Head of charitable funding partners jobs

Contract

Hours:  Full time, 35 hours per week. Standard working hours are Monday – Friday, 9am - 5pm.

Contract type: Permanent

Location: Somerset House, London, although hybrid working is encouraged

About Us

Blue Marine Foundation seeks to protect and restore life in the ocean. Our mission is to see at least 30 per cent of the ocean protected by 2030 and the whole ocean sustainably managed. We support low-impact fishing and equitable use of the ocean and address overfishing – one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges.

We are a dynamic NGO at the heart of cutting-edge marine conservation with headquarters in London but operating globally. This is an incredible chance to join our highly impactful charity, we look forward to hearing from you.

The Role and Responsibilities

Blue Marine has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Project Accountant to join our dynamic finance team. In this newly created role, you will be the key link between the finance team and the wider organisation. You'll lead on our restricted fund budgets, working closely with project managers and department heads to ensure their accuracy, evaluate and communicate their performance and lead on the designing and structuring of new proposals. This role is extremely outwardly facing and requires somebody that thrives on working with others. You will work alongside another Senior Project Accountant who focuses on the key strategic grants within the organisation, and you will have one direct report.

This is an excellent opportunity for somebody to join an incredibly ambitious and agile organisation with a track record of delivering lasting change. In the past five years Blue Marine’s income and charitable expenditure has more than tripled, with work spanning 25 countries and involving over 200 project partners.

Supporting the Director of Finance, Operations & Governance (DFOG), you will:

· Be the key link between Finance and the wider organisation, providing high-quality analysis and clear communication  through reporting and everyday interactions.

· Design, build and maintain budgets for cutting edge dynamic global projects.

· Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across Blue Marine’s wider teams, regularly meeting with around project managers to review budgets. 

· Work closely with our project partners around the world, supporting them with budgeting, analysis and financial reporting. This may result in opportunities for international travel.

· Identify and flag potential queries (such as expected under/overspend, run rate, incorrect staff time allocations) to relevant colleagues.

· Line manage one direct report.

· Generate new ideas for process and efficiency improvements.

· Work closely with the fundraising team, providing their financial reporting to our donors and generating budgets for new proposals.

· Interpret and provide insightful analysis to enable effective decision-making processes across the senior management team.

· Maintain appropriate filing and assist in collation of evidence for annual audit.

· Tackle any other reasonable requests as required by the DFOG and wider organisation.

· Assist project managers with ad-hoc budget queries.

This list is not exhaustive, and the selected candidate will be required to undertake other relevant tasks.

Skills and Experience required

We're Looking For

· A team player who gets fulfilment from supporting colleagues in financial matters.

· An innovator that thrives on problem solving.

· An effective communicator who can provide financial insights to non-financial stakeholders.

Essential

· At least a part-qualified accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA/CIPFA).

· Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly in Excel.

· Excellent written, numerate and verbal communications skills.

· Strong experience with budget management, ideally within a not-for-profit environment.

Personal qualities/specifications

· Passionate about the conservation of the environment and the oceans.

· Polite and cheerful can-do attitude.

· Able to discern meaning from financial data and critically analyse a situation.

· Able to communicate financial matters in a clear and concise manner.

· Thorough attention to detail and accuracy.

· Self-motivated, able to work on own initiative and with a hands-on approach.

· Ability to prioritise and deal effectively with a busy workload.

Why us?

This is a great opportunity for you to join our inspirational team and be part of making a difference!

We offer a great salary in addition to a generous benefits package.

We embrace agile working and trust our employees to work in a hybrid manner that gives them the flexibility to work from home or at the office according to their work commitments. We also recognise our head office is in London and currently offer an optional subsidy of £2,000 per year, which is available to employees attending this office at least two days per week.

Working alongside some of the most leading and pioneering minds in marine conservation, our training opportunities and collegiate nature means you will always be learning and supported with your development.

Your wellbeing is important to us, and we hold social events throughout the year. We have a great culture and are committed to an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

If you think you have what it takes and the experience to make it happen, then please apply, we would love you to be part of Blue Marine!

To Apply

Please apply for this opportunity with your CV and cover letter directly on the Blue Marine Foundation website by 7 November 2025.

Please note

We reserve the right to close job adverts early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. If you would like to know more or have any questions, we are happy to help.

We are a responsible and inclusive employer. We value diversity and are committed to equality and creating an inclusive culture. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and will support you to reach your full potential.

We want you to perform at your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us.