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Salary: £39,000–£42,000 per annum (£65,000–£70,000 FTE equivalent)
Contract: Permanent – Part time, 3 days a week
Location: London or Birmingham
Working pattern: Hybrid. Cross-region travel up to twice a month for in-person SMT meetings.
Envision is at an exciting moment. Our programmes are working, our partnerships are growing, and our team cares deeply about getting it right. What we need now is someone to help us build the infrastructure to match our ambition – reaching and impacting more young people from less-advantaged backgrounds across London, Birmingham and Bristol.
As our Chief Operating Officer, you will join our Senior Management Team and take clear ownership of Envision's finance, compliance, HR governance, and operational efficiency. This is a newly defined role – created to give the function the senior leadership it needs and to free the CEO to focus on external leadership, fundraising, and strategy.
You will join an SMT of four, working alongside the Director of Programmes and Impact and the Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships, led by the CEO. It is a collegiate team that operates with a high degree of mutual trust and collective ownership – and we are looking for someone who is as comfortable in a strategic conversation about Envision's future as they are reviewing a set of management accounts.
Key Responsibilities
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Play an active role in SMT – contributing operational and financial insight to organisational planning, strategy development, and decision-making alongside the CEO and senior leadership team.
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Lead finance oversight and board reporting: overseeing monthly and quarterly management accounts, leading the annual budget-setting process, owning the audit cycle, and preparing papers for the Finance, Audit and Risk Governance (FARG) Committee.
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Own HR policy and governance: maintaining Envision's HR framework, handling complex employee relations matters, and overseeing the full employee lifecycle with execution led by the Business Admin and Finance Officer.
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Line manage the Finance Manager and Business Admin and Finance Officer, providing clear direction and developing a high-performing team.
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Lead operational improvement: conducting a review of processes and systems, building a live improvement register, and implementing agreed changes through to completion – not just to proposal.
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Explore and pilot AI and automation tools for high-friction tasks. Genuine curiosity and willingness to experiment matters more than technical expertise.
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Hold compliance and risk governance oversight – GDPR, Health and Safety, regulatory filings – ensuring a clear calendar of requirements is owned and met.
Essential Experience, Knowledge and Competencies
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Qualified or part-qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), or demonstrable equivalent finance expertise.
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Proven experience in a senior operational leadership role with finance oversight responsibility.
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Experience of audit management and board-level financial reporting.
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Track record of leading and developing small teams.
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Working knowledge of GDPR and charity compliance obligations.
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Demonstrable ability to operate at a strategic and governance level
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Experience leading operational process or systems improvement, from diagnosis through to implementation.
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Active interest in AI and automation tools, with a practical approach to exploring and applying them.
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Commitment to Envision's vision, mission and values and ability to work well in, and contribute to, our organisational culture.
Envision actively encourages applications from those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, as they are currently under-represented in our organisation. We seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality. Envision graduates will be guaranteed a first-round interview.
Please note: we are unable to support visa applications and therefore applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
To apply, please apply through CharityJob.
Closing date for applications- Wednesday 10 June (midnight)
Round 1 interviews (online) : Thursday 18 June
Round 2 interviews (in person- London): Thursday 25 June
We will only be contacting candidates who have been shortlisted for interview. The safety and wellbeing of the young people we work with is paramount at Envision. Successful candidates will be subject to a full Enhanced DBS check and reference checks. All new staff must attend safeguarding training during their induction period.
For more information on this role, please see the full application pack.
All answers should be no longer than 250 words.
Registered Charity 
21 - 50
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Head of Project Delivery
Help provide more safe spaces and support for young people across the UK.
Are you an exceptional project leader who thrives on delivering complex, multi-stakeholder programmes? Do you want your work to make a lasting difference to communities?
We’re looking for a Head of Project Delivery to play a crucial role in bringing new Youth Zones to life—state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound spaces that transform opportunities for young people in some of the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from under-represented groups; in particular from Black, Asian, Mixed Race & other ethnically diverse individuals, people with disabilities, and members of LGBTQ+ communities.
Position: Head of Project Delivery (internally known as Head of Youth Zone Project Delivery)
Location: Hybrid working (2 days a week in either the Bolton or London offices combined with home-working and travel across our Youth Zone network as required)
Salary: £65,000-70,000
Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours/week) – 0.8 FTE can be considered
Contract: Permanent
Benefits: Agile working with flexibility in working hours; 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to a maximum of 30 days); birthday leave, additional annual leave purchase scheme; company matched pension; company sick, maternity, paternity & adoption pay; Employee Assistance Programme, active and engaged networks to join (including Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) and access to Charity Worker discounts.
Closing Date: 12noon on 10th June We may close this role early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
First Stage Interviews (online): 24th June
Second Stage Interviews (in-person at a Youth Zone – location TBC): 2nd July
About the Role
In this exciting and newly created role, you will lead the project management of new projects with end-to-end delivery of multiple new Youth Zones. Working closely with colleagues across multi-disciplinary teams, you will ensure every project is delivered effectively, collaboratively and to the highest standards.
You will thrive on managing the detail of individual projects, whilst also maintaining oversight across the whole portfolio of projects at different stages. The role doesn’t have direct reports but requires strong matrix leadership, influencing others to deliver at pace and with accountability.
You will:
- Lead project planning, governance and delivery across multiple Youth Zone developments
- Chair project meetings and manage decision-making gateways
- Ensure robust reporting, risk management and issue resolution
- Use strong relationships and collaborative working to coordinate diverse stakeholders across multi-disciplinary teams
About You
You will have excellent project management skills and significant experience of project managing multi-year complex projects and/or programmes using robust project management tools and methodologies.
A confident, credible project leader who can operate at both strategic and operational levels, you’ll bring:
- Experience using formal project methodologies (e.g. PRINCE2, PMP) and tools such as MS Project
- Strong stakeholder management with the ability to influence others
- Excellent planning, organisational and reporting skills
- A highly collaborative approach with ability to work across multi-disciplinary teams
- Clear, engaging communication skills with the ability to adapt to different audiences
- Experience within the charity or public sector (desirable)
- A genuine passion for improving outcomes for young people
Above all, you’re motivated by purpose and excited by the opportunity to help deliver spaces that enable young people to thrive.
About the Organisation
A national charity that believes all young people should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose that fund and build state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound youth centres called Youth Zones in the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas. The organisation trains the amazing people that run them and offers continuing support to youth zones nationwide through a national network of independent youth charities.
It’s about opportunity.
You may have experience in areas such as Project Manager, Head of Project Management, Director of Project Management, Head of Project Delivery, Senior Project Manager, Project Manager Lead.
Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client, Not For Profit People. #INDNFP
