Finance officer jobs in Bristol

Shape financial strategy and sustainability across our trust.

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Finance Director to lead the financial strategy and operations of the Cabot Learning Federation. This is a pivotal executive leadership role where you will provide assurance to the Chief Operating Officer, CEO and Board of Trustees across all financial matters, including financial sustainability, risk, and control frameworks.

As a key member of the Executive Team, you will play a central role in shaping the long-term financial direction of a large and growing multi-academy trust. You will lead the development and delivery of the Trust-wide financial strategy, ensuring that resources are aligned with priorities and delivering maximum impact for pupils, staff, and communities.

Working closely with senior leaders, Principals, Trustees, and external stakeholders, you will oversee financial planning, statutory reporting, and compliance across the Trust. You will ensure robust systems of internal control, champion value for money, and drive a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

In this role, you will lead and develop a high-performing finance function across central and academy teams, ensuring strong financial management, effective business partnering, and high-quality support for decision-making at every level of the organisation.

Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, all year round. A part-time position for 4 days per week may be considered and can be discussed at interview.

Location: You will work through a blended model that includes home working and working at Federation House, Kingswood, Bristol.

About You

To be successful, you will be a highly accomplished and strategic finance leader, combining strong technical expertise with the ability to influence at the executive and board level.

You will have:

• A recognised accountancy qualification (CIMA, ACA or ACCA) with extensive senior-level experience
• Proven experience of leading financial strategy, planning and transformation across a complex organisation
• Strong understanding of financial governance, regulatory frameworks, and systems of internal control
• A track record of delivering value for money and driving organisational performance improvement
• Significant experience of leading, developing, and inspiring high-performing teams
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial data and translate it into strategic insight
• The confidence and credibility to influence, challenge, and advise executive leaders, Trustees, and stakeholders
• Experience of working with external partners, including auditors, regulators, and funding bodies
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information clearly to diverse audiences

Why Join CLF?

As Finance Director, you will join our Executive Team at a critical stage in our growth, helping to shape the financial future of a large, complex and ambitious organisation.

In return, we can offer you:

• Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Generous annual leave entitlement
• A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities
• Wellbeing support through an employee assistance programme
• Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs
• A range of generous family leave options, including above-industry-average occupational maternity pay
• Cycle-to-work scheme and on-site parking

For further information and to apply for this exciting role, please visit our website via the Apply button.

Closing date: 28 June 2026.
Shortlisting date: 1 July 2026.

Interviews will be a two-stage process comprising an Assessment Morning on 6 July 2026 followed by a final interview on the afternoon of 8 July 2026. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.

We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups, including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

As a Disability Confident Committed Employer, we are dedicated to equity and inclusion and commit to interviewing applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We aim to provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and support employees throughout their employment. If you have a disability, are neurodivergent, or require any adjustments to support you through the application or interview process, please let us know how we can assist.

Are you a qualified finance professional looking for a high-impact contract role within an international charity? This is a unique opportunity to join during a pivotal period of growth and transformation, helping integrate UK and US finance operations while ensuring robust financial control, compliance, reporting and governance.

Working closely with the VP of Finance, you will provide strategic financial leadership while remaining hands-on with financial operations, systems migration, board reporting and statutory compliance. This role would suit someone who thrives in a changing environment and enjoys improving processes, systems and reporting.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the integration of UK finance operations into a global finance function
• Support the migration from QuickBooks to NetSuite and Barclays to HSBC
• Support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities
• Prepare board reports and provide financial insights to senior stakeholders
• Lead UK audit activity and support statutory filings with Companies House and the Charity Commission
• Review and improve financial policies, processes and reporting frameworks

Essential Skills & Experience

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified
• 5+ years' finance experience
• Experience managing change, finance transformation or systems projects
• Board reporting and stakeholder management experience
• Experience managing or mentoring finance staff

Desirable Skills & Experience

• Charity or international NGO experience
• NetSuite implementation or migration experience
• Gift Aid knowledge

Applications for this role are now under review, and the deadline could well be brought forward if the suitable candidate is found. Therefore, do not delay in submitting your application!

Young Sounds UK is recruiting for a full-time Finance and Reporting Officer to join our team. 

Role overview

The Finance and Reporting Officer will be responsible for the effective day to day running of the charity’s finance function, by processing transactions accurately, maintaining robust financial records, carrying out month-end activities, and providing financial information to budget holders and senior staff.

Alongside this the role has an important part to play in data management and activity reporting. Working with the Data Officer you’ll assist with the maintenance and interrogation of programme monitoring data, ensuring information is accurate and timely.

You’ll need to be organised and with a great attention to detail. We’re seeking someone who is output orientated, whilst able to ensure the integrity of the information being presented. You’ll also need to be thorough at a transactional level yet able to summarise efficiently to a range of audiences.

Working with a broad range of stakeholders across the team, as well as trustees, auditors and external suppliers, you’ll need clear communication skills including being able to communicate financial information to non-finance colleagues. It’s a busy role and you’ll need to be adept at juggling a variety of responsibilities at the same time.

For full information on this role, including key responsibilities and person specification, please view the attached job pack.

• The closing date for applications is Monday 22 June 2026 at 12 noon.
• Applicants invited to interview will hear from us by Friday 26 June 2026. 
• Interviews are expected to be held via video call, likely 02 and 03 July 2026 (TBC). 

How to apply

• Please submit your application using the form in the redirect. 
• You will be asked to attach a supporting statement of no more than two sides of A4, addressing how you are a strong candidate for the position, details of relevant experience etc. You are advised to address the selection criteria for the role as detailed in the Person Specification. 
• Please note that applications will be shortlisted on an anonymous basis, so any identifying information should not be included in the supporting statement and will be removed prior to sharing with the panel

About Young Sounds UK

Young Sounds exists because musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t: family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. We’re here to change this in two key ways:

• We support young musicians from low-income families with funding and other help;
• We support music education through training, advocacy and research. 

We became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in April 2023 and also joined an expanded cohort of National Youth Music Organisations (NYMOs). We currently support over 1,000 individual young people across the UK every year and demand for our support is increasing. It’s an exciting time to join a pioneering organisation at the forefront of British music education.

Our small and fully remote team work across the UK, comprising a mix of full time and part time employees supported by specialist part time and term time freelancers.

Young Sounds UK is the working name for registered charity Awards for Young Musicians.