Head of policy research jobs in Bristol

What if your ability to transform tax processes could unlock thousands of pounds in savings while building best-in-class compliance systems for one of the UK's biggest charities?

As a Financial Accountant within our Finance & Assurance directorate, you'll be part of a team that's transforming how we deliver financial partnership across the organisation. We're on an ambitious journey to become the Society's single point of financial truth. We aim to be trusted partners and credible experts who enable the organisation to make faster, better-informed decisions.

This is a highly technical, hands-on role where you'll own and improve our tax function. You'll be responsible for the essential technical delivery, preparing VAT returns, managing partial exemption calculations, overseeing Corporation Tax and Gift Aid. Ensuring we meet every regulatory requirement. But what sets this role apart is the opportunity to transform how we deliver this work. You'll drive continuous improvement across all tax processes, identifying inefficiencies, implementing automation, redesigning workflows, and developing robust controls that optimise our position while maintaining compliance. This is your opportunity to leave your mark on a critical area of the finance function.

Your process improvement mindset and ability to explain complex matters clearly, will help colleagues make tax-efficient decisions.

About you:

You're a qualified accountant with strong process improvement experience who thrives on identifying inefficiencies and implementing better ways of working. You're excited by the prospect of shaping an entire area within a finance function.

You're a problem-solver who constantly asks, "how can we do this better?" You have a genuine curiosity about how things work and a drive to continuously improve. Existing knowledge of VAT compliance, particularly partial exemption, would be beneficial, as would broader familiarity with Corporation Tax, Gift Aid, and other statutory obligations. However, what matters most is your appetite to learn and your determination to find better ways forward.

You'll have:

• Proven experience driving process improvements in a finance environment, demonstrating where you've identified inefficiencies, redesigned workflows, or delivered measurable improvements.
• A CCAB qualification achieved through education, or demonstrable equivalent knowledge and experience that evidences your understanding of the role's requirements.
• Some experience with VAT, Corporation Tax, Gift Aid, or other UK tax regulations. You don't need to be a tax specialist, but you should have exposure to tax compliance and a genuine interest in developing deep expertise in this area.
• The ability to quickly build technical knowledge and confidence in complex tax scenarios, with a problem-solving approach to navigating regulations.
• Experience working with HMRC or other regulatory bodies, demonstrating credibility and professionalism in external relationships.
• Demonstrated experience as a Financial Accountant in a large or complex organisation.
• The ability to work effectively across departments and at all levels, translating complex financial or technical matters into practical guidance.
• Experience with cloud-based ERP systems (we use Unit4) and a mindset of continuous improvement.

What you'll focus on:

• Driving continuous improvement across the tax function.
• Developing robust tax processes and controls that optimise our position while ensuring compliance.
• Overseeing VAT compliance – preparing and reviewing accurate VAT returns, managing partial exemption calculations, and optimising our VAT position.
• Overseeing Corporation Tax and Gift Aid compliance as well as other statutory tax obligations.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with HMRC, managing enquiries or audits with professionalism.
• Providing clear tax guidance across the Society, empowering colleagues to make tax-efficient decisions.
• Working seamlessly with colleagues across the Finance team to provide integrated financial partnership, while role-modelling our values.

Can you see yourself as the person who transforms our tax function, not just maintains it? Are you ready to shape an entire area within our finance function and make your mark?

Rolling applications

We are accepting applications on a rolling basis for this role. There is no fixed deadline. We will continue to review applications until the role is filled. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as we may close the vacancy once we've made a successful appointment.

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 ground-breaking 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 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.

Chief Executive - Help & Care
Location: Home-based within easy reach of Dorset (regular travel across the region)
Salary: circa £85,000 per annum
Contract: permanent, either full-time basis (37 hours per week) or part-time (30 hours per week). We are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements for part-time hours, including how these are worked across the working week.

Are you an innovative leader who will put communities and social justice at the heart of transforming how health and social care is delivered in Dorset and the south of England?

Help & Care has been supporting communities across Dorset and the south coast since 1985. We deliver person-centred services that promote dignity, independence and connection - from dementia coordination and health coaching to our award-winning Roots gardening programme and social prescribing partnerships. Working with over 25 partners across health, housing and the voluntary sector, we co-produce services that make a real difference to older people, those with long-term conditions, carers and people at risk of isolation.

As our new Chief Executive, you will collaborate with a dedicated Board and a strong, highly motivated team focusing on the following key areas of responsibility:

• Strategic leadership: Define an ambitious, values-led strategy and deliver it, securing long-term impact alongside sustainable financial growth.
• Values leadership: Place Help & Care’s values - social justice, innovation, personal and collaborative - at the heart of decision-making and model them through visible leadership.
• Growth & income diversification: Lead business development to diversify income streams, winning commissioned contracts and developing social-enterprise opportunities to reduce reliance on public commissioning.
• Partnerships & advocacy: Strengthen and sustain senior-level relationships across the NHS, local authorities, commissioners and the voluntary sector; represent Help & Care across systems, media and stakeholder networks.
• Service quality & impact: Embed rigorous monitoring and evaluation so outcome evidence drives commissioning decisions, improves financial performance and enhances the organisation’s reputation.

• People leadership: Inspire, retain and develop a high-performing, compassionate leadership team and workforce, focused on talent development, wellbeing and accountability.
• Governance & financial stewardship: Provide the Board with timely, high-quality reporting, oversee financial recovery or sustainability plans as required, and ensure robust risk, compliance and governance arrangements.

Who you are:

• An experienced CEO or senior director from complex, multi-service health, social care or community organisations, with experience of developing and delivering multi-agency contracts.
• Proven track record of securing commissioned contracts, leading tendering and contract oversight, and developing income diversification, including social-enterprise opportunities.
• Comfortable driving strategic transformation and financial sustainability, with demonstrable expertise in strategic financial management.
• A values-led, collaborative and visible leader with high emotional intelligence and resilience, committed to social justice, person-centred practice and co-production; an effective public representative and mentor.

Why Help & Care?

• Lead a highly respected regional provider with an outstanding track record of co-production and innovation.
• Shape an organisation poised for growth and greater regional influence.
• Hybrid, home-based working, regular travel across Dorset, and the chance to safeguard vital services for local communities.

For full details of the role including how to apply, please download the full appointment brief. For an informal and confidential conversation about this position, please contact Jenny Hills at Harris Hill via apply button with times to speak and (optional but appreciated) a CV or professional profile which will be treated with the strictest confidence

Closing date for applications: 9am, Monday 23rd February 2026. Interviews and assessments on 3rd, 4th and 5th March.

As leading charity recruitment specialists and a certified B Corp, Harris Hill is committed to high and ever-improving standards of equitable and inclusive recruitment. We actively welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexuality and other protected characteristics.

Wells Cathedral is on an exciting journey.

We have embarked on an ambitious ten-year plan. We are on a mission to become the UK’s most joyful cathedral, and we want to have a genuinely positive impact on individual lives, on the City of Wells, the County of Somerset and far beyond.

We are carefully conserving our stunning world-class, 850-year-old heritage site, and we remain committed to being a beacon of light and hope, a sacred space of prayer and a place of wonder – now and for generations to come.

We also want to elevate our brand and grow our visitor numbers. We are investing in making our visitor experience even better, for everyone. We want to ensure Wells Cathedral is known as one of the UK’s top ‘must see’ tourism attractions, and we want to reach and engage a much wider range of people. And as part of that mission, we are now investing in growing our Marketing & Communications Team.

Wells Cathedral’s Marketing & Communications Team delivers direction and support across all areas of Cathedral life, including visitor experience, fundraising, worship and music, events, venue hire, library and archives, as well as our Cathedral Shop and Loft Café. The Team covers the full scope of marketing and communications activities, including researching and identifying target audiences, designing strategic marketing plans, generating earned media exposure through PR activity, developing and implementing brand identity, and delivering integrated campaign creative across social, digital, print, broadcast and OOH channels.

Reporting the Director of Marketing & Communications, the Marketing & Communications Assistant will play a significant role in supporting the delivery of all of this, effectively and efficiently, across the organisation. This is a truly unique early career opportunity for an ambitious marketer looking to gain hands-on experience across a wide range of disciplines.

Key Responsibilities:

- Supporting efficient workflow by responding to incoming requests and scheduling projects

- Enhancing online customer experience and engagement by providing real-time responses to social media DMs, comments and reviews

- Timely display and removal of onsite promotional and information banners, posters, flyers and POS material

- Assisting the Director of Marketing & Communications, Head of Filming and Content Creator during film crew, photographer, influencer and media visits

- Assisting the Director of Marketing & Communications in strategic marketing campaign planning

- Actively participating in team meetings both within Marketing & Communications, and with stakeholders across the organisation

- Supporting the Content Creator in capturing photographic and video content at services, events and activities, as required

- Assisting the Design and Digital Services Executive in the production of on-brand artwork for corporate literature, signage and point-of-sale material

- Ensuring website content is always up-to-date

- Capturing marketing performance data to create KPI dashboards and inform campaign strategies

Person specification

Criteria

Essential

A clear and demonstrable interest in marketing and communications, with ambition to progress within this field

Excellent written communication skills and a confident proof-reader

A professional approach to both internal and external communication

An eye for audience-appropriate graphic communication, including typography and photography within brand guidelines

A specific interest in working within the arts, culture and heritage sector

An understanding of online data analysis for monitoring and informing marketing

A confident and collaborative team player, able to work with direction

An energetic and enthusiastic creative thinker

Ability to meet deadlines and remain calm under pressure

Able and willing to attend occasional evening and weekend events as required

Demonstrable commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults

Desirable

A marketing-related qualification at degree or diploma level

A good working knowledge of Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel and Powerpoint

Demonstrable experience of using Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as InDesign, Photoshop and Acrobat

Demonstrable experience and/or knowledge of any of the following subjects: Christianity, Tourism, History, Music, Live Events, Hospitality, Retail

A confident verbal communicator

An understanding of marketing campaign strategies

Main Terms and Conditions

Employment status: Permanent contract of employment

Location: Wells Cathedral Offices, Wells, BA5 2RB

Hours of work: full-time, 35 working hours per week (Monday to Friday). Flexible working will be considered.

Remuneration: £25,000  per annum, payable on the 24th of the month or the nearest working day thereto

Discount: A discount of 10% is available from the Cathedral Shop and The Loft Café.

Parking: Limited parking is available in the Cathedral car park. Cars are parked at the risk of the owner.

Pension: Defined Contribution Scheme. Contributions as % of salary:

Age Employee Employer

<50 3% 5%

50–55 4% 8%

>55 5% 10% 

Expenses: All reasonable working expenses will be met in line with Cathedral policy.

Holiday (inclusive of bank holidays): 6.8 weeks per holiday year. The holiday year runs from 1 January to 31 December.

Probation: This post will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months.

How to Apply

To apply, please fill in the Application Form and Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form available on the Vacancies section of Wells Cathedral's website and return them to the HR Manager.

Closing date: 9am Friday 20 February 2026

Shortlisting date: Monday 23 February 2026

To ensure the fairness of the selection process, shortlisting will be based upon the information which you provide in your application and assumptions will not be made about your experience or skills.  We will look for demonstrable evidence that you meet the criteria set out in the Person Specification. Information provided on the Application Form will be viewed by HR, the recruiting manager, and interview panel. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the shortlisting process.

Interview date: Wednesday 4 March 2026

Further details about the selection process will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

The appointment will be subject to the completion of pre-employment checks, including references and a satisfactory basic DBS check.

Safeguarding

We are committed to the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people, and adults, and the care and nurture of children within church communities. We will carefully select, train, and support all those with any responsibility within the Church, in line with Safer Recruitment principles.

This means that we will:

· Ensure that our recruitment and selection processes are inclusive, fair, consistent, and transparent;

· Take all reasonable steps to prevent those who might harm children or adults from taking up positions of respect, responsibility, or authority where they are trusted by others; and

· Adhere to Safer Recruitment legislation, guidance, and standards.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a Declaration of Suitability as part of our recruitment process when an offer of employment is made. This form is strictly confidential and, except under compulsion of law, will be seen only by those involved in the recruitment process. All forms will be kept securely in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.