Head of finance and central services jobs in cardiff, wales

Finance, FJ and Operations Director

Lead the transformation of finance 

IRO £61,000 | Remote-first | Full-time | Reports to Co-CEO

Charity Finance Group (CFG) is seeking a visionary Finance, FJ and Operations Director to drive innovation, collaboration and excellence across our organisation and the wider charity sector. This is a rare opportunity to lead an organisation and a movement that's reshaping how finance empowers social impact.

About the role

As Finance, FJ and Operations Director, you’ll work closely with our two Co-CEOs to deliver CFG’s mission: championing financial sustainability for charities. You’ll lead the strategic and operational delivery of our Finance Journey framework—a bold, sector-defining initiative that transforms finance professionals from technicians into strategic leaders.

This role blends internal leadership with external influence. You’ll oversee key functions including finance and governance, HR, digital/IT and business development,—ensuring CFG’s internal systems and external offerings are aligned with our strategy, values, and member needs.

Your Impact

• Shape and deliver CFG’s Finance Journey strategy across the organisation

• Lead cross-functional teams to elevate performance and maturity

• Represent CFG to media, government, partners, and sector bodies

• Inspire a mindset shift across the finance community—from operational to transformational

• Support income generation through strategic partnerships and product development

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Champion a culture of learning, inclusion, and continuous improvement

• Contribute to CFG’s strategic planning and organisational development

• Provide strategic leadership across the organisation and support the board

Operational Oversight

• Lead finance, governance, HR, digital/IT, and business development teams

• Deliver robust financial analysis, reporting, and resource planning

• Ensure CFG’s finance function meets evolving business needs

Finance Journey Integration

• Embed the Finance Journey ethos across CFG’s products, services, and internal practices

• Collaborate with communications, learning, and membership teams

• Shape new offerings—training, events, assessments, leadership programmes

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build relationships with sector experts, partners, and members

• Represent CFG in forums, steering groups, and collaborative initiatives

• Share your expertise and catalyse sector-wide transformation

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Co-CEOs and the Director for Engagement

• Champion joined-up leadership, planning, and performance monitoring

• Foster a culture of inclusion, learning, and innovation

Location & Flexibility

• Remote-first: work from home or a suitable location near you

• Quarterly staff away days and ad hoc in-person events (travel costs covered)

Relationships

• Reports to Co-CEO 

• Member of the Leadership Team

• Manages business development, HR, and digital teams

About CFG

Our vision is a world where financial excellence empowers every charitable and social purpose organisation to drive positive impact. The Finance Journey is our flagship framework—designed to help finance professionals evolve from technicians to strategic leaders.

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Ready to lead a movement that’s changing the face of charity finance?

Apply now and be the catalyst for sector-wide transformation.

How to Apply 

If you would like to be considered for this position, please take a look at our recruitment pack on the next page, and apply with your CV. We have a series of questions for you to answer succinctly, but we do not require a covering letter. The deadline for applications is Midday on Monday 10 November, and shortlisting will take place in the following week, with interviews to follow shortly after. 

Please email us with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post-job offer – we do not hold a sponsor licence therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.

Benefits of working at CFG 

• 25 days' annual leave per year in addition to bank holidays, increasing to 28 days after three years of continuous service (pro-rata if part-time). 
• An extra three days' leave for the office Christmas closure. 
• Wellbeing closures where the whole organisation takes a break.
• Time off for personal health appointments. 
• Hybrid and remote flexible working options. 
• Four paid volunteering days every year. 
• Health cash plan via HSF.
• Enhanced sick pay, as well as enhanced parental and adoption leave policies.
• Continuing personal development - learning and development opportunities both individually and organisation wide, such as a mentor/coach, training courses and conferences. 
• Auto enrolment to the Personal Pension Plan where CFG will contribute twice your contribution to the scheme up to 10%. 
• Access to interest-free employee loans or salary advances. 

CFG promotes remote-first working, although we do have office space at our registered address in Bermondsey, Southwark, SE London for those team members who prefer an office setting. We expect all of our team members to attend all staff, directorate, or team anchor days on a regular basis in London. All-staff anchor days are currently quarterly, and directorate and smaller team anchor days are organised on an ad hoc basis. If you have any questions about this we'd be happy to chat about our in-person expectations with you. 

Please note that attending our flagship events will be required for this role, as well as work outside core hours occasionally as part of our events programme.  

Location: Home-based in the UK, within 90 minutes travel of Central London, with occasional national and international travel.

Contract: 2 years with the possibility of extension dependent on continuation of funding. You should be available to start by mid-January 2026.

Reporting to: Executive Director (ED) 

Salary: £85,000  - £90,000

Additional benefits: 25 days annual leave plus public holidays (annual leave increasing by 1 extra day for every year’s service up to 30 days total), life assurance and access to an employee assistance programme. 

Job description 

Overall purpose of role 

The Director of Operations and Finance is a pivotal senior leadership role responsible for ensuring WeProtect Global Alliance has robust and highly effective financial management, operational, governance, and risk infrastructure. The Director will provide strategic financial leadership, act as the primary resource for the Board on governance matters and oversee corporate compliance to enable the impactful delivery of the organisation's strategy to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse online. 

We are seeking a highly experienced operational leader who is a proactive and confident decision-maker. You will be an influential SMT member and a trusted advisor to the Executive Director and the Board. You must be able to think strategically and solve problems, translating complex technical requirements (finance, legal, risk) into clear, pragmatic, and achievable goals. You will operate with high ethical standards and integrity, modelling the Alliance's values of Accountability, Respect, and Empowerment across all internal and external relationships. 

Key Responsibilities 

Corporate Governance, Risk & Compliance  

• Corporate Governance: Ensure Alliance governance is efficient, effective and provides the necessary support and oversight to the team to enable delivery of our mission, leading on review and optimisation of our governance structures and management. Act as a key advisor to the Executive Director and Board on all aspects of governance, legal compliance, and statutory obligations (including Dutch Chamber of Commerce and UK Companies House requirements).

• Risk Management: Senior responsible owner of the strategic risk register and proactively monitor and escalate strategic risks, reporting on high-level mitigation strategies to the Board and Finance, Risk and Audit Committee. Liaising with the Deputy Head who will oversee the day-to-day monitoring and reporting of operational risks. 

• Internal Control & Audit: Set the strategic standard for the internal control environment. Commission, approve the scope for, and receive final reports on all internal or external governance reviews or audits. Approve all final audit recommendations and plans before presentation to the Board. 

• Legal Compliance: Ensure the Alliance is compliant with all relevant UK, Dutch and international laws, managing external legal counsel relationships as needed, including maximising pro-bono support. 

Operations and People Management  

• Operational Oversight: Provide strategic direction for core operational functions, ensuring the Deputy Head of Operations and Finance delivers effective day-to-day operations including procurement, IT infrastructure, and general administration. 

• Human Resources: Lead internal responsibility and the strategic development of the people management function, in liaison with the Executive Director. This includes owning the overarching policy framework, approving major changes to employee benefits, and managing any external HR consultants or support services to ensure all HR policies, recruitment practices, and performance management are compliant. Overseeing the Deputy Head on supporting the implementation of capacity building across the Secretariat.

• Line Management: Directly line manage and mentor the Deputy Head of Operations and Finance, setting clear objectives, managing performance, and supporting professional development. As a member of the SMT, you may also play a key role in matrix managing team members across the organisation.

• Cross-Organisational Leadership: Work collaboratively with the Executive Director and all members of the SMT to foster a culture of high performance, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement across all functions, including implementation of our organisational Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy and our overall organisational strategy. 

Strategic Financial Management & Leadership  

• Financial Strategy & Planning: Lead the development and own the ultimate approval of the organisation's financial strategy, ensuring long-term sustainability and resource allocation aligns with strategic objectives. Working closely with the Deputy Head of Operations and Finance on setting  the parameters for the annual budgeting cycle and it’s execution.

• Budgeting & Reporting: Produce accurate, timely, and insightful financial reports and analysis for the Executive Director, Senior Management Team (SMT), and the Board/Finance, Risk and Audit Committee, drawing on the preparations of the Deputy Head e.g. forecasting, overseeing annual budgeting cycle and fincnial planning 

• Audit & Statutory Compliance: Take ultimate accountability for the annual statutory audit process, ensuring all financial statements are prepared in compliance with relevant legislation and best practice for the Alliance’s Dutch and UK registered entities. 

• Systems and Controls: Own and strategically evolve the financial control framework, ensuring robust policies, procedures, and systems are in place. Champion organisation-wide adherence to these standards, working closely with the Deputy Head who will oversee daily compliance and financial reporting accuracy. 

• Grant Financial Management: Work with our Head of Development to oversee the financial management and reporting for all restricted and unrestricted grants, ensuring full compliance with donor requirements. Contribute to the organisation’s investment strategy and diversification by assessing financial viability of new funding sources or income models. 

Person Specification 

Essential Knowledge, Experience, and Skills 

• Sector Experience: Proven senior leadership experience (Head of or equivalent) within a non-profit, charity, or international NGO setting. 

• Governance & Risk: Extensive experience in developing, implementing and managing corporate governance frameworks, statutory compliance, and organisation-wide risk management in the non-profit sector. 

• Legal Expertise: Demonstrable deep experience and knowledge of relevant legal frameworks and regulation relating to the non-profit sector in the UK and Netherlands.

• Financial Expertise: Deep technical knowledge of relevant financial regulations, statutory accounts and audit processes, with proven experience setting the financial strategy and controls framework for an organisation. 

• Leadership & Management: Demonstrable track record of successfully leading, managing, and developing a multi-disciplinary team, including the management of senior direct reports. 

• Strategic & Communication Skills: Excellent strategic thinking, with the ability to translate complex financial and governance information into clear, accessible reports and advice for senior stakeholders (Executive Director, Policy Board, Finance, Risk and Audit Committee). 

Desirable 

• Accountancy qualifications 

• Experience as a Company Secretary or equivalent governance role. 

• Experience in management and oversight of human resources 

• Knowledge of international grant financial management and donor compliance requirements (particularly UK and Dutch). 

Commitment 

• A demonstrable commitment to the values of WeProtect Global Alliance, including safeguarding children and upholding principles of Respect, Accountability, and Empowerment. 

See attached document for the full job profile.

Our work is needed now more than ever before. This is why we have embarked on an exciting new strategy to make tackling low numeracy an urgent, national issue. However, we will only achieve significant and lasting change by engaging other organisations to support and fund our work.

The Corporate Volunteering Manager plays a central role in this by managing our successful and impactful Corporate Volunteering Programme. Each year through this programme, we train hundreds of volunteers from our corporate partners to visit primary schools and share examples of how maths has helped them as adults, both in their careers and personal lives.

This crucial work helps change us to the inter-generational narrative about numeracy in the UK. Maths is not just something you ‘have to do at school’, but is a valuable skill that helps us get on at work, and manage our time and our money. The programme has been running for three years now, and this year’s activity looks set to have meaningful impact on at least 17,000 children across the UK.

You will be responsible for ensuring that volunteers are adequately trained, for recruiting appropriate schools for them to visit, and all the admin and reporting that supports the programme.

We are looking for someone who can ‘own the programme’, is committed to improving our processes and the efficiency of delivery, with strong line management skills, and a commitment to the professional development for the Corporate Volunteering Programmes Assistant.

National Numeracy is based in Brighton, East Sussex, but we are offering significant remote/hybrid and flexible working with this role. If you are not office based, then the expectation is that you will be in Brighton at least occasionally when the work requires it. The role may include occasional travel to London and beyond.