Operations director jobs

Help end avoidable blindness worldwide

Right now, 1.1 billion people are living with vision loss - yet the vast majority of this is preventable or treatable. Behind every statistic is a child missing out on education, a parent unable to work, a community held back.

At Orbis UK, we are part of a global organisation that trains eye care professionals, delivers life-changing treatments, and invests in innovative solutions - from our Flying Eye Hospital to global telehealth platform -so that no one is needlessly blind.

In 2025, the UK team raised £7.1m. These funds supported 18 projects across 8 countries. With these funds we delivered 9,908 training sessions for health workers, enabled 469,287 eye screenings, 37,378 treatments and delivered 2.5m doses of antibiotics to tackle trachoma. The organisation’s ambition is to grow our income to £10 million per year within the next five years.

To achieve our next phase of growth and impact, we are looking for a Director of Finance & Operations who shares their ambition to expand access to eye care in the countries where it is needed most.

Why this role matters

As part of the senior leadership team, you will ensure Orbis UK is financially strong, operationally effective, and ready to expand our reach. Your leadership will directly support programmes that restore sight, train clinicians, and strengthen health systems in the communities where we work.

Your impact

You will:

• Ensure every pound is used effectively to maximise Orbis UK’s life-changing impact
• Provide the financial insight that shapes strategic decisions
• Lead the teams that ensure the smooth running of the organisation - finance, HR, IT, and operations
• Strengthen governance, accountability, and sustainability as the organisation grows
• Partner with colleagues in the UK and internationally to deliver lasting change

Who we’re looking for

You are more than technically excellent - you are purpose-driven.

You’ll bring:

• A professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA)
• Experience leading finance in a complex organisation, ideally with charity or public sector exposure
• The ability to translate financial insight into clear, strategic direction
• A collaborative leadership style and confidence working with senior stakeholders
• A genuine commitment to global equity and social impact

Join us

Orbis is not a large organisation; it depends more than most on the value added by the individual. If you believe you can bring not only strong professional skills, but also the personal qualities, commitment to our charitable aims, and collaborative spirit that make a meaningful difference in a small team like ours, we would love to hear from you and strongly encourage you to apply.

Recruitment timetable

• Application deadline  Sunday 17th May, midnight
• Shortlisting  Wednesday 27th May 
• First stage interviews  w/c 1st June
• Final interviews  w/c 8th June

To apply, send your CV and cover letter via the link by Sunday 17th May, midnight.

For an informal conversation about the role, please reach out to our exclusive recruitment partner, Bryony Thomas, via the Allen Lane agency website.

We’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation, and particularly welcome applications from people currently underrepresented at senior levels, including those from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic backgrounds, and disabled or neurodivergent candidates.

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process or in the role itself, we’ll work with you to make that happen.

About Action Tutoring
At Action Tutoring, we believe every child should be given the opportunity to succeed in school. But in the UK today, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to 

achieve the grades they need to progress in life. This isn't because they are any less able; they have less access to the tools to help them reach their potential. 
 

We don't think this is fair. We know tutoring is an effective way of improving academic attainment and so we harness the power of volunteer tutors to bridge the gap and ensure this help can be accessed by every pupil who needs it, not just those who can afford it. 
 

We specifically help pupils facing socio-economic disadvantage and who are at risk of leaving primary or secondary school without reaching national standards in their exams. We work in partnership with schools in different cities and regions across the UK, delivering weekly tutoring in English or maths to those pupils who need it most. 
 

About the opportunity
The Director of Finance and Operations works closely with the CEO to build the organisation, operations and systems to enable us to scale and respond to emerging opportunities. A critical strategic role, they are a hands-on financial leader that brings strategic insight and challenge. Passionate about our mission, they lead a small team and use their experience and expertise to make our strategy a practical reality.

Closing date: Sunday, 17th May 2026
Interviews:Thursday, 28th and Friday, 29th May 2026, in our London office. There will be a second round of interviews.
Start date: Ideal start date is asap. However, we’re happy to wait for the ideal candidate.
Contract and hours: Permanent. Full time. We offer flexible hours with 9.30-4 as core hours. A full working week is 37.5 hours. 
Place of work:  Hybrid/flexible. This role requires 6 days a month in our London Office, Fivefields, Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0DH.

Duties and responsibilities
 
Finance

Lead financial strategy and long-term planning to support the development of the organisation, as well as holding overall responsibility for finance processes and controls. 
 

Operations

Drive continuous improvement of operations to increase productivity, quality of delivery and value for money. With the operations team, provide oversight of all operational matters to ensure compliance and the smooth running of the organisation.
 

HR and team development

Action Tutoring has a Head of People & Culture who oversees day-to-day HR operations. However, with a permanent staff team of around 60, this role holds strategic responsibility for talent development and HR processes. This includes training and development strategy, effective diversity and inclusion policies and regular reviews of performance and reward systems.
 

Senior Leadership 

As one of the four members of the Senior Leadership Team of Action Tutoring, you will contribute to leadership decision-making, representing your own areas of expertise but also advocating for the best strategic options for the charity as a whole. 
 

Legal compliance, risk management and governance

This role ensures legal compliance of the organisation.
 

Line management

Overseeing a small team, this role has direct line management responsibility for the Head of People & Culture, the Operations Manager, and the Senior Finance Officer. You will also, with support from your team, manage relationships with external support agencies, including the outsourced management accountant, IT support company, and HR and employment law consultancy.
 

This role also plays a key part in a number of internal working groups, including leading the Digital Systems working group and serving as a member of both the Sustainability and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working groups.
 

A full list of duties and responsibilities can be found in the job description attached to the BreatheHR advert.

Person specification
 
Qualifications criteria: 

• The right to work in the UK.

We are looking for some of the following attributes, though you might be more experienced in some areas than others:

• Deep finance and operations experience as well as a track record of strategy development. You will have significant experience overseeing finances and managing budgets and be able to demonstrate a high level of understanding of financial management and forecasting within a fundraising setting. Familiarity with charity accounting and SORP will be essential. 
• Someone with the ability to see the big picture and lead long-term strategy while being able to zoom into the detail and set high-expectations for the team and wider organisation. 
• An excellent eye for detail and an experienced project manager who relishes delivering long-term projects through to completion, you will be a self-starter with a strong ability to take initiative to drive change.
• An ability to identify areas for organisational development and growth. You are someone who leads change and development. Alert to reputational risk, proactively preventing errors.
• An established track record in delivering results in a growing environment at the management level.
• Experience with a range of business functions and systems, including budgeting, finance, legal, IT and human resources or a willingness to build expertise in these areas.
• Understanding of developing policies and procedures; experience in good governance practices, including:
  • Familiarity with routine HR legislation and processes.
  • A good understanding of GDPR compliance and processes.
  • Familiarity with reporting at Trustee level (or equivalent). 
• Excellent team leadership skills. 
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. 
• A commitment to the mission and values of Action Tutoring.
• A commitment to promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children.
• Always aiming to help more pupils and have a bigger impact, we continually seek ways to improve tasks, processes and culture.

You will likely be more successful in this role if you have: 

• Additional formal qualifications relevant to the role (e.g. qualified accountant, MBA, CIPD Level 7).
• Experience or knowledge of safeguarding procedures.
• Digital transformation project management.
• Experience in the charity sector or the education sector, particularly in charity legislation and accounting.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation processes and/or school data.
• Experience in improving systems and processes.