Right now, millions of people across the UK are living with financial insecurity. Parents are choosing between heating and food. People who fall ill find themselves unable to work and without support. Countless others lie awake at night worrying about bills they cannot pay. At Turn2us, we believe none of us should have to face these challenges alone - and we exist to change the systems that allow them to persist.
Turn2us is working towards a future where everyone in the UK has financial security so they can thrive. We combine direct support and innovative digital tools, such as our online Benefits Calculator and PIP Helper, with influencing, policy and systems change. Across our organisation, colleagues bring deep expertise, compassion and ambition, united by a shared belief that financial hardship is not a personal failing, but a systemic issue that can and must be changed.
The Income & External Affairs Directorate plays a critical role in making this vision a reality. Through relationship-led fundraising, commercial partnerships, communications, and policy and influencing work, the directorate ensures Turn2us has the resources, profile and voice needed to maximise our impact. It connects our work with the people, organisations and institutions that can help drive lasting change. While we have built strong momentum and significant partnerships in recent years, we know there is far more potential to realise.
As Director of Income & External Affairs, you will be a key member of our Leadership Team, working closely with colleagues across the charity and with our Board. You will lead the growth of sustainable income, develop powerful and values-led partnerships, strengthen our public voice, and help shape a policy and advocacy agenda grounded in the experiences of people facing financial hardship. You will also play a vital role in building trust, credibility and influence across sectors to help shift the systems that keep people locked in financial insecurity.
We are looking for an exceptional and values-driven leader with a strong track record in relationship-based income generation, partnerships and influence. This experience may come from the charity sector or a commercial environment. We are not seeking a specific career path or background; instead, we actively welcome applications from people who bring new perspectives, transferable skills and different ways of thinking. What matters most is a deep commitment to our purpose, a willingness to learn and the confidence to lead with curiosity and humility.
This role calls for persuasive leadership, emotional intelligence and the ability to build trust across diverse teams and stakeholders. You will thrive if you enjoy working collaboratively, sharing power and leading in a way that is inclusive, supportive and ambitious.
This is a genuinely exciting and critical role - for our staff, our partners, and most importantly, for the people we exist to serve. We are particularly keen to hear from people with lived experience of financial insecurity. If you share our values and feel inspired by our vision of a more just and financially secure society, we would love to hear from you.
To download a full copy of the candidate brief and learn more about the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button, where you will be redirected to the website of our recruitment partner, Tall Roots. Applications should include a CV and covering letter. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please email Mark Crowley at Tall Roots.
Registered Charity 
51 - 100
Thank you!
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading creative organisation dedicated to dance in all its forms. Our mission is to make and share dance that inspires us all.
Sadler’s Wells commissions, presents and produces more dance than any other organisation in the world, with programmes and productions in the UK, global tours with performances in venues in 53 countries to date and our pioneering Digital Stage. Operating across three distinct venues and four theatres in London, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the Lilian Baylis Studio, the Peacock and the newly opened Sadler’s Wells East, our aim is to reflect and respond to the world through dance. We enable artists of all backgrounds to create dance that moves us and opens our minds; sharing those experiences with the widest possible audiences to enrich their lives and deepen their understanding of what it means to be human.
About the Role
The Director of Finance, Data and Systems leads the delivery of high‑quality financial stewardship and strategy, providing expert oversight of finance, data and systems across all Sadler’s Wells venues to support organisational performance and decision‑making.
Working as part of Sadler’s Wells’ senior leadership team, you will act as a trusted advisor to the Co-Chief Executives and the Board, ensuring robust organisational financial planning, risk management, and ensuring resources are effectively aligned to deliver impact for audiences and wider stakeholders.
Key duties will include:
- Act as a strategic advisor to the Co-Chief Executives, trustees and other key stakeholders on all financial matters.
- Prepare and present financial updates to SLT, the Boards of trustees and relevant sub-committees.
- Lead the Finance and Data & Systems teams (3 direct reports and a wider team of 18)
- Advise the Board with clear, insightful financial reporting and recommendations.
- Lead the finance and accounting strategy to optimise the organisation’s financial performance
- Strategic oversight of Data and Systems department, ensuring the operational infrastructure is fit for purpose, and seeking to optimise the use of data to support improvements across the organisation.
- Lead the financial management plan, including setting and management of budgets, and provision of robust and relevant financial and management information to senior management, trustees and committees, and all budget holders within the organisation.
- Provide financial vision and forward financial planning and identify risk and maintain oversight of relevant mitigation measures.
- Ensure accurate and timely year-end accounts and audit processes, in line with Charity Commission requirements and applicable accounting standards (e.g. SORP).
- Responsible for the governance of the three corporate charities, subsidiary company and board subcommittees through maintenance and development of a risk management framework, financial systems and internal controls.
About You
You will be a CCAB qualified (or equivalent) accountant, with experience operating at Director of Finance, Chief Financial Officer level or within an equivalent senior finance leadership role. Applicants seeking a step up are encouraged to apply but must strongly demonstrate relevant prior experience of leading finance teams operationally and strategically.
You will have experience of reporting into Boards and sub-committees with the ability to translate and present complex financial data to non-finance audiences.
Candidates from all sectors are encouraged to apply but must demonstrate an interest in the work Sadler’s Wells undertakes as a world-leading performing arts venue.
Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
What We Offer
- Salary of £120,000 per annum
- Hybrid working – 3 days per week in-office. As this position requires close collaboration across teams a strong in-person presence is encouraged across all four venue sites.
- Annual Leave of 25 days annual leave per year
- Life assurance policy of twice annual salary
- Discretionary access to tickets for performances and staff discounts at the Garden Court Café and Park Kitchen and Bar
More Information
Application Deadline: Sunday 22nd February
First Stage Interviews: Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th March 2026
Second Stage Interviews: Monday 16th March 2026
Sadler’s Wells is partnering with Ivy Rock Partners in the recruitment of this role. For further information please contact Holly Arrowsmith at Ivy Rock Partners for further details.
All direct or third-party applications will be forwarded to Ivy Rock Partners.
Recruitment Statement from Sadler’s Wells
We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who feel they align with our mission, vision and values. We are international and multicultural on our stages, and we want to reflect that in our organisation. By celebrating difference and incorporating diverse points of view and experiences, we can become closer to our artists, audiences and the communities we serve.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer meaning we have been certified by the government as actively taking steps to attract, recruit and retain disabled workers.
Sadler’s Wells is a PiPA (Parents and Carers in Performing Arts) Charter Partner, striving towards creating a more family friendly working environment.
