Assistant jobs in Milton keynes

12-month fixed-term contract | Full-time 

Salary: £58,560 – £71,480 per annum

Hours: 35 per week

Location: Home-based with regular national travel 

Job reference number: 1766

Help shape the future of Cranstoun’s services 

Cranstoun is a social justice and harm reduction charity supporting and empowering people to live healthier and safer lives. Each year, we support more than 45,000 people through services including substance use, criminal justice, domestic abuse, housing and services for children and young people. 

Following a successful five-year strategy and significant growth, we remain ambitious about the difference we can make. As we enter our next phase, we are investing in the leadership and operational capability needed to support our continued development. We are now recruiting an Assistant Directors of Services to join our senior management team. 

This is a significant senior leadership role offering the opportunity to lead substantial service portfolios while helping shape how Cranstoun’s services are led and delivered across the organisation. 

The role 

Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will lead a substantial portfolio of complex commissioned services and senior operational managers. 

You will lead nine services with nine direct reports, spanning criminal justice and housing/homelessness provision. You will have clear accountability for ensuring services are safe, effective and well-led, with strong contractual performance, financial sustainability and positive outcomes for the people and communities we support. 

You will provide operational grip and evidence-based assurance, strengthen safeguarding and management accountability, build effective relationships with commissioners and partners, and ensure risks and underperformance are identified, escalated and addressed early. 

You will also work collectively with fellow senior operational leaders to embed a One Cranstoun approach, strengthening common standards, sharing learning, developing leadership capability and improving quality and resilience across our services. 

What you will be accountable for 

As an Assistant Director, you will take senior operational accountability for: 

• Safe, effective and well-led services – ensuring strong safeguarding, quality, operational risk management and service user outcomes.  
• Contractual performance – ensuring services deliver against contractual requirements and KPIs, with strong commissioner relationships and timely action to address underperformance.  
• Financial sustainability – maintaining strong financial oversight, effective workforce management and oversight of the sustainability of individual contracts.  
• Evidence-based assurance – using reliable performance, quality, workforce and financial information to identify risks and drive improvement.  
• Collective organisational leadership – working beyond individual portfolio boundaries to build consistent standards, stronger leadership and shared ways of working across Cranstoun.  

You will lead and develop senior operational managers, set clear expectations and create a culture in which support and accountability operate together. 

You will also lead and contribute to service mobilisation, transformation, workforce planning and continuous improvement. 

Who we are looking for 

We are looking for established senior operational leaders with substantial experience leading complex commissioned services and geographically dispersed teams. 

You will bring a strong track record of: 

• leading safe, high-quality services for people with complex needs;  
• safeguarding, quality and operational risk management;  
• contract and performance management;  
• managing significant service budgets and improving financial performance;  
• building effective relationships with commissioners, regulators and strategic partners;  
• leading service improvement, mobilisation and organisational change;  
• developing senior operational managers and addressing underperformance; and  
• using performance, quality, workforce and financial information to provide assurance and drive improvement.  

You will need to combine strategic leadership with operational pragmatism, understanding the detail when necessary while maintaining oversight of performance, risk, quality and sustainability across a complex portfolio. 

Above all, we are looking for collaborative, credible and values-led leaders who can support and challenge in equal measure, build leadership capability and bring people together around common standards and organisational priorities. 

Specialist experience 

For this role, you will need significant leadership experience across both Criminal Justice and Housing/Homelessness services, including housing or accommodation-based provision. 

You will understand the complexity of working across criminal justice, housing, local government and other statutory systems and be experienced in building effective relationships with commissioners and partners while maintaining strong operational and contractual oversight. 

This is a 12-month fixed-term appointment at an important stage in Cranstoun’s transformation, offering the opportunity to lead a significant portfolio, strengthen operational performance and help shape the future development of our operating model. 

Be part of Cranstoun’s next chapter 

Our successful five-year strategy has seen Cranstoun grow considerably, extending our reach and the range of services we provide. We remain ambitious and innovative, committed to developing services that respond to the changing needs of people and communities. 

As we look to the future, we are investing in the leadership, operational capability and organisational infrastructure needed to support our continued development, strengthening operational governance, consistency and assurance across our services. 

This role offers the opportunity to do more than manage established portfolios. You will help shape the future of our services and build an Operations Directorate characterised by high standards, clear accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. 

Find out more 

Please refer to the accompanying recruitment pack for the full Job Description, Person Specification and details of the application process.

Please note: All posts are subject to an Enhanced DBS check.

How to Apply:

For more details and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button. Please quote the appropriate Job Ref in all correspondence.

Applicants must be able to provide satisfactory evidence of their right to work in the UK at the application stage.

Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.

Closing date: Sunday 20 September 2026.

We are an inclusive employer, committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of our work. 

Registered Charity No: 1061582

Assistant Accountant – Operations & Control

Salary: £39,129.53 - £43,128.79

Location: National / predominantly remote working

MLC Partners is currently recruiting an Assistant Accountant – Operations & Control for a large, highly impactful organisation operating nationally across the UK.

This is a fantastic to develop a broad finance skillset offering exposure across several areas of finance, with responsibility for maintaining accurate financial records, supporting strong financial controls and helping ensure key finance processes operate effectively.

You'll gain hands-on exposure to multiple areas of financial control while working alongside experienced finance professionals within a collaborative, purpose-led organisation. The organisation is also committed to career development and progression, making this a strong opportunity for someone looking to continue developing their finance career.

The role is predominantly remote, with a national remit and connection to a regional business unit.

The Role

Reporting to the Financial Controller, you will work closely with colleagues across Finance and the wider organisation, supporting a broad range of accounting and financial control activities. In this role, you will gain exposure to cashflow and treasury, balance sheet control, fixed assets, audit, VAT and tax, insurance, credit control and regulatory reporting.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Producing daily cash position reporting and supporting effective treasury and cashflow management.
• Completing bank reconciliations, investigating variances and ensuring transactions are accurately recorded.
• Supporting the preparation and maintenance of cashflow forecasts, including deposits and short-term investment balances.
• Supporting balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring balances are accurate, complete and appropriately evidenced.
• Assisting with fixed asset and lease accounting, including additions, disposals, depreciation, provisions and reconciliations.
• Maintaining accurate intercompany balances and resolving differences promptly.
• Supporting the preparation of statutory accounts and year-end audit, including working papers, audit requests and statutory disclosures.
• Preparing and supporting the submission of quarterly VAT returns and assisting with wider tax compliance requirements.
• Providing support across credit control and income processes, including monitoring aged debt and helping resolve queries.
• Contributing to continuous improvements across finance processes, systems and controls.

About you:

We are looking for someone with previous experience working within a finance or accounting environment, ideally with exposure to reconciliations, cashflow, month-end, audit or other operational finance processes.

You may be AAT qualified, approaching the final stages of ACCA, CIMA or ACA, or have equivalent experience. A good understanding of VAT and tax compliance is essential, while knowledge of financial controls, accounting standards and balance sheet accounting would be advantageous.

You will need:

• Has strong attention to detail and takes pride in producing accurate, well-controlled work.
• Is confident reconciling and analysing financial information and investigating discrepancies.
• Can manage multiple priorities and work effectively to month-end and audit deadlines.
• Has strong organisational and planning skills.
• Can communicate financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance stakeholders.
• Is proactive, solutions-focused and keen to identify opportunities to improve processes and systems.

If you're an ambitious finance professional who enjoys variety, problem-solving and taking ownership of your work, we'd love to hear from you.

Please get in touch with Sam at MLC Partners for a confidential conversation.