Head of finance and central services jobs

Full Time – 35 hours per week

The Diocese of Chester is seeking to recruit a Diocesan Secretary who will be:

1) A senior member of the Bishop of Chester's core staff team,

2) The chief officer of the charitable business that undergirds the Diocese of Chester, and

3) The most senior, 'lay' officer of the Diocese of Chester.

The role is complex as well as important. You will need an open heart and deep courage, patience, kindness, humility, determination, and constantly reflective practice. We value competence founded on transparent good character, grounded deeply in Christian faith. You will need to be able to see over the horizon without missing the personal needs of team members, enabling both with persistent grace and strategic focus.

The successful candidate will be inspirational, humble, skilled and experienced in leadership in both ‘first-’ and ‘second-chairs’, a change manager, relational and the technical ability to fulfil the role.

This role is based in Church House, Daresbury, Warrington which is a key operational centre for the life of the Diocese.

For informal conversation, contact the Bishop of Chester - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button. 

The recruitment pack, including job description, person specification and application form can be downloaded from the Diocesan website: Please see website address in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button.

Completed application forms should be returned by email - contact details in the attached documents or via the apply/redirect to recruiter button 

Closing date:  Sunday 23rd August 2026

Interviews: Tuesday 8th September 2026

The Diocese of Chester is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

An Enhanced DBS Disclosure will be required for the successful candidate.

An Occupational Requirement exists for the postholder to be a practising Christian, in accordance with the Equality Act, 2010.

Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking an inspiring and strategic leader who is passionate about delivering lasting impact for people with disabilities and other marginalised communities. As our new Director of Programme Impact, you will shape the strategic direction and development of our programme portfolio, ensuring our partner-led work continues to grow in reach, quality, effectiveness, and impact.
You will bring strong programme leadership, people management expertise, and a commitment to partnership-based approaches that support locally led development. As a member of CBM UK’s Leadership Team (LT), you will contribute to the overall strategic direction of the organisation while leading and motivating a committed Programmes Team. You will play a key role in strengthening CBM UK’s contribution to the CBM Global federation, working closely with country teams, technical specialists, and partners to maximise our collective impact.
An experienced leader, you will provide strategic oversight across a diverse portfolio of programmes, partnerships, and funding opportunities. Overseeing an annual budget of around £4million, you will have a strong track record of delivering impactful programme strategies, building and developing high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and continuous learning. This role offers an exciting opportunity for an established senior leader who is ready to take the next step into their first Director-level position, as well as those with existing director-level experience.
Forward-thinking and adaptable, you will be excited by the opportunities and challenges facing the international development sector. You will play an instrumental role in exploring the changing role of UK INGOs within the localisation agenda and will work closely with the CEO and Leadership Team to develop new approaches and business models that respond to an evolving global context. You will also bring experience of securing and growing institutional and strategic funding opportunities, alongside the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and compellingly to a wide range of audiences.
Above all, you will share our commitment to inclusion, equity, and disability rights and be motivated by the opportunity to help create a world in which all people can enjoy their rights and fulfil their potential. You will be inspired by the chance to shape both organisational strategy and sector-wide conversations, ensuring that people with disabilities remain at the heart of international development and humanitarian action.

Key Responsibilities
Programmes Leadership & Management (70%)
1. Lead the strategic and financial development and oversight of CBM UK’s international programme portfolio, ensuring the organisation delivers its programme strategy with maximum impact and effectiveness in alignment with CBM Global’s strategy. Support and line manage the team to translate strategic priorities into actionable plans to ensure excellence in programme funding, development and delivery.
2. Drive quality and effectiveness within CBM UK projects and across CBM Global by
a) ensuring effective coordination of tasks, forward planning of key activities and events, and providing space for collaboration, problem-solving, escalation and innovation across the portfolio.
b) identifying and improving policies and procedures that ensure proportional programmatic oversight and support complex institutional funding management.
c) supporting Programmes staff to work with country teams to pursue a localised approach to programming, drawing on the CBM Global localisation roadmap.
3. Work with Programme Funding colleagues to lead and oversee the development of strategic partnerships and packaging of programme approaches that secure institutional funding for CBM UK’s programmes, including by strengthening intelligence on donor trends and funder priorities, developing immediate responses to new opportunities as they arise in line with CBM UK’s mission.
4. Work closely with CBM UK finance, fundraising, communication teams and other CBM Global Members in creating and responding to opportunities for funding, driving growth, and promoting effective use of CBM UK’s voluntary income to leverage match funding.
5. Together with the Board and LT, actively manage programme risks based on CBMUK’s overall risk management framework.
6. Demonstrate leadership in maintaining an environment free from harm for project participants, CBM UK and partner staff by overseeing the management of safeguarding concerns arising in CBM UK supported projects, including reporting to the Board and Charity Commission where appropriate.
7. Promote within the Programmes Department a culture of learning, reflection and continuous improvement which only results in an improved programmatic approach but also informs and supports our advocacy, advisory, and evidence and learning work.

8. Liaise closely with CBM UK colleagues to ensure coordination and effective integration of programme activities into opportunities for fundraising, including contributing to the innovation in business models to diversify CBM UK’s funding base, including exploring sustainable funding approaches to enhance programme delivery and reduce dependency on the charitable model (in conjunction with the CEO and Director of Fundraising, Impact and Communications).

Organisational leadership (20%)
1. Contribute to the overall leadership and strategic direction of CBM UK through the Leadership Team, and in collaboration with the CEO, including contributing to Board meetings.
2. As part of the Leadership Team, take shared leadership responsibility for the wider CBM UK team of staff and volunteers, supporting effective collaboration and organisational cohesion, and taking on cross-functional responsibilities where appropriate.
3. Encourage and promote a culture of ambition, learning and excellence across the CBM UK team.
4. Be responsible for producing and initiating regular reports, briefing papers and other relevant programmes information for the CEO and Board Programmes Committee as appropriate.
5. Lead on supporting the Board Programmes Committee, working closely with the Committee Chair to ensure members are provided with the information necessary to permit strategic oversight and robust risk management.
6. Lead UK’s engagement with CBM Global's programmatic leadership, in particular Directors of Programmes in other CBM Member Teams (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland), CBM Global Secretariat, and Technical Directors, working towards greater alignment, escalation of issues, and collaboration to advance CBM UK’s approach to localisation.

Representation and advocacy (10%)
1. Represent the organisation at the highest levels, including deputising for the CEO where required. Act as a key spokesperson for CBM UK with a range of external audiences, including institutional and statutory donors and strategic partners, media, policy and decision makers and other international and national non-government organisations. Develop and maintain strong relationships with key geographic stakeholders, including diplomatic representatives, ensuring effective engagement and alignment with CBM UK’s programme priorities.
2. In alignment with Advocacy and with Advisory colleagues, contribute to best practice in the UK disability and development sector by forging good relationships with UK-based and international NGO and disability sector networks to advocate for the adoption of inclusive development policies and practices, and champion innovative inclusive programmatic approaches.

For full details please download the Recruitment Pack.

Saïd Business School is entering an exciting new chapter. As we prepare to celebrate our 30th anniversary and deliver an ambitious new five-year strategy, we are expanding our Development and Alumni team and seeking two exceptional Senior Philanthropy Officers to help drive a transformational step change in philanthropic support. Working closely with senior academics, School leadership, alumni and supporters, you will build meaningful relationships with philanthropists whose generosity can help tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges through business, entrepreneurship, innovation and social impact.

You will manage a portfolio of high-potential prospects, developing tailored engagement strategies that connect donors' passions with Oxford Saïd's strategic priorities. From identifying opportunities and cultivating relationships through to securing significant gifts and delivering outstanding stewardship, you will play a leading role in growing philanthropic income and impact across the School.

Key responsibilities:

• Managing and developing a portfolio of high-net-worth individuals and selected philanthropic organisations.
• Securing gifts typically ranging from £50,000 to £1 million+.
• Building trusted relationships with senior academics, School leadership, alumni volunteers and University colleagues.
• Translating world-class academic research and thought leadership into inspiring donor propositions.
• Supporting cultivation events, donor visits and stewardship activities that deepen engagement and demonstrate impact.

You will be an experienced and strategic fundraising professional with a proven track record of securing major gifts and building successful donor relationships within complex organisations. You will have experience engaging high-net-worth individuals and philanthropic organisations, consistently achieving ambitious income targets and managing prospects through the full fundraising cycle. Additionally, you will possess the ability to translate complex ideas into compelling philanthropic opportunities. A strong understanding of fundraising best practice, ethics and data governance is essential, alongside experience using fundraising CRM systems.

Further information on this role can be found in the job description.

At Saïd Business School we believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and communities to bring their unique perspectives and experiences to our team. Join us to build a brighter, more equitable future, where we celebrate diversity, advance equity, and nurture inclusion across everything we do.

We offer very generous benefits, some of which are:

• Generous holiday allowance of 38 days including bank holidays
• Hybrid working
• Membership of the Oxford staff pension scheme
• Discounted bus travel
• Subsidised onsite catering
• Cycle loan scheme
• Plus, many other University benefits

All applications must include a CV, Supporting Statement/Cover Letter and Current Salary.

The closing date for applications is Friday 7 August 2026 at 12.00 noon. Please note, this vacancy may close earlier than advertised if we receive a high number of suitable applications.