Partnerships development manager jobs in birmingham

Interim Head of Finance & Operations

Career Ready is a social mobility charity that believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to enjoy a rewarding future.

We were founded in 2002 by leading business figures with a mission: to boost social mobility by empowering young people and giving their talents a platform from which to flourish. Since then, we’ve grown in England and Scotland to support young people in areas of need.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, qualified Finance professional to lead our Finance & Operations function.

About the Role

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer the Interim Head of Finance & Operations leads on and assumes day to day responsibility for providing high quality, strategic financial management for Career Ready.

You will lead on business operations to ensure the ongoing effective functioning of the charity and drive sustainable growth.

The Interim Head of Finance and Operations plays a key role in leading greater organisational efficiency and simplifying processes and will continue the delivery of a project plan reflecting the 2025-30 strategy.

You will play a critical role in driving the increased quality of Career Ready’s offer to our stakeholders in line with our strategy, vision and values.

Member of our SMT, comprising of the CEO, Director for Scotland, Director of Programme and Partnerships and Heads of functions.

This is an interim role to cover a period of maternity leave.

Main responsibilities and accountabilities

· Lead, direct and manage the finance and operations functions, overseeing two direct reports, ensuring they deliver a high-quality service to all internal and external stakeholders and are seen as adding value, in enabling Career Ready to achieve its vision and strategic objectives through its people. 

· Continue the delivery of a project plan reflecting the 2025-30 strategy, ensuring that activities happen at pace, are deadline-driven and achieve a high level of impact.

· Assume overall responsibility for the financial management of Career Ready, working with the SMT to ensure high quality and effective use of charitable funds.

· Input into and review the financial elements of funding applications and ensure that fund accounting processes align with funders’ requirements for project reporting.

· Produce financial reports for various stakeholders, as well as leading on financial modelling.

· Have oversight of all financial and accountancy matters including month end reports, management accounts, cash flow management, compliance, tax liability, presentation of management information and KPIs. Ensure that the CEO and Trustees are provided with accurate, timely information and analysis. 

· Oversee and coordinate the fully managed payroll services with the external bureau for all Career Ready employees and for some internship students (Jun to Aug during the Summer)

· Administration of the Staff Opt-In Pension Scheme, including onboarding new staff (Royal London)

· Act as a role model in our ‘one team’ culture. Lead in the development of efficient working practices across the charity, creating momentum and supporting motivation within the charity. 

· Lead risk management strategies and internal control procedures to minimise the risk of loss, or damage to, Career Ready’s assets. 

· Prepare and submit annual operational budgets and annual accounts to the CEO for review and approval.

· Draft and deliver papers for Trustees and Finance and Fundraising Committee (F&FC) meetings. 

· Attend Board and F&FC meetings to present papers and answer questions related to areas of expertise. 

· Provide day to day line management of the Senior Finance Officers and support their ongoing growth and development.

· Management of organisational governance and compliance activities, including policy management.

· Oversee and manage the organisation’s risk management register and process, with input from SMT.

· Oversee reviews and renewals of all insurance policies that affect the organisation.

· Lead on the compliance of statutory and charity regulatory reporting, giving guidance to colleagues where required.

· Ensure any changes to processes and procedures across the function are clearly documented.

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

•  Belief and commitment to Career Ready’s mission and values
• Qualified (ACA/ACCA/CIMA/AAT) accountant with at least 5 years’ experience in financial management including budgeting, preferably in the charity sector.
• Significant experience in producing management and financial accounts
• Skilled in financial reporting and producing VAT returns
• Preparing for and ensuring a successful year-end audit, and demonstrable knowledge of UK Charities SORP and other reporting standards
• Experience in budgeting to support strategic decision making.
• Financial dexterity and strong analytical skills.
• Strong IT skills, including advanced MS Excel skills and extensive of using an accounting software, preferably Xero
• Excellent organisational and prioritising skills and ability to work independently and with autonomy
• Strong starter finisher with ability to lead and drive projects
• Knowledge of charity governance and compliance requirements
• Ability to build excellent relationships and have effective engagement with stakeholders
• Good communication skills and ability to communicate financial concepts to non-finance staff
• Attention to detail
• Ability to present financial information to various audiences
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and sensitivity of financial information
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to cope with competing demands to deadlines
• Honest and dependable

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience of leading a team, strong team building skills
• Line management experience
• Experience of using MS Planner or other project management tools
• Genuine interest in the work done by the Charity
• Experience of using a CRM (Salesforce)
• Degree in financial management or accounting

Full details are provided in the candidate pack

Salary and Benefits

Salary: £52,000 to £54,000 FTE (salary will be pro-rata for part time hours)

28-35 hours per week.  Career Ready is committed to supporting condensed/flexible working patterns.

Permanent and remote.  Travel to London required on an occasional basis

You will be rewarded with the following benefits:

· 6% contribution to personal pension plan, subject to 3% employee contribution.

· Annual leave: 27 days per annum plus bank/public holidays (pro rata for part time). The charity is also closed between Christmas and New Year. Career Ready also allows flexible use of some Bank & Public Holidays

· Cycle to Work Scheme

· Access to both our Reward Gateway Portal and an Employee Assistance Programme.

· Flexible working

· Work from home allowance and paid travel expenses.

We regret that Career Ready is unable to offer visa sponsorship and candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK. In accordance with our commitment to safeguarding, offers of employment are subject to completion of a DBS check. 

Timetable

Applications close at 9am on Monday 21 July 2025 

Please note that the closing date may be brought forward if we receive strong applications.

This is an interim role to cover a period of maternity leave, with a provisional start date of late September for a handover period.

We are looking to recruit HOPELINE247 Advisers to provide individually tailored suicide prevention advice and guidance to young people and those who are concerned for them via our national multi-channel helpline HOPELINE247 and deliver suicide prevention training online and in community settings across the UK.

What you will do:

· Work as part of a team providing suicide prevention support to a range of clients via multichannel communication platforms.

· Work on a 7-day shift system

· Use professional judgement to assess the needs of the service users who present with risk to life and manage and report any matters related to safeguarding. 

· Maintain accurate records and input data monitoring into the data base system.

· Participate in clinical supervision and reflective practise. 

· Provide training, mentoring and coaching to new recruits.

To be successful in this role you will have:

· a degree or professional qualification in Health or Social Care, Community Work or a related discipline

· previous experience of working in an advisory capacity in suicide prevention or mental health

· a proven record of working directly with vulnerable young people

· experience of providing advice and guidance via multiple communication channels

· the ability to empathise, support and build rapport with suicidal people and those who care about them, remaining non-judgemental and adhering to the remit of the service

Salary: £31,454 per annum (Scale point 24) progressing by increments to £34,776 per annum (Scale point 28) As a night shift worker, you will receive an additional allowance of £173.00 per month based on working 4 nights per week.

Hours:  33 hours per week

Working arrangements:  This role will work shifts starting at 10:25pm and finishing at 7:40am. Shifts will be on a rota bases across a 7-day working week.  33 hours will be based upon working 4 nights shifts per week.

Location: Edgbaston, Birmingham  
Contract: Permanent

Benefits: You will receive 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time workers),  an attractive pension scheme, Simply Health membership and enhanced sick pay. Please visit our website for more details.

Closing date: 21st July 2025

We reserve the right to close the vacancy earlier if we receive sufficient applications so, please submit your application as soon as possible.

PAPYRUS is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment and its recruitment policies are designed to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PAPYRUS is committed to safeguarding all children, young people and adults at risk that interact with the organisation. The organisation recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of these vulnerable groups by a commitment to procedures to protect them. The charity expects all staff and volunteers to fully support and promote these commitments.

BACKGROUND

Church of England Birmingham (CofEB) is on a journey of growing churches at the heart of every community. Through this we are seeing growth in many exciting ways. Financially we are at a challenging point. We have had an operational deficit for a number of years and this cannot continue. There are current conversations happening with the National Church around how we get to a sustainable platform through partnership. One key aspect of this is for us to increase our Common Fund returns (the giving from our parishes that supports the costs of our life together). We are taking a radical new approach to our finances which includes intentional reallocation of income to support the costs in our most economically deprived parishes and deeper relationships with each parish around finance through conversation rather than correspondence. Over the next five years we are hoping to be able to move to a financially sustainable platform which will enable us to better serve our communities in the future. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

We need a Head of Generosity to lead the team, and project, that will focus on developing long term relationships with all of our parishes leading to:

• Greater support for our parishes.
• Increased generosity by, and within, our parishes.
• Increased Common Fund.

A steering Group has been established, which the Head of Generosity will be a part of, to plan, design and implement the activities needed to deliver our vision. Through partnership with the National Church we are expecting that there will be four members of this Generosity Team. 

This role, and the team, will need to work closely with Archdeacons and Area Deans, Directors of Mission, Ministry and Finance (and their teams), the Head of Communications and many others. We have one strategy and this is a part of that so needs to link well with all other parts. 

The Head of Generosity will also be Bishops Advisor for Common Fund. Bishop Michael is passionate about supporting our parishes and seeing Common Fund increase and this role will both channel his desire to parishes and help reflect what is learnt back to the Bishop as we progress.

The post holder will have the support of the National Giving Team who have extensive experience and resources to support those responsible for giving and generosity. They will also be given access to a strong and growing national network of people in similar roles. Their experience has proven invaluable to people in roles similar to this, building on best practice and learning from others across 41 Dioceses.

The role will have the following key responsibilities:

• Support in the recruitment and the establishment of the Generosity Team.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the members of the Generosity Team.
• Support the delivery design of this project and deliver the actions agreed by the Steering Group.
• Lead on Parish engagement across all areas of generosity, including the spiritual / theological nature.
• Appropriately discern and allocate team members to support different phases of the process and the different and wide-ranging developmental needs of parishes. 

Through the team:

• Create a bespoke multi year plan for Common Fund with every parish with key stakeholders including Archdeacons.
• Provide consultancy, resources, and hands-on support to parishes to grow regular giving, legacies, and other forms of financial support. This work will be able to draw on the resources developed by the national church as well as the data held on their Cornerstone Platform. The post-holder will be expected to engage in the work of the National Giving Team as part of the development of these wider resources.
• Develop and deliver training for clergy, lay leaders and PCCs, on financial management and giving and generosity with the Ministry team.
• Encourage and assist parishes in the implementation of the Parish Giving Scheme, introduction of contactless giving mechanisms and related diocesan initiatives.
• Source, develop and curate practical resources (digital and print) to support local stewardship campaigns and initiatives.
• Evaluate the impact of stewardship and generosity initiatives and adapt strategies accordingly to achieve the project outcomes.
• Create compelling communication tools that articulate the impact of generosity with our communication team.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Qualifications & Experience:

• Proven leadership experience preferably in financial management, fundraising, or stewardship within a faith-based or nonprofit organisation.
• Strong understanding of church governance structures and financial operations and requirements.
• Knowledge of generosity principles and Christian financial stewardship.
• A prayerful Christian with a deep commitment to the Church’s mission (Genuine Occupational Requirement).

Essential Skills & Attributes:

• Resilient and adaptable, able to handle challenges and maintain momentum in a demanding role.
• Strong people skills, able to engage effectively with parishes and church communities.
• Good communicator being able to engage a wide range of stakeholders and hold their attention.
• Trustworthy and credible, able to build and maintain confidence with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Empathetic towards parishes and deeply committed to supporting the local church.
• Excellent conflict resolution skills, capable of handling difficult conversations with care and professionalism.
• Highly organised, able to manage multiple priorities and keep track of numerous ongoing responsibilities.
• Team leadership ability. A good line manager able to set a positive team culture.
• Capable implementer, ensuring initiatives are successfully delivered, both at a local and diocese wide level.
• Financially literate, with a good understanding of budgets, stewardship, and sustainability within the Church.

Other Considerations:

• The role requires significant evening and weekend work, demanding flexibility and commitment.
• Local presence is essential—the role must be delivered in an incarnational way, engaging directly with communities.
• Must be able to balance multiple demands, effectively managing several "spinning plates" at once.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

The post-holder will be employed by the Diocesan Board of Finance for five years.

Salary and Pension: Salary of £48,000 plus membership of the Church Worker’s Pension Scheme with 12% employer contribution. We are open to discussion especially if you are ordained and are moving out of parish ministry.

Hours:  Full-time 35 hours (5 days) per week. Weekend and evening work will be required, for which the equivalent time may be taken back from standard working hours. We are happy to consider requests for flexible working, and please do mention in your application if you would be interested in looking at alternative working hours. 

Holidays: 5 weeks per year plus Bank Holidays and 3 Discretionary Days between Christmas and New Year 

Employer: Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance 

Responsible To: Director of Strategic Transformation

CLOSING DATE: 18th July 

INTERVIEWS: 1st August

The Church of England Birmingham is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where all can be themselves and bring their unique identity to their ministry and/or work.  

We welcome applications from any individuals who feel that they meet the person specification for any post, in particular from those who are currently under-represented in or staff teams such as those from Global Majority Heritage or UK Minority Ethnic backgrounds, those with visible or invisible disabilities and those who identify as LGBTQI+. 

We offer a range of inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements and other services to our staff teams.

The Church of England Birmingham is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment.