20 Operation director jobs in Stevenage, Hertfordshire

The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) is the leading membership body for voluntary sector organisations that support disabled people. Representing over 145 organisations across England and Wales, we bring together leaders, experts and partners to influence change, share learning and strengthen the sector. 

We're looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Events and Engagement Manager to lead the delivery of our growing programme of conferences, professional networks, member events, learning opportunities and stakeholder engagement activities. 

This is a varied and rewarding role at the heart of the organisation. You'll be responsible for creating exceptional experiences for members and delegates, coordinating high-profile events, supporting external engagement activity, managing key relationships and identifying new opportunities to increase member participation and value. You'll also use data, feedback and insight to continually improve our offer and help shape future engagement activity. 

We're looking for someone with strong event and project management experience, excellent organisational and communication skills, and the ability to build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. You'll be equally comfortable managing the detail of event delivery and contributing to wider organisational objectives.

In return, you'll join a small, ambitious and supportive team committed to improving the lives of disabled people by supporting a strong and vibrant voluntary sector.

If you're passionate about bringing people together, creating engaging experiences and making a meaningful difference, we'd love to hear from you. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. If you require any reasonable adjustments to participate in the recruitment process, please contact us.

Our client operates at the intersection of technology, forensic research, journalism, transparency and accountability, partnering with organisations around the globe and supporting a growing international network of volunteer investigators. It has pioneered the use of open source research methods to investigate some of the most significant issues of public interest around the world. Investigations have covered subjects ranging from the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine to police violence in Colombia and the illegal wildlife trade in the UAE.

Prospectus are delighted to be leading the search for a Fractional Financial Controller to provide strategic financial leadership, oversee financial compliance and reporting, and help ensure the organisation remains financially robust and well-positioned for the future. The role is required for 2 days per week, for a period of 6 months.

The Opportunity
Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Research and Training, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring financial integrity across the organisation. You will combine strategic financial planning with hands-on financial oversight, leading on budgeting, reporting, forecasting and audit management.
This role would suit an experienced finance professional who enjoys working in a mission-driven, international environment and is comfortable operating both strategically and operationally.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership

• Develop financial models, forecasts and scenario plans to support organisational and programme development.
• Provide strategic financial insight and recommendations to the senior leadership team and Board.
• Lead the annual budgeting process and support longer-term financial planning.
• Help guide major organisational and programme-related financial decisions.

Financial Control adn Reporting

• Produce monthly management accounts and variance analysis.
• Prepare and monitor cashflow forecasts.
• Develop clear and insightful financial reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure robust financial controls and governance processes are in place.

Audit, Compliance and Tax

• Lead and coordinate the annual financial audit process.
• Act as the primary contact for external auditors.
• Ensure compliance with Dutch financial regulations and taxation requirements.
• Oversee statutory reporting and tax filings.

Grant and Donor Finance

• Design and monitor budgets for donor proposals, institutional grants and funding applications.
• Track restricted and unrestricted funding streams.
• Ensure expenditure aligns with donor requirements and grant agreements.
• Support accurate financial reporting to funders.

About You
We're looking for an experienced and proactive finance professional who can provide confidence, rigour and strategic insight in an international and fast-moving environment. 

You will bring:

• Significant experience as a Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Head of Finance or similar senior finance role.
• Proven experience managing audits and acting as the lead contact for external auditors.
• Strong experience in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and management reporting.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial audiences.
• A collaborative approach and the confidence to work closely with senior leaders and Board members.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience managing financial operations and taxation matters in the Netherlands.
• Strong understanding of Dutch accounting standards, tax requirements and regulatory compliance.
• Familiarity with Exact accounting software.
• Experience preparing and coordinating annual audits.
• Ability to operate independently in a fractional capacity.
• Fluent English language skills.
• Right to work in either the Netherlands or the UK.

Desirable

• Experience working within a charity, foundation, non-profit or grant-funded environment.
• Experience tracking donor-restricted funding and grant budgets.
• Experience supporting internationally distributed organisations.

Interviews: 1st and 2nd October

At Prospectus we invest in your journey as a candidate and are committed to supporting you with your application. We welcome candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds. Please let us know if we can help you with the application process in any way. We are more than happy to make any reasonable adjustments to enable all interested candidates to apply. If you have any disability and would like assistance with completing an application, please contact Catherine Bunting at Prospectus.

Head of Commercial
Reference: AUG20260202
Location: Flexible in UK
Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Salary: £72,605.00 - £77,517.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave

Reporting to the Executive Board Director for Income, Technology and Communications The Head of Commercial is a strategically important senior leadership role responsible for shaping the RSPB's commercial future and maximising the contribution commercial activity makes to the organisation's income, strategic ambitions and long-term success.

Leading a diverse, multi-channel portfolio spanning Retail, E-commerce, Licensing, Wholesale and Food & Beverage, together with the critical enabling functions of Buying & Merchandising and Fulfilment, you will bring these areas together to deliver sustainable income, exceptional customer experiences, and long-term organisational value.

As a senior commercial leader with significant proven successful experience, you will set and drive the commercial strategy, identifying new opportunities for growth, innovation and partnership while ensuring the RSPB continues to evolve and thrive in a changing market.

You will harness customer insight, expertise and market understanding to strengthen income streams, expand audience reach and maximise the value of the RSPB brand.

Working across the organisation and influencing at senior level, you will ensure customer needs are at the heart of commercial decision-making. By connecting commercial opportunity with strategic ambition, you will drive sustainable growth, strengthen supporter engagement, and deliver outstanding results.

This is a unique opportunity to combine senior strategic commercial leadership with purpose, translating commercial success into meaningful organisational impact.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience leading a commercial, retail, ecommerce, trading or other income-generating function at a senior level, with responsibility for strategic direction and performance
• Experience managing multi-million-pound income and expenditure budgets, including forecasting, commercial performance analysis and investment decision-making.
• Experience developing and delivering commercial strategies, using commercial and financial insight to identify opportunities and make decisions that drive growth, profitability and sustainable income.
• Experience working across complex organisations or partnerships, building relationships and influencing senior stakeholders without relying on direct authority.
• Experience presenting complex performance, governance or strategic information to senior decision-makers, such as Boards, Trustees or Executive-level stakeholders.
• Experience negotiating and managing commercial partnerships and contracts, including identifying and managing associated commercial risks.
• Knowledge of retail, ecommerce and a range of other commercial or trading models, such as licensing, wholesale or food and beverage, and how these contribute to customer growth, experience and income generation
• Experience using customer or audience insight to inform commercial decisions, improve customer experience and support audience or supporter growth.
• Experience leading organisational change and improvement, introducing new approaches and delivering agreed strategic outcomes.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams to deliver agreed objectives, including supporting individual and team performance and development
• Able to communicate complex commercial and financial information clearly and use evidence to influence senior stakeholders, support decision-making and build effective partnerships.

Additional Information

This is a Permanent Full-Time role for 37.5 hours per week.

Closing date: 23:59, Tuesday, 6th October 2026
We are looking to conduct first interviews for this position on 4th and 5th November.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The RSPB is a licenced sponsor. this role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.

In order to apply you will be required to upload a CV and complete an application form where you will have the opportunity to explain how you meet the set criteria above.

Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application or if you require any reasonable adjustment.

No agencies please.

About Lloyds Bank Foundation 

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is an independent charitable foundation, backed by Lloyds Banking Group and the people within it. We want everyone to be in a good place - personally, in a home that’s a good place to live, and in a community that’s a good place to belong. 

We play our role by connecting and catalysing community-led change, providing the money, time, tools and connections that build organisations’ capacity and capability, to make people’s lives better and their communities stronger. 

We back people and communities across England and Wales, to make that happen, because when you back brilliant people, brilliant things happen. Our communities are full of ambitious, energetic and determined people stepping up to make their neighbours’ lives better and their communities grow stronger. Day in, day out. 

About the Role

Contract:Full-time, permanent (we are open to conversations about flexibility so please ask)

Location:Remote, with significant travel across all corners the UK and monthly visits to our London office

This is an exciting new opportunity in the Strategic Communications Team at the Foundation.

You’ll play a key role setting up and organising a varied programme of visits, to engage more people in our mission and ultimately help more people in England and Wales to say “I’m in a good place,” “My home is a good place to live,” and “My community is a good place to belong”.

Bringing strong organisational, relationship-building abilities and creativity, you’ll arrange visits for senior stakeholders – MPs, philanthropists, trustees, partners, and executives from Lloyds Banking Group, to community-led groups we’re funding and local areas driving systems change.

Through thoughtful engagement, you'll build lasting relationships and raise awareness of social issues, to ensure visits generate meaningful impact.

You will support colleagues and partners to maximise opportunities, follow up actions, and effectively generate and use content, stories, videos and images to tell powerful stories.

Importantly, you’ll ensure community-led organisations experience these visits as supportive and beneficial, and that their voices are centred in all that occurs and follows, aligning with our mission to foster community-led change.

About You

You are highly organised, with experience coordinating events, or visits involving

multiple stakeholders. 

Alongside strong communication skills, with an understanding of how to apply

organisational narratives to local activity, you’ll have the ability to balance competing priorities.

You will bring experience partnering across teams and directorates along with excellent

relational skills to build trust and rapport with internal and external stakeholders.

How to Apply 

Please click ‘Apply for this job’ to be redirected to the application form. 

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

We hold Disability Confident Employer status (Level 2) and are working towards full status by 2027. This means that if you're a disabled applicant and your CV and application answers clearly demonstrate that you meet the essential criteria for the role, we will invite you to interview. 

More broadly, we are committed to building a diverse team that reflects the communities and people we work with. We believe that diversity of background, experience and perspective makes us stronger and helps us make better decisions. We actively welcome applications from people who are under-represented in the charity sector, including people from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities, disabled people, and those with experience of the issues our funded charities work to address. 

Key Dates 

Closing Date: Monday 21 September 2026, 12 noon

First Interviews:  Tuesday 29 September 2026 (online)

Second Interviews:  Tuesday 6 October 2026 (in person – London Office)

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