Global financial controller jobs in Birmingham

Employment Type: Full time
Location: Remote · Multiple locationsIreland · UK
Salary: £62,000 - £72,000 (GBP)25 days holiday plus other benefits.
Seniority: Senior
Closing date: 9:00am, 4th May

About GLAN

GLAN is an independent non-profit organisation made up of lawyers, investigators and campaigners. We pursue legal action against powerful actors involved in serious human rights violations and environmental harms, working across borders with international and local grassroots organisations. 

Our vision is justice across borders.

We are a fully remote team - our committed colleagues are spread across multiple countries, and we have offices in Ireland and the UK.

We currently work across three key focus areas: 

• Accountability for Atrocity Crimes
• Environment and Climate Litigation
• Abuses in Value Chains

About the role

The Chief Operating Officer at GLAN will play a crucial role in steering the team in the successful implementation of the charity’s organisational strategy, and will be responsible for ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the organisation – in order to build a sustainable, compliant, resilient and well-governed organisation.

The ideal candidate

We are looking for an experienced leader with a proven track-record of delivering financial oversight and overseeing complex budgets and projects to completion in a fast-paced environment. We are looking for someone who possesses excellent people skills, who is emotionally intelligent and can guide a dynamic team remotely.

The Chief Operating Officer will be responsible for the delivery of core services and will manage a core team of staff to deliver Finance, HR, Fundraising, Communications and Governance.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrable experience in a similar role, with in depth understanding of how charitable, purpose driven organisations operate. You must have excellent leadership skills, a solid grasp of data analysis and performance metrics, financial planning and budgeting skills, and an advanced understanding of business planning, budget and project management.

Key Responsibilities

Senior Leadership

• Lead the Senior Leadership team in the implementation of our revised organisational strategy 2027-2030.
• Ensure organisation-wide financial oversight and operational business planning.
• Provide guidance and support to GLAN’s team.
• Deputise for the CEO when necessary and take ownership of high-level decision-making.

Operational oversight

• Maintain operational oversight so that legal, advocacy, funding and finance align with GLAN’s organisational strategy.
• Oversee and facilitate the flow of information between the legal and operational teams so that our legal case works aligns with finances, commitments to funders, team capacity, and communications plans.
• Ensure that systems enable on-going monitoring of expenditure so that fundraising and finance are aware of gaps/underspends.
• Help ensure cases/teams are sufficiently resourced in terms of staff capacity.
• Ensure joined up working, and provide strategic guidance when challenges arise.

People and culture

• Provide strong leadership to ensure a professional and healthy working culture.
• Build on GLAN’s existing commitments to a working culture that is in line with our values, overseeing team-wide consistency to HR line-management, 1:1’s, annual 360 reviews and performance.
• Oversee recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and staff development and staff feedback.
• Ensure policies on anti-racism, equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing are embedded in how we work.
• Support the embedding of GLAN’s values across GLAN’s work.
• Oversee relationship and dialogue between GLAN’s SLT and Trade Union representatives.

Governance and Board relationships

• Lead on ensuring that GLAN is compliant with our legal, regulatory, health & safety, data protection / GDPR and employment law obligations.
• Ensure we have all necessary policies in place and take the lead on coordinating the establishment and review of existing and further policies. Oversee the regular review of GLAN’s risk management frameworks and our risk register.
• Oversee GLAN’s governance structures (internal reporting, Board meetings etc.), ensuring decisions are well informed and documented.

Financial oversight

• Oversee financial operations: budgeting, forecasting, cash flow, expenditure controls, financial reporting, payroll.
• Ensure compliance with accounting standards, audit requirements and donor / funder financial reporting obligations.
• Manage relationships with external accountants, auditors, banks, and financial service providers.
• Ensure best practices are followed and financial risk is identified and managed appropriately.

Operations

• Ensure the smooth running of IT, data protection, office management. Managing relationships with our external providers.

Person Specification

Essential

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in senior leadership roles, delivering successful organisational financial oversight- with expertise in business planning and complex project management.
• Demonstrable experience of high-level budgeting, forecasting, auditing, proven accountability for ensuring financial sustainability and compliance.
• Minimum of 10 year’s line management experience.
• Excellent strategic thinking and planning skills, able to bridge between high-level strategy and operational detail.
• Sound judgement, risk-management and governance experience; familiarity with compliance, data protection / GDPR, employment law etc.
• Exceptionally organised and able to manage multiple priorities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present complex operational, financial or legal information clearly.
• Strong collaborative approach, ability to work across teams, offer guidance to other senior level staff, and clear people management skills.
• Expertise in ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, policies, and procedures, particularly in the charity sector.
• Understanding of UK charity law and governance, including experience with Board of Trustees.
• Aptitude in decision making and problem solving, and confidence in providing guidance to boards and CEO.
• Warm, people-centred and positive approach.
• Emotionally intelligent, able to self-reflect, be honest and conduct open conversations with sensitivity.
• Solution-orientated, able to anticipate and resolve challenges.
• Strong alignment with GLAN’s values and our mission.
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and committed to GLAN’s ongoing anti-racist learning and practice.
• Commitment to developing an organisational culture in which our team thrives and we can achieve meaningful impact in our work.
• Ability to handle difficult situations and handle confidential information.
• Ability to balance GLAN’s operational priorities with our values.

Desirable

• Experience of operating in non-profit / mission-driven / legal organisations.
• Previous experience working in a human rights or environmental protection focussed setting.
• Legal or compliance experience.
• Experience of change management and scaling teams or systems.
• Experience of hybrid / remote team leadership .
• Experience of supporting culture building.
• Experience of working to decolonial commitments.
• Experience of delivering organisational change programmes.
• Legal or compliance experience.
• Experience of change management and scaling teams or systems.
• Experience of hybrid / remote team leadership 
• Commitment to equity, learning and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of HR practices and employment law.
• Fundraising experience.
• Accountancy qualification, Leadership or management qualifications, Project management qualifications e.g. Prince2

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We particularly welcome applications from candidates with lived experience of the issues that GLAN works on. We strongly encourage applications from disabled candidates, older candidates, and Black and racially minoritised candidates, who are currently underrepresented in our organisation. We use an anonymised recruitment process to ensure fairness. Each applicant will be individually assessed against the essential criteria regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or belief. We will use positive action on the basis of race and/or disability in case of a tie break situation.

Our values

Decolonial - We are committed to building decolonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches at GLAN.

Collective Power - We believe lasting change is built through collective action and power sharing. 

Responsive - Working across interconnected global systems that are ever in flux, we aim to be adaptable, nimble and responsive to make the biggest impact we can. 

Steadfast - We know the kind of change we want to see won’t happen overnight, that’s why we strongly value patience and persistence. 

Self-Reflective - We recognise the power and privilege we hold as an organization. We’re committed to fostering a culture of honesty, reflection, and continuous learning, constantly examining how we work within the system and why to help us strengthen both our organisation and the movements we support work within the system.

How to apply

To apply, please use our application portal. Applications are due by 9am 4 May 2026. We will not review applications sent via LinkedIn or email.

GLAN does not use AI to review applications, and we ask candidates to avoid its use in this process. We want to read about people’s experience in their own words.

If you need any reasonable adjustments, including this job pack to be sent in a larger font, in order to apply for this role, please contact us.

About Habitat for Humanity Great Britain

Habitat for Humanity Great Britain is part of the global Habitat for Humanity Federation fighting global poverty and homelessness. We believe that a decent home helps to permanently break the cycle of poverty and allows families to achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance.

Habitat GB mobilises resources, partnerships, public engagement and advocacy to support high‑impact housing solutions in the UK and internationally, working closely with Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) and the wider Habitat for Humanity network.

 Job Purpose

The Programme Development Manager role is a critical role in ensuring the development and progression of our programmes. The role is responsible for drafting compelling propositions for our UK programmes and both the proposal development and remote programme management oversight of our international work.  

Key responsibilities will include developing partnerships and delivering compelling propositions to expand our existing donor-base and programme reach. This role will also manage and support the delivery of impactful projects and be responsible for collaborating with our wider Habitat for Humanity network. This role is central to translating Habitat for Humanity's GB’s mission and strategy into high-quality programmes that maximise social impact.

This is a remote (home-based) role, with regular travel to internal meetings in London and occasionally for monitoring visits overseas. 

If this sounds like it could be a good match for you, please take a look at the Candidate Pack on our website for more details and how to apply.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 12th May 2026 (at 11:59 pm).

 Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Partnership and Proposal Development: Develop and deliver compelling partnerships to expand our existing donor-base

· Scope funding and partnership opportunities and engage with existing, new and potential institutional donors and programme partners through 1) desk research; 2) preparing donor/partner profiles; 3) updating an active pipeline of proposals and opportunities; 4) engaging, building and maintaining new and existing partnerships.

· Lead the proposal development and submission process of high-quality programmes – including narrative, Monitoring and Evaluation frameworks and budget preparation. This will require working directly with our network of National Offices (NOs), and Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), ensuring that Habitat GB aligns with the tools and processes that have been developed to support this work.

· Coordinate and lead proposal development meetings with NOs and HFHI, including taking the meeting minutes.

· Ensure that feedback and learning from project bids, both successful and unsuccessful, is shared across the organisation and is used to inform future thematic priorities and programme design.

2. Impact Delivery: Manage and deliver impactful projects

· Support National Offices to prepare and establish effective project management tools and mechanisms for grant set-up and project launches in close collaboration with HFHI.

· Coordinate monthly project management meetings for key projects with National Offices.

· Conduct monitoring visits (if necessary) to projects, alongside the provision of distance monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) and safeguarding support to National Offices and their partners. Collate data, ensuring it is of high quality and produced in line with grant agreements.

· Draft, review and edit/format project reports for timely submissions to donors in close collaboration with Habitat GB colleagues, National Offices/Branches and HFHI colleagues, ensuring donor compliance.

· Support the timely transfer of funds to National Offices, tracking progress against expenditure.

3. Collaboration: Across Habitat GB and the wider Habitat network

· Supervise and mentor Programmes Assistants and volunteers (where/when) applicable, supporting their development and the delivery of high-quality work.

· Actively participate in several Communities of Practice (CoPs) hosted by major donors and development networks for external knowledge sharing and learning.

· Present key thematic topics within Habitat GB quarterly for internal sharing.

· Post case studies and project highlights on Habitat GB website.

Person Specification

Experience

• Proven experience of partnership building with UK institutional donors (Essential)
• Experience in project proposal writing and familiarity with programming documents e.g. logical framework and Theory of Change models. (Essential)
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective document management and information management processes. (Essential)
• Experience and good understanding of best practice, knowledge management and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) and safeguarding in a programme context. (Desirable)
• International programme management experience preferably in a development context. (Desirable)

Skills / Knowledge

• Excellent report writing and content development skills. (Essential)
• Understanding of financial management processes, including excellent numeracy skills and proven ability to analyse budgets, project pipelines and financial reports. (Essential)
• Ability to undertake international travel to field locations in different parts of the world when the situation allows. (Essential)
• Clear and straightforward verbal and written communication skills. (Essential)
• Excellent attention to detail. (Essential)

Working Style

· Ability to work collaboratively with diverse global teams, across different time zones. (Essential)

· Self-motivated and organised, able to work under pressure to deadlines and use own initiative to solve problems with minimal supervision and adapt to challenges. (Essential)

· Enthusiastic and positive, with a can-do attitude. (Essential)

The role and responsibilities will be carried out in a way which reflects:

· Habitat GB’s commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy.

· A commitment to Habitat GB’s vision, mission, values and approach.

· A commitment to effective management of risk, by operating within the Charity’s code of conduct, policies, procedures and controls and by carrying out the risk management and assurance responsibilities of the role as set out in relevant Policy and Procedures.

The employment of this position will be subject to a satisfactory reference check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

At Habitat for Humanity GB, we aim to build, develop and retain a talented workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, skills and experiences. We welcome and actively encourage applications from anyone who feels they’d be a good fit for our organisation, regardless of race, religion, colour, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity or any other protected characteristics.

We’d prefer to hear directly from applicants – we won’t be working with third party recruiters on this role.