Caroline Chisholm School is partnering with Robertson Bell on a retained basis to appoint a Chief Finance Officer on a permanent basis. This is a pivotal leadership role within a high-performing and ambitious organisation, offering the opportunity to shape financial strategy, lead transformation, and support the school’s evolution
Caroline Chisholm School is a high-achieving, values-led all-through school with a strong reputation for academic excellence, staff engagement, and community impact. Already operating at a scale and complexity comparable to a multi-academy trust, the organisation is entering an exciting new phase of growth, with plans to expand into primary provision and formally develop as a MAT.
This is a unique opportunity to join a forward-thinking leadership team and play a central role in driving financial sustainability, operational transformation, and long-term strategic growth.
The role
- Partner with the Principal, Trustees and Senior Leadership Team to develop and deliver a long-term financial strategy, supporting the school’s growth ambitions.
- Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting across a complex and evolving organisation, ensuring strong financial control and sustainability.
- Take ownership of a significant transformation agenda, including digital system implementation (Bromcom), contract optimisation, and operational redesign.
- Support with the operational re-design of financial systems providing strategic oversight of major projects such as introduction of Bromcom for financial processes, ensuring robust due diligence, and stakeholder management.
- Act as a key advisor to Trustees, auditors and external stakeholders including the DfE and Local Authority.
- Drive value for money through effective procurement, contract negotiation and cost optimisation initiatives.
- Lead and develop the finance function, fostering a high-performing, collaborative and forward-thinking team culture.
- Support wider organisational leadership, overseeing linked operational areas including IT and educational visits.
- Identify opportunities for income generation, funding and financial innovation to support future growth.
The organisation
Caroline Chisholm School is a school with a strong ethos centred on kindness, curiosity and integrity. With a highly engaged workforce and a 96% positive staff survey rating, the school offers a collaborative and ambitious working environment.
The organisation has successfully navigated recent financial pressures, delivering significant savings while maintaining educational excellence. With a clear financial sustainability plan in place and strong governance support, the school is now well positioned for its next phase of growth.
Alongside this, a major digital and operational transformation programme is underway, modernising systems and infrastructure to support long-term efficiency and scalability.
Essential criteria
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent)
- Proven experience in a senior financial leadership role within a complex organisation
- Strong track record of leading financial strategy, planning and reporting
- Experience managing multi-million-pound budgets and driving financial sustainability
- Demonstrable experience leading transformation projects (systems, operations or organisational change)
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at Board and executive level
- Commercial mindset, with the ability to identify efficiencies and funding opportunities
- A collaborative and adaptable leadership style, aligned to a values-driven environment
Apply now
If you are a strategic and forward-thinking finance leader looking to make a tangible impact within a high-performing and ambitious organisation, we would love to hear from you. This role requires primarily on-site working during term time, with some flexibility available.
Applications close on the 24th May but will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Something like this as we see the COO role (already recruited for) being responsible for PFI handback process and procurement of same.
Coastline Housing is partnering exclusively with Robertson Bell in the search for a Head of Finance Planning & Control.
Coastline is a values-driven housing association committed to delivering high-quality homes and services across Cornwall. With a strong focus on financial sustainability, customer-first service, and continuous improvement, the organisation is building a data-driven and forward-thinking finance function to support its long-term corporate plan.
The Role
The Head of Finance Planning & Control is a senior leadership role within the Finance & Performance team, reporting directly to the Director of Finance. You will lead on financial planning, treasury management, and tax strategy, while ensuring robust financial controls and high-quality insight to support strategic decision-making across the organisation.
Key responsibilities include:
- Lead the Group’s financial planning function, ensuring accurate and timely business and rent plans to inform strategic decisions.
- Oversee treasury management, ensuring compliance with funding agreements and proactive management of debt, cashflow, and security.
- Support the Director of Finance in securing appropriate funding to meet organisational needs.
- Lead tax planning activities, ensuring compliance while optimising financial efficiency.
- Ensure all regulatory returns are completed accurately and on time.
- Provide financial support to development activities in partnership with the
- Development Finance function.
- Oversee purchase ledger operations and ensure robust financial systems and controls are in place.
- Drive continuous improvement of financial processes, policies, and systems.
- Partner with stakeholders across the organisation to deliver meaningful financial insight and support effective decision-making.
- Contribute to the development of a data-driven, high-performing finance team.
- Deputise for the Director of Finance and support the wider Senior Management Group as required.
Candidate Requirements
We are seeking a strategic, technically strong, and collaborative finance professional with:
- A recognised professional accountancy qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, CPFA or equivalent).
- Proven experience in long-term financial planning and treasury management.
- Strong understanding of financial accounting principles, tax, and regulatory requirements.
- A track record of improving financial processes, systems, and controls.
- Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret and communicate complex financial information.
- Advanced Excel and financial systems proficiency.
- The ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders across the organisation.
Desirable:
- Experience within the housing association or public sector environment.
- Exposure to development finance activities.
Benefits
Coastline offers a competitive and attractive benefits package, including:
- Electric car scheme.
- Relocation package available for candidates moving to the area.
- Generous pension contribution of 8%.
- Flexible and hybrid working options.
- The opportunity to work in a values-driven organisation making a real impact.
Location
Based at Coastline House in Cornwall, with hybrid working 3 in the office.
We are a registered charity employing over 150 career staff and 300 student staff, delivering a wide range of services and representative functions for UCL students. We have the widest portfolio of services of any student organisation in the country, managing UCL’s extracurricular programmes for sport, music, drama, dance, media, volunteering, academic societies and intercultural engagement; providing a wide range of fantastic social spaces; leading on student democracy and representation across UCL; and offering excellent student support services.
It's an exciting time to join our growing organisation as we lead the delivery of UCL’s groundbreaking new Student Life Strategy. This is enabling us to build more programmes to improve students’ mental and physical wellbeing, promote genuine equity for all, build students’ skills and confidence, develop their international connections and intercultural skills, and make a real contribution to our local community.
We support hybrid working. Excellent benefits including defined benefit pension scheme and generous holiday entitlement. We are proud of high levels of staff engagement and pride ourselves on being a great place to work. We will consider applications to work on a flexible and job share basis wherever possible. The role is full-time and permanent. This role is based at our Bloomsbury campus with flexibility to work from home on a 40/60 basis (40% working from the office).
We are looking for a Marketing Coordinator to coordinate the marketing activity of the Students’ Union throughout the year, taking the lead on campaigns and projects such as Varsity, the Leadership Race, International Festival and End of Year Awards, working with 10+ departments across the Union.
Our ideal candidate will have experience planning and delivering innovative marketing campaigns and content, from event activations to wider campaign delivery, with a strong track record of managing multiple projects simultaneously. You’ll be confident coordinating stakeholders, balancing priorities, and ensuring projects are delivered on time and to a high standard. A natural collaborator, you’ll be comfortable working with a wide range of teams and guiding others to develop and deliver effective marketing activity - whether that’s supporting event delivery, shaping creative ideas, or bringing campaigns to life on campus.
This role is best suited to someone with a strong foundation in marketing who is now looking to broaden their skillset and take on increasing responsibility in campaign management, stakeholder engagement, and creative delivery.
An outstanding experience for all UCL students and to be one of the best students’ unions in the UK and the world.


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