Intern jobs in Manchester

Head of Finance | DFN Project SEARCH

Remote, with travel to London on average once a month plus occasional site visits | £51,500 – £61,500 | 9-day fortnight (after probation), flexible working welcome

DFN Project SEARCH is a national charity supporting young adults with a learning disability, autism, or both, into real, paid, lasting work. Last year alone, 431 young people started jobs through our programme. We work with around 200 employers, colleges and local authorities across the UK, and we've supported over 2,900 people since we started. We're good at what we do, and we want to do a lot more of it. Our aim is to support 10,000 interns by 2030.

We've grown rapidly, which is exciting, and this role has been newly created to make sure all the finance processes are set up so that we can continue to grow and scale properly. So, this isn't a steady-state job where you inherit clean processes and just keep them ticking. You'll be helping to build the structure as the charity grows around it.

That means we need someone who can lead and do. You'll own the finance function end to end: month-end, management accounts, statutory reporting, cash flow, controls. You'll also shape how all of it should work as we continue to grow. One day you're posting journals and reconciling the balance sheet; the next you're helping a budget holder who's never read a P&L understand their numbers, or modelling what reaching 10,000 interns actually means financially. You'll report to the Finance Director and line manage our Finance Administrator.

What your time will look like:

- Running the finance function day to day and ensuring everything is accurate, compliant and efficient, which means journals, reconciliations, month-end close, the monthly rhythm

- Producing management accounts and board-level reporting that people can act on, with clear commentary

- Working with the Finance Director on budgeting, statutory accounts, audit and VAT

- Strengthening cash flow forecasting, treasury, reserves and credit control

- Owning the controls framework, financial policies and procedures, and getting more out of Xero so we have real-time insight, not using out-of-date assumptions to make business critical decisions

- Managing restricted, designated and unrestricted funds, and reporting to funders properly and on time

- Supporting fundraising and bid colleagues with budgets for grant applications and tenders

- Overseeing payroll and pensions with our provider

- Helping non-finance colleagues across the charity get more confident in their own financial understanding

What we need from you:

- A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent)

- Solid charity finance experience. You'll know Charity SORP, restricted funds and grant reporting, and you're across the changes coming to SORP

- Someone happy with their hands on the controls: month-end, reconciliations, statutory accounts and board reporting

- Strong on Xero (or quick to get there) and advanced Excel

- The ability to explain numbers clearly to people who don't think in numbers

- Experience setting up or developing financial instructions, controls and processes in a charity

You don't need to tick every single box. If you've been part of a finance team that's been through this kind of change and you're ready to step up and lead it yourself, we'd still really like to hear from you.

But honestly, the most important element is you, and how you bring people along with you through a period of change. You'll be comfortable bringing structure and calm to an organisation that's still growing into its processes. We need someone who can be calm and measured when the numbers feel busy, who can be a steady anchor point for the team when a lot is changing, and who knows when to help and when to teach someone how to help themselves. You'll be relentless about making things better, but able to bring people with you rather than drag them. If you want to lead a change rather than just be part of one, this is for you!

The practical stuff: This is a remote and flexible role, and we mean it, but it isn't a "never-leave-the-house" role. The leadership team comes together regularly, on average once a month, plus occasional travel to sites and the odd away day. Travel is always planned in advance and we cover the costs. If you can reach London comfortably and you value time with the people you work with, you'll get the best of both.

- 25 days' annual leave, plus your birthday off and bank holidays on top, with the option to buy back additional leave

- 9-day fortnight after successful completion of probation: 37.5 hours worked across nine days, with the tenth day off

- Flexible working genuinely considered: job share, part-time (minimum 4 days), compressed hours

- Pension: 6% employer contribution

- Employee Assistance Programme and NHS top-up wellbeing support

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship, so you'll need the existing right to work in the UK.

It won't be a surprise that we're a Disability Confident employer. We share interview questions in advance, and if you need any adjustments to the process, or a different format for any stage, please just tell us.

If you're a charity finance person who wants their work to really mean something, and who fancies building something rather than just maintaining it, we'd love to hear from you.

Dates to note:

- Closing date: 16th June

- First interviews (remote): 24th–25th June

- Final interviews (London): 30th June