49 Executive director jobs

We are looking for more than an accountant!

Place Matters is a small, entrepreneurial charity punching above its weight.Yes you need be a qualified accountant who will “do” as well as “oversee” but we want you to also be part of our mission to enable community-led, place-based change to thrive. You will provide strategic and practical leadership across finance, organisational operations, risk, governance and compliance. We want you to contribute beyond your functional portfolio - support organisational strategy, planning, culture, partnerships and fundraising and translate Place Matters’ ambitions into deliverable and financially sustainable plans.

Please apply if you are someone colleagues and Trustees can trust to make sound decisions and if you are a team player - confident and with strong opinions, but low ego and collegiate. You need to have the ability to work at speed through ambiguity and uncertainty, remain calm under pressure, and stay solutions focused.

We'll conduct interviews on 22 and 23 October 2026.

The Executive Director will provide strategic, operational and financial leadership for East London Dance, working in close partnership with the Creative Director & CEO to deliver the organisation’s vision and business plan, strengthening its position as an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. The role leads people, culture, finance, governance, risk, operations, fundraising and stakeholder engagement, ensuring the organisation remains financially sustainable, well-governed and equipped to deliver high-quality artistic and community programmes.

As a senior ambassador, the Executive Director builds strong relationships with funders, partners, trustees and stakeholders, while fostering an inclusive, collaborative and values-led culture. The role creates the conditions for a thriving team, turning creative ambition into organisational reality and supporting East London Dance’s long-term success.

We’re looking for someone who can help turn our ambition into a sustainable, thriving future – building the relationships and the funding that will carry us forward, and doing it alongside a team that already cares deeply about the organisation.

If you’re someone who loves building things, who knows how to bring people and money together, and who wants to help shape what east London’s cultural life looks like for years to come – we’d love to hear from you.

Job requirements:

Must bring substantial senior leadership experience, ideally Director, Deputy CEO or equivalent level, with evidence of strategic planning, organisational growth and performance management. Must have a proven track record in fundraising, business development and income generation, including securing funding, managing funder relationships and identifying new commercial or partnership opportunities; experience leading high-performing teams, managing change and strengthening organisational culture; strong financial acumen, including understanding budgets, balance sheets and financial decision-making; knowledge of charity governance, safeguarding, health and safety, data protection and risk management frameworks; experience working with Boards of Trustees. Must demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, be confident using Microsoft Suite, and have knowledge of ACE funding and reporting requirements.

Job Responsibilities:

Provides strategic, operational and financial leadership with Creative Director & CEO. The role translates the Business Plan into action, leads staff, freelancers and consultants, and develops an inclusive, high-performing culture. Key responsibilities include workforce planning, recruitment, HR compliance, performance management and staff wellbeing. The role oversees organisational systems, administration, IT and the operation of Talent House, including health and safety, compliance, venue hire and stakeholder relationships. They co-lead budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cash flow monitoring and audit processes, while driving fundraising and income generation across grants, trusts, partnerships, sponsorship and earned income. The role also leads governance, risk management and business continuity planning, supports the Board of Trustees, develops strategic partnerships, represents the organisation externally and strengthens its profile, impact and long-term sustainability.

Apply via the East London Dance Website by Thursday 8 October, 12 Noon

Who we are

Camphill Village Trust is a national charity that has been supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health support needs for more than 70 years. Across our communities in England, we enable people to lead meaningful, independent and connected lives through high-quality, person-centred support, underpinned by a strong commitment to inclusion, community and opportunity.

Our communities are distinctive places. Alongside high-quality care and support, people have opportunities to develop skills, build relationships and participate in meaningful activities through our farms, gardens, workshops, cafés, shops and wider community partnerships. Our connection with nature, land and community remains an important part of who we are and our ambition for the future.

Camphill Village Trust has been through a significant period of organisational change and is now entering an important next chapter. We are building greater stability across the organisation while continuing to develop the quality, consistency and sustainability of our services.

As part of this next phase, we are seeking an experienced Director of Operations to provide strategic leadership for our core care and support services and help shape their future development.

About the role

As Director of Operations, you will have strategic responsibility for our care and support services and play a critical role within our Executive Team.

Supported living sits at the heart of Camphill Village Trust and this appointment will bring deep operational and social care expertise, ensuring we continue to deliver safe, high-quality, person-centred services while developing a sustainable model for the future.

This is a significant leadership role with responsibility for a c.£20m budget and an experienced operational leadership team. You will provide strategic oversight of quality, safeguarding, regulatory compliance and operational performance, while working with colleagues to strengthen our approach to supported living and housing and ensure our services deliver meaningful outcomes for the people we support.

There is important transformation ahead. We need to continue strengthening quality and consistency, develop our operational and leadership capability, improve our understanding of service financial performance and ensure our structures and systems are fit for the future. We are also considering the future relationship between our housing and supported living provision and how our care and support model should evolve.

Our communities have experienced considerable change and they already have significant knowledge, commitment and capability. You will therefore take time to listen and understand before determining what needs to change, working alongside experienced colleagues and empowering leaders rather than imposing solutions.

You will also help us look ahead. We have ambitions to grow our impact and reach more people and you will develop strong relationships with commissioners and partners, understand emerging needs and opportunities and ensure future growth is both financially sustainable and consistent with the quality and values we expect.

This will be a highly visible role. We want our Executive leaders to understand our communities by spending meaningful time in them, meeting colleagues and the people we support, seeing our services first-hand and staying connected to the impact of the decisions we make.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an established senior social care leader with significant experience leading complex care and support services.

You may have worked within learning disability and autism services, supported living or another relevant area of adult social care. Exact sector experience matters less than a strong understanding of regulated care and support, quality, safeguarding and the realities of delivering sustainable services in a challenging commissioning environment.

You will understand what excellent support looks like and bring the credibility to provide assurance and constructive challenge at Executive and Board level. Experience of CQC-regulated services and a strong understanding of the responsibilities associated with the Nominated Individual role will be particularly important.

Alongside your technical expertise, you will bring strong commercial and financial judgement. You will understand service models, commissioning arrangements and financial performance and make difficult decisions when necessary, without ever losing sight of the impact those decisions have on people’s lives.

Your leadership style will matter just as much as your experience.

We are looking for someone calm, considered and resilient; a leader who listens, builds relationships and creates confidence during change. You will recognise that meaningful transformation takes time and have the patience to understand what is already working before deciding what needs to change.

You will be comfortable working through others, developing capable leaders and drawing on the expertise around you rather than needing to have all the answers yourself.

Above all, you will share our commitment to putting people at the heart of decision-making and be excited by the opportunity to spend time within our communities, understand what makes Camphill Village Trust distinctive and help us build outstanding, sustainable services for the future.

Gendered Intelligence is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as its next Chief Executive. This is a rare opportunity to lead a nationally respected, trans-led organisation with real influence on policy, professional practice and the lives of trans, non-binary and gender exploring people across the UK.

The next Chief Executive will inherit strong foundations: an experienced and committed team of just under 40 people, a distinctive and trusted public profile, and a range of services that reach communities, professionals and institutions across the country. With income of around £1.5–2m, the next Chief Executive will lead the organisation through its next phase of development at a time when that leadership matters enormously.

The role offers the chance to shape strategic direction, open new partnerships and income streams, and contribute to national conversations on trans equality and human rights, while working alongside people who are deeply committed to the mission and to each other.

We are looking for someone who combines strategic clarity with operational grounding, who leads with calm and consistency, and who understands both the privilege and the responsibility of this role. We will be honest with candidates about what the role involves, and we expect the same in return.

Full details of the role can be found on our website and in the attached recruitment pack. 

MonCA is a small charity, part of the Citizens Advice service, delivering independent and impartial advice to the residents of Monmouthshire. 

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual with relevant experience of management and leadership to take our organisation forward. You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a team approach.

We believe that ethics and attitude are equally as important as knowledge and we are looking for someone who wants to make a real difference to people’s lives. We in turn value all our people and can offer a supportive environment within a charity setting that is committed to social justice.

Reporting to: Principal
Line managing: Site Manager, Professional Services team (Student Recruitment and Communications Manager and Office staff), IT Manager
Key Relationships: Senior Management Team, Head of Access to Learning, the Chair and Trustees of the City & Guilds of London Art School, Chair and Trustees of the City and Guilds Art School Property Trust
 

Main purpose of role:
The Director of Operations is an important, senior role at the Art School, responsible for supporting the Principal in the delivery of the Strategic Vision and to monitor the progress of its objectives. They are responsible for the efficient and effective management of internal resources and stakeholders, and will act as the deputy to the Principal in all matters excluding academic. They will also contribute to the oversight of recruitment of students and staff.
The Director of Operations provides vision and professional leadership of registry, professional services, IT, admissions, as well as the management of compliance, HR, and the Art School’s technical tutors. They have some oversight of marketing inasfar as it relates to recruitment. The Director of Operations is the key liaison with the Property Trust, which is the official landlord for the Art School and the governing body that oversees the main buildings at our site in Kennington. They are the lead person, responsible for the OfS return and so it is anticipated that the successful candidate would have a level of quality assurance experience and familiarity with policy oversight.

The Art School is an independent educational charity with approximately 300 students and 100 members of staff. The Art School is entering a new strategic planning cycle that will see us growing our profile and portfolio; expanding our international links and external partnerships; and, deepening our civic impact on our neighborhood in Kennington and further afield.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The main duties and responsibilities of the post are:
Leadership and Strategy

• Supporting the Principal in the delivery of the Strategic Vision for the Art School
• Working closely with the Head of Finance to allocate resources in line with the Art School improvement plan
• Oversee the management of and communication with, internal stakeholders of the School

Compliance and Governance

• Ensure that the systems and processes employed by the Art School comply with legal, audit and regulatory requirements,
• Oversee Risk Management, including Health & Safety compliance;
• Champion and oversee EDI across the Art School;
• Monitor the Art School’s performance against strategic objectives;
• Attend meetings of the Board of Trustees and relevant Committees, providing effective and timely reporting, proactive advice and support;
• Have overall responsibility for operational strategy including and policy management;
• To be the Art School ‘point of contact’ to the Property Trust;
• Manage legal and related matters as and when they arise.

Registry

• Oversee the team that handles student registry, academic administration and affairs, compliance and all non-academic matters of student experience;
• Ensure the accurate and timely submission of statutory and regulatory returns (e.g. to the Office for Students, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Office of the Independent Adjudicator for HE, Student Loans Company, UKVI etc);
• Act as the primary liaison for the Art School’s validating partners (Arts University Bournemouth, University of the Arts London Awarding Body);
• Act as Secretary to the Academic Board and oversee the arrangements for Art School Examination Boards;

Operations

• Implementation of HR processes and systems, seeking external advice as appropriate;
• Recruitment and line management of operational staff;
• Lead the process for the Art School’s annual staff appraisal scheme (Individual Performance Review) recommending associated staff development and training activities as agreed with the Principal;
• Day-to-day oversight of the professional teams managing the Estate, Technical Resources and IT infrastructure, and lead strategic planning relevant to these areas;
• Chair the Art School’s Site and Environment Committee;
• Manage the relationship with the Property Trust on a day-to-day basis.

External Profile and Recruitment

• Supporting the Principal to ensure successful student recruitment, working collaboratively with other academics;
• Development of the Art School’s activities (including commercial activities), short courses and profile;
• Oversee the Health & Safety and other logistical aspects of public events such as Degree Show

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Deputise where appropriate for the Principal;
• Lead and undertake Health and Safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the role;
• Undertake other duties of a reasonable nature, as may be determined by the post holder’s line manager from time to time, in consultation with the post holder.

It is the duty of the post holder not to act in a prejudicial or discriminatory manner towards members of staff, students, visitors or members of the public. The post holder should also counteract such practice or behaviour in others by challenging and reporting it.
This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted. It is the Art School’s practice to periodically review job descriptions to ensure that they accurately reflect the job that is required to be performed, or to incorporate proposed reasonable changes following negotiation with the postholder.

We are seeking an experienced, commercially astute and forward-thinking Director of Finance to provide strategic leadership of the organisation's financial management, planning and governance. This is a pivotal executive leadership role responsible for ensuring financial sustainability, supporting organisational growth, driving operational excellence, and enabling the charity to maximise its impact.

The successful candidate will be a qualified finance professional (or qualified by experience) with extensive experience of financial leadership, budgeting, forecasting, financial control, and strategic planning. They will bring a proactive and innovative approach to financial management, identifying opportunities for organisational development, efficiency, improvement, and sustainable growth.

Ideally, candidates will have experience within the charity, not-for-profit or public sector environment and possess a strong understanding of charity accounting, governance and regulatory compliance.

Could you be the next Chief Officer of Just Drop-In?

We're looking for an inspiring, values-driven leader to guide our much-loved charity in Macclesfield into its next chapter.

For 25 years, Just Drop-In has been a lifeline for young people 11–24yrs old across the north of Cheshire East. Every year, we support more than 1,000 children and young people through our Counselling, Mentoring, Wellbeing, and Parent Support Services — and the need has never been greater.

We're looking for someone who brings:

✅ Strong leadership experience

✅ Business awareness

✅ Safeguarding knowledge and experience

✅ Experience of working with children and young people and a genuine passion for helping them thrive

This is a rare opportunity to lead an organisation with deep roots in its community and a team that truly believes in its mission.

If this sounds like you — or someone you know — we'd love to hear from you.

Please see further information and how to apply by downloading the attached document or clicking redirect to recruiter. 

#Hiring #ChiefOfficer #Charity #YouthWork #Macclesfield #NonProfit #Leadership #JobOpportunity

We’re looking for someone inspirational, approachable, open-minded, with great communication skills and a genuine passion for supporting people experiencing mental health difficulties, their families, friends and their carers to live their best lives.

If this sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.

As our current CEO prepares for retirement, we are looking for someone new to lead our organisation with the kindness and professionalism we’re known for.

For more than 30 years, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen Mind has supported people across the Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen Local Authority areas and the Hywel Dda University Health Board region.

Mental health challenges affect people from all walks of life, and the need for accessible, person-centred support continues to grow. Conditions such as anxiety, depression, and other long-term mental health difficulties remain some of the most common health issues faced by individuals, families, and communities.

Compassionate, local mental health support can make a meaningful difference, we help people build resilience, maintain independence, and find hope during difficult times.

Across the UK, many people experience significant impacts on their daily lives, relationships, and wellbeing because of mental health problems. The wider effects on families, carers, and support networks can also be profound, highlighting the importance of early help, ongoing support, and community-based services.

Who we’re looking for:

• We’re looking for an experienced, confident and compassionate leader who can balance people, purpose and performance.
• You will be responsible for implementing the organisation’s strategy, as set by the Board of Trustees, leading staff and volunteers, overseeing services and finances, and ensuring strong governance and compliance.
• You’ll need strong knowledge and understanding of NHS and Local Authority structures, as well as health and social care legislation in Wales.
• You will maintain our welcoming, inclusive culture while planning for the future by identifying opportunities, building new partnerships and income streams, managing risk, and ensuring the charity’s financial sustainability.
• You will be a great listener, ensuring that our community feels heard. You will amplify their voices locally, regionally and nationally. These views will also inform the design, development and delivery of all our high-quality services

Application Resources

For Job Role specifics and more about us please see our CEO Recruitment Pack

Application Instructions

Ready to lead?

If you are interested in becoming Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen Mind’s next permanent Chief Executive Officer, please complete our application form and attach your CV. The application form can be found on our website.

For Full Application Instructions and more about us please see our CEO Recruitment Pack

Closing date for this role will be at 12:00 midday on 30/09/26

Interviews for this role will be held on week commencing 19/10/26

Are you passionate about creating lasting change in communities?

We are seeking an inspiring, compassionate and strategic leader to become our next Chief Executive Officer.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a well-established charity that is committed to improving lives, empowering communities and creating opportunities for people to thrive. As our CEO, you will work alongside a dedicated Board of Trustees, staff, volunteers, partners and local communities to shape the future of the organisation, ensuring we continue to deliver meaningful impact while remaining financially sustainable and true to our values.

We're looking for someone who believes in the power of communities, values collaboration and inclusion, and can inspire others to help us achieve our purpose.

About the Role

As Chief Executive Officer, you will provide visionary leadership and be responsible for the overall strategic direction, governance and operational management of the charity.

You will:

• Lead the delivery of our vision, purpose and values, ensuring everything we do reflects our commitment to the communities we serve.
• Develop and deliver an ambitious strategy that responds to local need while building a sustainable future for the charity.
• Champion community voice and lived experience, ensuring the people we support are at the heart of decision-making.
• Inspire, support and develop our staff and volunteers, creating an inclusive, positive and empowering culture.
• Build trusted relationships with funders, commissioners, partners and local stakeholders, acting as an ambassador for the charity.
• Lead fundraising and income generation, securing grants, contracts and new opportunities that enable our work to grow and flourish.
• Ensure excellent governance, financial stewardship, risk management and compliance with charity law and regulatory requirements.
• Provide strategic leadership for safeguarding, ensuring robust policies, procedures, training, and reporting arrangements are in place and that the organisation maintains a strong culture of safeguarding and wellbeing.
• Oversee the effective delivery and evaluation of our programmes, ensuring we continue to demonstrate meaningful outcomes and impact.
• Work closely with the Board of Trustees to support good governance, strategic planning and organisational development.
• Providing appropriate oversight of CLP’s trading subsidiary, CLP Homes, ensuring effective governance, financial management and alignment with the charity’s objectives.

About You

You will be an experienced and values-led leader with a genuine commitment to social justice, equality and community development.

You will bring:

• Experience of leading within the charity, voluntary, community or social enterprise sector (or significant transferable experience with a strong commitment to the sector).
• A successful track record of strategic leadership and organisational development.
• Experience of securing income through grants, contracts, fundraising or partnership development.
• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to motivate, support and develop teams.
• An understanding of charity governance, safeguarding, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Sound financial awareness and experience of budget oversight.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to represent the charity externally.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with a practical, hands-on approach.
• A collaborative leadership style that empowers others and promotes inclusion, innovation and continuous learning.

Why Join Us?

This is more than a leadership role—it's an opportunity to make a lasting difference.

You'll lead a passionate team that believes in the power of people and communities. Together, you'll help shape services that respond to local need, influence positive change and create opportunities for individuals and families to reach their full potential.

If you are motivated by purpose, inspired by partnership working and excited by the opportunity to lead a charity with ambition, we'd love to hear from you.

Head of Finance & Operations 

A leading health-focused membership body is looking for an experienced Head of Finance & Operations to join its senior leadership team.

This is the lead finance role within the organisation, with a broad remit spanning finance, facilities, procurement and operations. You’ll provide strategic leadership and challenge, ensuring resources are used effectively while helping to shape financial strategy, improve systems and processes and support organisational transformation.

Key details:

· Salary: £78,131 – £87,344

· Full-time – 35 hours per week

· Largely remote – just one day per week in the Central London office, usually Wednesdays

· Lead the organisation’s financial strategy, planning, reporting and compliance

· Oversee budgeting, forecasting, reserves, cash and longer-term scenario planning

· Provide strategic financial advice to the Leadership Team, Council and Finance, Risk & Audit Committee

· Lead business partnering and ensure senior stakeholders have meaningful financial insight to support decision-making

· Oversee facilities, procurement, business continuity and key operational projects

· Lead a team of nine, including three direct reports

We’re looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with significant senior leadership experience across finance and operations. You’ll need experience of leading transformation and cultural change, developing long-term finance and operational strategies, and leading high-performing teams. Strong technical knowledge across areas including FRS102, Charity SORP, VAT, payroll and tax is also important.

Benefits include:

· Annual pay rise in line with inflation, with eligible colleagues also moving up a scale point within their grade

· 12% employer pension contribution

· Flexible working, supporting a wide range of arrangements including varied hours and condensed weeks

· Hybrid working – just one day per week in the office (usually Wednesdays), with the remainder from home

A great opportunity for an experienced senior finance leader looking for a broad, strategic role combining finance and operations, with significant organisational influence and excellent flexibility.

Closing date: 2nd October

Please send your CV for further consideration.

Julie’s Bicycle is seeking a visionary, collaborative and values-led Chief Executive to lead the organisation into its next chapter.

About Julie’s Bicycle

Julie’s Bicycle is a pioneering not-for-profit organisation mobilising the arts and culture sectors to take action on the climate crisis. For nearly two decades, we have been at the forefront of the creative climate movement, working to put culture and creativity at the heart of climate action. We believe culture has the power to challenge, inspire and move people; to shape how we think, feel and act; and to help transform our future now.

Our work brings together cultural and environmental expertise to support practical action, build leadership, inform policy and strengthen collective impact. Through our programmes, tools, training, consultancy, campaigns and partnerships, we support artists, creative organisations, policymakers and changemakers to respond to the climate, nature and justice crises with confidence, imagination and purpose. To date, Julie’s Bicycle has worked with thousands of organisations and individuals, in the UK and globally, helping to equip people, places and policies with the knowledge and power to drive sustainable change.

Why this opportunity has arisen

This is a defining moment for Julie’s Bicycle. After 19 years of inspirational founding leadership, our Founder and Chief Executive, Alison Tickell, is stepping down from the role. As we approach our 20th anniversary, Julie’s Bicycle is renewing its strategy and theory of change. The climate, nature and justice crises continue to evolve, and so too must the leadership, partnerships and solutions needed to create meaningful change. This creates a significant opportunity for a new Chief Executive to honour a powerful legacy while shaping a bold, clear and ambitious next chapter for the organisation.

What we are looking for

We are looking for an exceptional Chief Executive who can provide strategic and organisational leadership, strengthen Julie’s Bicycle’s voice and influence, and ensure the organisation continues to deliver impact at the intersection of culture and climate. The successful candidate will work closely with an experienced Board and dedicated staff team to refine and deliver our next phase of strategy, sharpen our priorities, build sustainable income and communicate our distinctive value with clarity and conviction.

This is both an outward-facing and deeply organisational role. Externally, our next Chief Executive will be a visible and credible advocate across culture, climate and environmental networks, able to build partnerships, engage funders and policymakers, convene people around shared purpose, and speak persuasively about the role of arts and culture in responding to the climate crisis. Internally, they will inspire, empower and support a talented and values-led team, strengthening leadership capability, systems, decision-making and accountability while protecting the inclusive, creative and collaborative culture that makes Julie’s Bicycle special.

We are keen to hear from experienced senior leaders with a track record of organisational and people leadership, strategic development, partnership building and income generation. We expect our CEO to demonstrate a strong understanding of the relationship between culture, climate and wider social and environmental change, and to bring a deep knowledge and experience of the UK cultural landscape and key institutions and stakeholders, and/or a deep knowledge and experience of national and international climate policy and advocacy environments. However, we are also keen to hear from you if you are passionate about the intersection of culture and climate/environmental issues, but would benefit from a period of phased support to fully immerse yourself in the breadth of issues, sectors and contexts in which JB operates.  

This is an opportunity to lead a pioneering organisation with purpose and ambition: protecting what makes Julie’s Bicycle distinctive, strengthening the foundations that will help it thrive, and turning the power of culture into meaningful and lasting climate action.

To learn more about the opportunity and how to apply, please download the full appointment brief.

Closing Date:  18 October 2026

People Beyond Profit Conversations:  22 October2026 - 5 November 2026

JB Interviews:

First stage:  12 November 2026

Second stage:  19 November 2026

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AND RESOURCES

• Hours: Full-time (35 hours per week)
• Contract: Permanent
• Salary: £70,000 - £75,000 depending on experience
• Location: Oxford/Hybrid

Church Mission Society connects with people at the edges – of church, of society, and of our comfort zones – all over the world to help share God’s love in creative ways and see our world made new. None of that is possible without someone making sure the money, the infrastructure and the governance behind it are rock solid. That's this role.

As Director of Finance and Resources, you'll sit on the Senior Leadership Team with genuine breadth of responsibility; financial strategy and management, investments, treasury, risk, legal and regulatory compliance, property and facilities, IT and cyber security, and corporate governance. You'll also hold oversight of CMS' residual pension-related responsibilities following the transfer of its defined-benefit pension liabilities, one of the more technical, long-tail parts of the brief.

It's a lot under one roof, and that's the honest challenge - this isn't a role for someone who wants to specialise in just one thing. You'll move comfortably between a board paper on investment strategy and a decision about the office lease, often in the same week. In return, you get real influence; you'll be a trusted adviser to the CEO and board, four direct reports (Head of Finance, Head of ICT, Facilities Manager and Head of Legal) who need your steer, and a seat at the table where CMS's biggest decisions get made.

We're looking for a qualified accountant with senior finance leadership experience, ideally from a charity, not-for-profit or values-led organisation, who can operate credibly at executive and board level. You'll know your way around financial planning, audit, internal controls and management reporting, and you'll have led teams before.

But the technical skills are only half of it. CMS needs someone with the wisdom to balance prudent stewardship against a sensible appetite for risk, the courage to hold a firm line when it matters, and the humility to lead in a way that lets other people do their best work. Above all, you'll believe that finance exists to serve the mission, not the other way round.

This post carries an Occupational Requirement, under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010, that the postholder is a practising Christian, and all applicants must be wholeheartedly committed to the aims, ethos and values of Church Mission Society, including its Ethos Statement.

Closing date: Monday 12 October 2026
First stage interviews with CMS: Monday 2 November (online)
Second stage interviews with CMS: Monday 9 November (in person)

For an informal conversation about the role, contact Adam Stacey, CEO at Charisma Charity Recruitment.

Applications should be submitted through the Charisma website, including your CV and a supporting statement. Please see the candidate pack for full details.

About GMWSA

Greater Manchester Women’s Support Alliance brings together nine Member and Associate women’s centres serving all ten Greater Manchester boroughs. Together, the Alliance helps women involved in the criminal justice system, at risk of offending or experiencing multiple disadvantage to access coordinated, trauma-responsive support in their communities.

GMWSA is both a strategic alliance and a contract-holding organisation. It coordinates major commissioned work across Greater Manchester, supports delivery through local women’s centres and represents a pan-Greater Manchester view in partnerships concerned with women, justice, health and gender-based violence. Its work includes community-based probation services, support at HMP Styal and health-focused initiatives delivered with NHS and voluntary-sector partners.

About the role

This maternity-cover appointment comes at an important point in GMWSA’s development. The substantive Chief Executive has built strong relationships and a significant portfolio of work. During her absence, the Alliance needs a confident interim leader who can maintain momentum, give staff and partners clarity, and ensure that major commitments continue to be delivered well.

Alongside business continuity, there is meaningful development work to lead. GMWSA is resetting its strategic purpose, strengthening the way its Board and membership work together, and preparing for the possible retender of service contracts.

The successful candidate will keep delivery on track while helping the Board and members make practical progress on these priorities.

You will lead a small core team and work across a wider network of project staff, secondees, women’s centres, commissioners and strategic partners. This is a hands-on role requiring sound judgement, strong relationships and the confidence to move between operational detail and system-level influence.

Key responsibilities

·  Provide visible, values-led executive leadership throughout the maternity-cover period.

·  Maintain oversight of contracts, services, safeguarding, performance, finance and organisational risk.

·  Lead readiness for a potential contract retender, coordinating members, evidence, relationships and bid planning.

·  Work with trustees to strengthen governance, clarify accountability and support Chair and Treasurer recruitment and induction.

·  Bring members together around a clearer strategic purpose and a sustainable future for the Alliance.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an experienced Chief Executive, Interim Chief Executive or senior leader who can establish credibility quickly and combine calm stewardship with constructive change.

You will be comfortable leading a small organisation that operates through partnerships, commissioned services and influence rather than a large directly delivered service base.

The successful candidate will bring:

·  Senior leadership experience in a charity, public-service or other mission-led setting.

·  A strong understanding of commissioned services, contract performance and the disciplines required of a prime provider or accountable body.

·  Strong external relationship and influencing skills, including the ability to hold constructive boundaries with commissioners.

Why join GMWSA?

This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in a focused period: protecting high-value services for women, supporting a committed team and membership, and helping an established Alliance take its next steps with greater clarity and confidence.

The role offers genuine scope to influence that work while maintaining the relationships and operational grip on which women and partners rely.

How to apply

Full information about the role and the application process will be available on the Peridot Partners microsite. Applications will close on a date to be confirmed.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Bill Yuksel at Peridot Partners.

This post is restricted to women as an occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010. Appointment will be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including a DBS check.