108 Head of finance and resources jobs

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.

Interim Head of People 

Specialist charity supporting vulnerable people across London 

Salary: £55,000 FTE (pro rata for six months) 
Contract: Fixed-term, six months 
Location: London | Hybrid working (1 day per week in the London office) 

We are partnering with a specialist charity delivering vital frontline services to vulnerable people. As the organisation continues to evolve and strengthen its services, we are seeking an experienced Interim Head of People to lead and develop its people function during a critical period of organisational growth and transformation. 

Reporting to the Director of Finance & Governance and working closely with the CEO and Senior Leadership Team, you will provide both strategic and operational leadership across all areas of people management, organisational development, employee relations, workforce planning and culture. 

This is a hands-on role, ideal for an experienced HR professional who can balance day-to-day operational delivery with longer-term organisational development priorities. 

You must be available to start immediately. 

About you

We are looking for a collaborative and credible senior HR leader with: 

 Significant experience leading a people function at senior management or Head of People level. 

A strong track record of developing and implementing people strategies that support organisational objectives. 

Experience advising senior leaders, Boards and executive teams on complex people matters. 

Extensive experience managing employee relations, organisational change and workforce transformation programmes. 

Strong workforce planning, organisational development and culture change experience. 

Excellent leadership, stakeholder management and influencing skills. 

Sound knowledge of UK employment law and HR best practice. 

Experience using workforce data and people analytics to drive improvement. 

The ability to operate strategically while remaining hands-on and delivery focused. 

A commitment to fostering an inclusive, positive, and high-performing workplace culture.  

To apply 

Please send your CV to Alex Williams, Director of Not for Profit at Giving Back Recruitment. 

Closing date: Tuesday 22 September 2026 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and early applications are strongly encouraged. 

Head of Operations 

Bath | c.£47,000 – £49,000 | Full-time | Permanent

Are you an experienced operational leader who enjoys bringing people, processes and systems together to make an organisation work better?

We’re working with a fantastic Bath-based education charity to recruit a new Head of Operations at an exciting point in its development.

This is a broad and influential role, overseeing the organisation’s central operations across finance, facilities, data and insight, and administration. You’ll manage a team of experienced functional leads and create the effective ‘engine room’ that allows the wider organisation to focus on delivering for its beneficiaries.

The role

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you’ll take responsibility for the smooth and effective running of central operations, with a particular focus on finance and financial planning, alongside organisational resilience, risk, compliance and continuous improvement.

Your responsibilities will include:

· Leading and developing a multi-disciplinary operations team

· Overseeing the finance function, including financial management, reporting and compliance

· Leading the annual budgeting, financial planning and resource allocation process

· Overseeing facilities, infrastructure, data and central administration

· Leading on operational risk, business continuity and regulatory compliance

· Improving systems, processes and ways of working across the organisation

· Supporting annual planning, organisational development and strategic delivery

· Working closely with the Chief Executive, senior leadership team and Trustees

· Managing relationships with external consultants, suppliers and other key partners

· Helping build a collaborative, effective and continuously improving organisational culture

The role has significant breadth, but you don’t need to be a technical specialist in every area. We’re looking for someone with the judgement to know when to lead directly, when to draw on the expertise within their team and when external support is required.

About you 

This could suit someone from an operations, finance or facilities background who has progressed into broader organisational leadership.

You’ll need significant experience of managing across multiple functions, alongside a track record of leading teams and improving systems and processes.

You should also be comfortable overseeing budgets and financial processes, managing risk and compliance, and working with external suppliers or professional advisers. Experience within a charity, education, membership or other mission-driven environment would be particularly valuable.

Most importantly, we’re looking for a practical and solutions-focused leader who enjoys bringing different functions together. Someone who can see the bigger picture but is equally comfortable getting involved when needed, building strong relationships and maintaining momentum through change.

This is a new role within an organisation already midway through an ambitious development programme, so there is a genuine opportunity to influence how the organisation operates in the future.

Salary: c.£47,000 – £49,000
Location: Bath – predominantly campus-based with some flexibility for remote working
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full-time

Closing date: 21st September 2026

If you’re looking for a broad leadership role where you can make a tangible difference to how a values-led organisation works, we’d love to hear from you.

Build Up aims to build the power of young people to shape where they live and to change who can make decisions about London. We are recruiting a Head of Income Generation to shape and lead an ambitious fundraising vision to grow our impact across London.

The Role

This is an exciting new position in our team, created to help build our case for investment, tell our story and harness the support of new audiences. You will develop and deliver a 3-year fundraising strategy that unlocks new opportunities, diversifies income and builds lasting funder relationships. With consultancy support on communications and evaluation, you’ll have the tools to make a powerful case for our work.

Candidates are welcome to discuss the role with our Director before applying - contact details are in the job description.

Who You Are

You’ll have a proven track record in leading fundraising strategy, securing charitable investment and writing successful grants. Alongside trusts and foundations, you’ll bring experience across other income streams (like corporates or major donors). You’ll balance strategy with delivery, thrive under pressure, and be excited by funding young people’s ideas. Our approach is innovative and we are looking for someone that can create clear, inspiring narratives that unlock new opportunities.

About Build Up

Build Up works to build the power of young people to shape where they live, and to change who can make decisions about London. Regeneration leaves young people behind. We support young people to take action by advocating for, designing and building local spaces to meet their needs.

Our approach is unique – and it works. Young people gain skills, leadership and power over decisions that affect them, while local communities benefit from genuinely inclusive spaces designed by and for local residents.

Why Join Us

At Build Up your work has a visible, lasting and personal impact - your ideas will genuinely shape our development. We’re a small, collaborative and passionate team with a flexible approach to work - we welcome proposals for non standard work patterns.

Key Details

This role is available on a 4 OR 5 day a week contract, subject to candidate preference.

Salary: £50,000 - 54,000 (pro rata) + 8% employer pension contribution
Full / part-time: 4 days (30 hrs) or 5 days (37.5 hrs) per week
Holiday: 32 days plus public holidays (pro rata)
Work pattern: Flexible
Location: Hybrid – at least 1 day per week in our Elephant & Castle office
Contract: Permanent

To Apply

For more information and to apply, please see the job description.

Applications close Sunday 20th September 2026.

#Fundraising #FundraisingManager #HeadOfFundraising #FundraisingLead #FundraisingDirector #DirectorOfFundraising #Fundraiser #YouthFundraising #GrantFundraising #UnrestrictedFundraising #FundraisingStrategy

About Bank Workers Charity

At Bank Workers Charity, we help people in the banking community live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. Guided by our values of Integrity, Caring, Respect, Achievement and Fairness, we're committed to creating a positive and inclusive workplace where people can thrive.

About the Role

We're looking for an organised and proactive People Administrator to join our People & Culture team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with HR administration experience who wants to develop their career in a supportive, values-led organisation.

You'll provide high-quality HR support across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, payroll administration, learning and development, employee benefits, HR systems and employee engagement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for HR queries.
• Manage HR administration, employee records and employment documentation.
• Coordinate recruitment, onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Support payroll changes and employee benefits administration.
• Assist with learning and development activities and training records.
• Maintain HR systems and ensure GDPR compliance.
• Support employee engagement, wellbeing and inclusion initiatives.
• Contribute to HR projects and continuous improvement activities.

About You

You'll have:

• Experience in an HR Administrator, HR Assistant or HR Coordinator role.
• Knowledge of HR processes across the employee lifecycle.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Experience handling confidential information.
• Confidence using Microsoft 365 applications.

Desirable: CIPD Level 3 (or working towards), charity sector experience, learning & development or employee relations administration experience.

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain exposure to the full employee lifecycle, work closely with experienced HR professionals, and make a real difference within a charity that supports people in the banking community.

Our Benefits:

• 30 days holiday, plus public holidays (FTE).
• 8% employer contribution to Bank Workers Charity’s pension scheme and up to an additional 3% matched with employee contributions.
• A wide range of employer funded wellbeing experiences through Heka.
• Flexible benefit provision (including BUPA plan, cycle to work, payroll giving and electric car scheme).
• Group Life Cover (three times annual salary).
• Weekly wellbeing half hour.
• Employee Assistance Programme

If you're interested in joining us, please send your CV and a cover letter detailing how your experience aligns with the requirements of the role by 22 September 2026. Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing 28 September 2026.

Head of Housing Development

Location: London/Hybrid

Salary: £80,000.00 per annum

Weekly Hours: 35

Reference: YMC1237090

About YMCA

Founded in England in 1844, YMCA today is a global Movement and the world's largest youth-focused charity, reaching more than 58 million people across 119 countries. In England & Wales, we are a federation of 80 local YMCAs, based in over 700 communities across 168 local authorities, supporting young people and communities to reach their potential. We are also the largest provider of supported accommodation in the country — a role that puts housing at the heart of our mission.

YMCA England & Wales is a £23 million organisation of more than 400 colleagues, supporting the wider Federation. Combined, the Movement's turnover across England & Wales reached £386 million in 2025–26. As we grow our income and impact, housing is one of our clearest opportunities for scale: through our 10,000 Homes ambition, we are building a national platform that will let local YMCAs deliver affordable and supported housing faster, at lower risk, and with a unified voice. As we take this ambition forward, we are seeking an established and inspirational Head of Housing Development to lead one of the most pivotal roles in our organisation.

About The Opportunity

This is a brand-new role. Our Head of Housing Development will establish and lead our national Housing Centre of Expertise: the capacity- and capability-building engine behind our 10,000 Homes ambition. This is not a scheme-delivery role — local YMCAs build, own and operate their own homes. Instead, you will mobilise the talent and resources of the Federation around a shared platform for scale: guiding local YMCAs from feasibility through to investment-readiness, brokering the partnerships and expertise no single YMCA could assemble alone, and leading a single national conversation with strategic partners including Homes England, the Greater London Authority and Welsh Government. You will establish a panel of preferred development partners, support funding bids, and help YMCAs learn from one another rather than rebuilding expertise scheme by scheme. Success will be measured by the pipeline and capability you build across the movement, not by any single project.

About You

You bring real knowledge of social and affordable housing development, including structuring significant financing models, grant regimes and the regulatory landscape, alongside hands-on experience of property development projects and securing private and public-sector funding. You know how to build strategic partnerships, convene and influence people you do not manage, and translate strategy into coordinated action across independent partners. Experience mobilising change across a federated, membership or infrastructure organisation would be a strong advantage, combined with an in-depth knowledge of  Homes England, Greater London Authority and Welsh Government or similar agencies. Above all, you are a natural relationship-builder who can represent YMCA with confidence at a senior, national level, while helping local YMCAs move further and faster together than they could alone.

The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) is the world’s largest alliance of national societies of obstetrics and gynecology, bringing together professionals from more than 139 countries and territories. For over 70 years, FIGO has collaborated with the world’s top health, rights, and donor bodies. We are in official relations with the World Health Organization and consultative status with the United Nations.

FIGO is dedicated to the improvement of the health and rights of women and girls and to the reduction of disparities in health care, as well as to advancing the science and practice of obstetrics and gynecology. We pursue our mission through education, research implementation, advocacy, and capacity building with our member societies.

Financial control responsibility for accurate, complete, Charity SORP compliant balances in the balance sheet. Review of all monthly balance sheet reconciliations, completeness and of income and expenditure lines and controls accounts. This includes ownership of fixed assets register, KPIs for debtor and creditors aged balances, correct processing of taxes (PAYE/NI and VAT) and banking administration.

Responsible for administering the Procurement Policy and Delegation of Authority. Manage and delegate the financial systems. This includes all aspects of systems management, continuous development and full utilisation of the enterprise resource planning (ERP) cloud-based software. Lead and support system-led financial and procedural controls to elevate current practices to meet best practices in accounting and reporting as per IFRS102 and Charity SORP regulatory standards. The role includes change management and process embedding, upskilling end-users and improving user experience.

Business partner across internal and external stakeholders to ensure reporting requirements are met. Achieve high level of assurance and integrity in reports including interrogation and correction as required. Support variance analysis and commentaries on all levels of reporting.

Support finance colleagues in delivery of overall Finance objectives when required i.e. absence cover and deputise for the Head of Finance. 

We are recruiting a fixed term Finance Administrator (maternity leave cover) to join our wonderful team. This role will be responsible for coordinating the Foundation’s financial administrative processes and supporting the Head of Operations with day-to-day financial tasks.

Suitable candidates will:

• be passionate about supporting young people to make safer choices about drugs and alcohol,
• have experience of finance administration, with excellent organisation skills
• have excellent attention to detail
• be proactive, self-motivated and confident to take initiative
• enjoy working as part of a small and busy team

The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation is a drug and alcohol education charity, founded by Fiona and Tim Spargo-Mabbs in 2014 in response to the death of their 16-year-old son Dan having taken ecstasy. The charity aims to support young people to make safe choices and reduce harm, through increasing their understanding of the effects and risks of drugs and alcohol and improving their life skills & resilience. We work with young people, parents, teachers and professionals, in schools, colleges and communities across the UK. 

Key responsibilities

• Prepare and process invoices and debtor reports
• Assist with monthly reconciliation and data entry
• Process weekly online bank payments
• Maintain accurate financial records and filing systems
• Support month-end and year-end closing processes
• Assist with payroll processing and reporting
• Respond to internal and external finance-related inquiries
• Ensure compliance with company policies and relevant financial regulations
• General administrative support 

Want to use your fundraising experience to create real, visible change for thousands of Sri Lankan street dogs? Join a small, ambitious charity where your ideas, relationships and fundraising expertise can have a direct impact.

WECare Worldwide is looking for an experienced and hands-on Head of Fundraising to join us for a 12-month maternity cover and take ownership of our fundraising strategy and income generation.

We are a UK- and Sri Lanka-registered animal welfare charity providing international-standard veterinary care to street dogs in Sri Lanka. We are a small and collaborative organisation, so this is a role for someone who enjoys combining strategic fundraising leadership with hands-on delivery. You will work closely with the CEO and colleagues across WECare to help shape how we grow our income, while remaining actively involved in the day-to-day fundraising work needed to deliver results.

A major focus will be our individual giving and digital fundraising, including online donations, regular giving and fundraising appeals. This is currently one of our most important sources of income, and we’re looking for someone who can help us strengthen supporter engagement, improve donor journeys and identify opportunities to grow sustainable income.

You’ll also play a key role in developing our grants and trusts & foundations income, from identifying opportunities and building compelling applications through to reporting and stewardship. Alongside this, you’ll nurture and develop major donor relationships and explore the right corporate partnership opportunities for WECare.

This is very much a role for someone who enjoys both thinking strategically and getting things done. You might be developing the fundraising plan one day, working on a significant grant application the next, reviewing digital fundraising performance, shaping an appeal or speaking directly with a donor or potential partner.

You’ll work with colleagues across the organisation to turn the incredible work happening on the ground in Sri Lanka into compelling stories, funding propositions and campaigns that inspire people to support WECare.

We’d love to hear from you if you have a strong track record in fundraising, particularly across individual giving, trusts and foundations, major donors or other high-value income streams. You’ll be commercially aware, comfortable working with targets and forecasts, confident building relationships and happy taking initiative in a fast-moving environment.

Most importantly, we’re looking for someone who genuinely wants to make an impact. WECare is an ambitious organisation with big plans, but we remain small enough that the person in this role can make a tangible difference to both our fundraising direction and the animals our work exists to help.

Location: Remote
Contract: Fixed-term, 12-month maternity cover
Reporting to: CEO

Please see the full Job Description for further details about the role and experience we’re looking for.

Yellow Door is an amazing charity, changing lives for the better across Southampton and the wider Hampshire area. We support adults, families, young people and children affected by domestic and sexual abuse, providing specialist services that offer safety, support, recovery and hope. Our finance team plays a vital part in making that work possible, helping ensure our resources are well managed, our funding is properly recorded and our organisation remains financially strong and accountable. 

This role will support the smooth running of our finance function by helping to process income, expenditure, payroll information, reconciliations, funder records and financial administration accurately and on time. It is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys detail, deadlines and practical problem-solving, and who wants their finance skills to contribute to meaningful work in the charity sector.

You will be experienced in finance administration, bookkeeping or a similar role, with strong attention to detail and confidence working with financial information, spreadsheets and finance systems. You will support purchase and sales ledger work, reconciliations, payment processes, payroll information, Gift Aid, month-end tasks and accurate record keeping. You will also be comfortable communicating with colleagues across the organisation, helping them follow finance processes and ensuring queries are dealt with clearly and professionally.

Yellow Door is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to the appropriate recruitment checks.

We are an equal opportunities employer and are proud to be an inclusive place to work, where everyone can feel they belong and has something valuable to contribute. We warmly welcome applicants from all parts of our diverse community, particularly those from under-represented groups. Yellow Door works across Hampshire and is based near central Southampton.

Please note the closing date for this post is Wednesday 30th September 2026. We will keep the vacancy open until we have successfully appointed. Once your application has been reviewed, we will contact you to let you know if you have been shortlisted for interview.

Mind In Enfield and Barnet combines over 50 years of experience to improve peoples mental health in Enfield, Barnet and beyond. We are led by lived experience and driven by a passion to support and protect people’s mental health in ways that they want.

The Head of Families and Children’s Services will provide senior leadership and strategic direction across services that support families, parents, children, and young people. The role will ensure delivery of high-quality, evidence-based interventions that promote wellbeing, strengthen family resilience, and safeguard vulnerable children.

This postholder will oversee Perinatal Coaching, Crisis Outreach, Family Hubs, and Parenting Programs, embedding a culture of excellence, innovation, and partnership working to achieve meaningful outcomes for families.

This is a part-time position across 21 hours per week, (Monday to Friday 9-5).

Based at Head Office in Fore Street, Edmonton N9 0PD

Please see full attached job description.

“Every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background” - Shereen El-Shennawy, CEO, Inspire.

Are you driven by a passion for enhancing social mobility and supporting the futures of young people?

Do you have a practical understanding of work experience placements with a background leading teams and managing and developing services?

Hire Purpose is proud to lead the search to appoint a Head of Work Experience who will join Inspire in an established position that will positively impact the lives of thousands of young people across London.

And creating ‘impact’ is central to how Inspire deliver their programmes. Between 2024-25 alone, the charity enabled nearly 5,000 in person Work Experience placements, working with over 1,000 employers across their business partner network.

You can take a full look at their 2024-25 Impact Report here.

Salary: £33,438 (£41,797.40 FTE)

Start date: October / November 2026

Reporting to: Head of Programmes & Impact

Contract: Permanent. Part-time (0.8), spread across 4 or 5 days

Hybrid: Minimum 2 days pw at E15 2NH, 3 days remote.

As a key member of Inspire’s Senior Management Team you will be responsible for leading the delivery and continued development of their Work Experience service, ensuring high-quality, financially well-managed and compliant services that respond to the needs of young people, schools, employers and partners.

Crucially, this role requires an experienced people manager with excellent skills across stakeholder engagement, decision making, and attention to detail.

You will be responsible for:

• Overseeing service performance, resources and employer engagement to ensure programmes are well-run, compliant and responsive to young people and partners.
• Leading, developing, and supporting an experienced and capable Work Experience team, ensuring their accountable and high-performing culture continues to thrive.
• Representing Inspire externally, building productive, lasting relationships with key stakeholders including employers, schools, local authorities, funders and community partners, while also managing expectations and resolving issues swiftly.
• Leading the delivery of safe, inclusive and high-quality Work Experience programmes that build young people’s skills, confidence and employability.
• Managing budgets, as well as income and expenditure to ensure programmes are financially sustainable and deliver a return on investment.
• Fulfilling all duties in accordance with Inspire’s policies and procedures, particularly those relating to Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Equality, GDPR and financial controls.

A full list of duties can be found within the Job Description via Hire Purpose's careers page.

This is a highly rewarding opportunity to shape Inspire’s wider strategic direction, drive continuous improvements across the Work Experience service, and identify opportunities to expand and strengthen the provision of services and how customer relationships are developed.

Therefore, the Head of Work Experience must have:

• Practical understanding of Work Experience programmes and services for young people, alongside a genuine commitment to improving their opportunities and outcomes.
• Proven experience of leading, supporting and developing teams, creating clear expectations while ensuring consistently high standards.
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship management skills, with an ability to build productive partnerships with employers and other external organisations.
• Experience of managing services, programmes or contracts, including budgets, performance information and delivery against agreed standards and deadlines.
• Robust knowledge of safeguarding, health and safety, data protection, as well as the sound judgement and attention to detail needed to deliver safe and compliant services.

We are looking for someone with excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills, underpinned by a sharp focus on process and data-informed decision-making, and who will importantly keep up to date with legislative and policy change.

Hire Purpose champions inclusive recruitment.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences. We uphold equal opportunity principles and challenge bias at every stage, partnering only with organisations that share our commitment to integrity, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Hire Purpose is also proud to be an active member of The TEAM Network, the UK’s largest recruitment community of independently owned recruitment businesses.

Sightsavers is looking for an experienced and strategic Head of Major Donor Fundraising to lead the next phase of growth for our high value individual giving programme. This role can be worked full time or part time, with a minimum of four days per week, and is UK based with regular travel to our Haywards Heath office.

As part of the Fundraising and Marketing directorate, you will develop and deliver a long-term major donor strategy, lead a specialist team and personally manage a focused portfolio of high value donors and prospects. The role will focus on supporters giving £10,000 or more per year, while also strengthening nurture and loyalty programmes that help build a sustainable future pipeline of philanthropic support.

Working closely with colleagues across fundraising, technical leadership, programme delivery, finance, planning and senior leadership, you will identify compelling funding opportunities and help build strong cases for support. You will also represent Sightsavers externally with donors, prospects, philanthropy advisers, wealth advisers and sector networks.

We would like to hear from confident and collaborative senior fundraisers with experience of leading or managing a high value fundraising programme. You will bring a strong track record of securing, cultivating and stewarding significant gifts, including six-figure prospects, alongside the ability to use data and insight to manage pipelines, forecast income and support decision-making. You will also bring the relationship-building skills to work effectively with trustees, senior leaders, high net worth individuals and external advisers.

Application and interview process
To apply, please complete an application through our recruitment portal by uploading an up-to-date CV and answering the job-specific questions. We are particularly interested in understanding your motivation for applying. We anticipate a two-stage interview process, with first interviews from w/c 12 October and second-round interviews expected w/c 19 or 26 October 2026. The process will include a role-specific presentation task at first interview stage, and one interview will be held in person at our Haywards Heath office. We would like the successful candidate to start by the end of January 2027.

Sightsavers is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences and are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

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.