy development, stakeholder management, and value-driven outcomes.
- Managing and developing product team members, establishing product ways of working that support our mission and strategy while building a culture aligned with our organisational values.
- Taking an active leadership role in our Digital team. Working closely with communities of practice and specialist discipline leads to define and deliver our Digital strategy.
- Developing ambitious product visions and strategies, engaging teams across the organisation to understand priorities, align plans, and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.
- Using qualitative and quantitative data to make informed, outcome-focused decisions while translating vision into prioritised, deliverable goals that track product performance and user outcomes.
- Creating user-centred solutions by identifying user needs based on evidence, translating user stories, and proposing design approaches that improve overall user experience.

Ready to be part of something impactful? Join the digital transformation of one of the UK's largest charities. Where your product expertise helps build the society it takes to beat dementia and deliver help and hope to millions. 

Important Dates

Application Deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 17th August.
Applications will be reviewed: Week commencing 18th August.
Interviews will take place early-mid September.
 
The interview process will include a task, followed by a competency panel interview taking place via Microsoft Teams on the same day. Candidates will need to allocate 2 hours of time on the day of their interview. 

About Alzheimer's Society

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. One in three people born in the UK today will develop dementia in their lifetime.

At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re the UK’s leading dementia charity and the only one to tackle all aspects of dementia by giving help and hope to people living with dementia today and in the future. We give vital support to people facing the most frightening times of their lives, while also funding groundbreaking research and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

Together with our supporters, we’re working towards a world where dementia no longer devastates lives.

Our values make sure that our focus is clear for the challenges and opportunities ahead and remind us of what we all stand for.

Our commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We need to ensure the voices around our table better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Alzheimer's Society.  

We want everyone we work with, as a colleague, volunteer, supporter, or someone we support, to feel included and that they belong at Alzheimer's Society. 

Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee forum and Employee Lived Experience network groups help us promote inclusion and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people. 

Our hiring process

During your recruitment process we want to make sure that you bring your whole self and can be at your best. We are working hard to ensure our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible, so please do inform us of your experience and anything you think we could do better by completing our candidate survey when you apply.  Please also contact Alzheimer’s Society Talent Acquisition Team via [email protected] for application support or any adjustments you might need.

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. We recognise the benefits of AI, but if you're considering using it to submit your application, we encourage you to reflect on the value it truly adds. AI tools often lack the personal touch and authenticity that set candidates apart. We want to hear your unique perspective, experiences, and skills, so we encourage you to showcase them in your own voice.

We try to avoid closing roles early where possible, however if we receive a high volume of applications, we may close earlier than the advertised closing date. Should this occur, we will aim to provide you with at least 48 hours' notice.

We are committed to safer recruitment and ensuring the welfare of those we work with, due to the nature of some of our roles, we might need to carry out a DBS check at the relevant level.

Giving back to you

Our employees work hard every day to make a true difference in people's lives. We are proud to support them with a range of benefits, recognition and many options for working agilely, all contributing to a strong work life balance. We also have various learning programmes to support you in your development and help you grow to realise your potential and shape a career with Alzheimer's Society. 

You can also visit our Working for Us pages, which give you more information about what it’s like to be an employee at the Society.

Girls Not Brides is the only global organisation uniquely focused on creating and sustaining a worldwide movement to end child marriage and ensuring that this movement leads to tangible change for the girls at risk or affected by the practice. We are a network of over 1,400 civil society organisations in nearly 100 countries working in partnership to end child marriage.

Our vision is a world without child marriage where girls and women enjoy equal status with boys and men and are able to achieve their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Our vision challenges deeply embedded social norms that harm the lives of girls, women and their communities.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ROLE

Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage is seeking a Head of Finance to join its team based in London, UK. The successful individual will lead on strategic financial planning and financial day to day management at Girls Not Brides to advance our business model, financial sustainability and growth. The role ensures effective financial functions across the organisation, manages compliance with UK and overseas regulatory requirements, and works closely and hands on with other teams to oversee the preparation of proposals and budgets for prospective grants.

ABOUT YOU

We are looking for a passionate, talented senior finance professional with at least 5 years post qualified experience. You will have experience working in a similar senior-level finance role in the not-for-profit sector, international/intergovernmental organisation or social enterprise. You will have qualified and hold membership in a recognised professional accountancy body.  Your qualification and experience will ensure you hold an advanced understanding of the principles underpinning financial management and planning, with significant all-round accounting, financial management, full grants cycle management, compliance, risk and financial sustainability experience.  You will be experienced in year-end reporting and proficient in engaging with statutory and other auditors.  Ideally you will bring experience gained in a similar international charity, working in a multi-currency environment.

The successful candidate must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of applying and for the duration of the contract.

Fluency in English is essential for this role.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Leadership

· Lead on strategic financial planning and financial management at Girls Not Brides to advance the organisation’s business model, financial sustainability, and growth through long-range financial projection and planning, maximisation of income, and strong financial reporting.

· Ensure that financial planning feeds into the organisation’s work planning process and supports the strategic objectives of the organisation.

· Support all Directors/Heads of teams to ensure ownership of financial planning, annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, cost management, priorities and activities, as best serves the mission of the organisation.

· Lead on financial risk management including the implementation of appropriate risk management strategies such as financial controls, fraud prevention and processes to ensure value for money, and conduct regular reviews of Girls Not Brides’ financial policies and processes.

· Provide critical financial information, analysis, advice and support on financial issues and emerging opportunities.

· Assume responsibility for managing, planning and monitoring the Finance department’s budget. 

· Provides leadership with regards to vision, purpose, and functions for the long-term development of the Finance Team.

Financial Management and Accounting

· Develop and maintain effective financial functions including budgeting, forecasting, production of quarterly management accounts, preparation of annual statutory accounts, and preparation of financial reports to Girls Not Brides’ funders, potential funders and the Board of Trustees.

· Manages timely, accurate and impactful quarterly management accounts to enable business planning and monitoring of organisational performance.

· Monitor financial performance, oversee reporting and cash flow management functions and systems.

· Develop and oversee robust and effective financial systems and processes for Girls Not Brides’ staff members based internationally.

· Ensure the smooth running of all accounting, financial transactions and evidence record keeping processes.

· Lead on procurement systems and implementation, identifying efficiencies and value for money.

· Manage and oversee internal control policies and procedures to ensure compliance across the organisation.

· Assume ownership of the organisation’s accounting system, including identifying and implementing measures to ensure strong efficiency.

· Ensure and manage an effective accounts payable function.

· Manage effective payroll, pensions and related employee benefit processes. 

· Manage the organisation’s foreign currency exchange policy and cash investment policy, ensuring compliance with donor terms.

Audit and Tax Compliance

· Manage compliance with UK and overseas legal, statutory accounting and regulatory requirements, including signing off on all statutory filings as required by the Charity Commission, Companies House, HMRC and the Pension Regulator.

· Manage the production of the annual report and financial statements, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, SORP and accounting standards.

· Manage the external audit process and implementation of the audit findings.

· Oversee the project audits required by donors.

Grant Accounting and Compliance

· Work with the Development & Outreach Team, the Senior Finance & Grants Officer and the Senior Coordinator for Grants to oversee preparation of proposals and budgets for prospective grants.

· Supervise the preparation of all financial grant reporting, ensuring that the Development & Outreach team receive accurate and timely information for effective grant and donor management and compliance.

· Maximise cost-recovery from grants through strong financial planning and cost analysis processes, to ensure financial viability of projects and grant agreements.

· Provide support to, and build capacity of, other teams to support grant compliance as necessary. 

· Review, and as needed negotiate, the legal and financial provisions of grant agreements.

· Oversee and ensure all received grants are promptly recorded and acknowledged, as well as paid out and reported on in accordance with donor requirements.

· Achieve timely, effective and clean external grant audits.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience

· ACA/ACCA/CCAB/CIMA qualified. 

· Significant professional post-qualified experience in a similar senior-level finance role in the not-for-profit sector, international/intergovernmental organisation or social enterprise

· Degree-level qualification in a relevant area such as accounting, finance or business administration, or equivalent professional experience.

· Up-to-date knowledge of relevant UK charity statutory requirements e.g. SORP, Charity Accounting, IFRS/IAS.

· Advanced understanding of the principles underpinning financial and grant management and planning and of demonstrating impact and value for money.

· Significant all-round accounting, financial management, full grants cycle management, compliance, risk and financial sustainability experience, likely gained in an international charity, e.g. working in a multi-currency environment.

· Proven experience of presenting and working with Boards and Finance Committees.

· Proven experience with contracts and grants management, including cost recovery models and revenue management, as well as donor compliance and due diligence. 

· Demonstrated experience in strategic business planning and review.

· Demonstrated direct experience of financial reporting to a Board of Trustees and major donors.

· Experience of using multi-currency accounting systems, such as Sun Systems, SAP Concur, QuickBooks, Sage and other relevant systems.

· Good knowledge of using complex excel functions such as macros, vlookup, pivot, sumifs, data analysis.

Please see our website for the full job description.  

Girls Not Brides is an equal opportunities employer. We embrace diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion in a serious way. We are committed to building a staff body that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

Please note: There is one vacancy for the Head of Finance position, which is based in London. Candidates must already have the right to work in the UK at the time of applying and for a minimum of two years.

The closing date for this role is 23:59 GMT on 10th August 2025.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place on 14th or 15th August 2025. 

To apply, please click on the 'Apply now' button on the job page and submit your CV and a brief cover letter, clearly demonstrating how you meet the criteria.

We encourage all candidates to apply as soon as possible, as we may close this vacancy early if we receive a very high number of applications and won't be able to accept further submissions.

About Women in Prison

Women in Prison is a national, women-led, feminist organisation. We deliver front line support to women harmed by the criminal justice system, through our work in prisons, in the community and ‘through the prison gate’ as they resettle back into their communities. We also campaign for systems change that addresses the root causes of offending, reduces the harmful impact of prison, and creates workable, community-based alternatives to imprisonment.
 

Job Purpose:

The Diversion Project Worker will engage with women referred through both formal and informal Liaison & Diversion (L&D) routes. Formal routes include police, courts, and other legal channels, while informal routes will focus on identifying women at greatest risk of offending. This role is designed to offer early intervention, providing structured, person-centred, and goal-focused support to provide 1:1 support, to help meet women’s immediate needs and to support them to prepare for a brighter future. From signposting and working in partnership with other grassroots organisations, to delivering group workshops and 1:1 support on topics such as mental health and wellbeing, domestic abuse, training and skills development, finance, debt and benefits.
 

Key Responsibility Areas

1. Provide high-quality, trauma-responsive support to women in contact with, or at risk of contact with the criminal justice system.
2. Monitor case management systems to ensure accurate and timely data recording, aligning with contract KPIs and WIP policies.
3. Develop and maintain effective partnerships with police, courts, and community organisations to ensure coordinated, multi-agency support for women and to strengthen referral pathways.
4. Contribute to organisational development and personal growth through innovation, self-care, and professional learning.