Project support jobs in cricklewood, greater london

Head of Finance

Brain Research UK are seeking a Head of Finance to oversee the finance function and participate in the development of this evolving charity.

About us

Brain Research UK (BRUK) funds world-class research to discover the causes, develop new treatments and improve the lives of all those who are affected by neurological conditions.

The brain is the most complex organ in our body. It weighs just 3lb, yet it controls our emotions, senses and actions. Every single one of them. It is how we process the world around us. So when it breaks down, we break down. It doesn’t have to be this way.

There are hundreds of neurological conditions. We fund the best research to discover the causes, develop new treatments and improve the lives of those affected. We inspire scientists and families to come together, side by side, stride by stride.

We are an agile organisation operating with a small staff base to deliver far reaching impact.

The role

Effective financial management is central to our strategy and operating model. The Finance Manager will be crucial in determining how we manage our finances, resources and operations whilst embedding a culture of financial efficiency and effective controls.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Head of Finance will lead on financial matters and be expected to provide critical financial information, insightful analysis and timely reporting to facilitate the growth of the Charity.

The role is standalone but working within a closeknit team. It with therefore have a degree of autonomy but will be expected to contribute to the wider development of the Charity. This is a pivotal appointment within the Charity and will provide some broad exposure to the Board and Investment Committee.

We are therefore seeking a dynamic qualified accountant who has had wide exposure to financial reporting and processes, preferably within a fundraising Charity. Being a financial ‘all rounder’, there is a real opportunity to contribute to the way the Charity operates by instilling sound financial operations and providing meaningful financial reporting. The role provides an opportunity to lead the finance function and will suit a progressive accountant looking for this kind of responsibility.

We would therefore be looking for an individual that has demonstrable experience in operating financial functions and has the personality to fit within a charity that works collaboratively. 

The vacancy

We are seeking to appoint one lay member to sit on our GOC Council.

About the GOC

We are the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Our purpose is to protect the public by promoting high standards of education, performance and conduct.  For more information about us please visit our website:optical. org.

About the Council

The role of Council is to lead on the GOC’s mission to protect the public by upholding high standards in eye care services.  The Council is composed of six lay members (including the Chair) and six registrant members (i.e. registered optometrists and dispensing opticians).  At least one member of the Council must work wholly or mainly in each of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  One Council member acts as a Senior Council Member whose role is to carry out the Chair’s appraisal as well as provide a sounding board for the Chair and serve as an intermediary for Council members, Executive and stakeholders as necessary. 

The successful candidate will contribute to Council by exercising oversight, ensuring effective corporate governance, and making high-level policy decisions. They will be able to operate strategically and impartially; listen, communicate, and influence effectively; exercise judgment; and inspire confidence and support amongst our stakeholders. 

Remuneration and time commitment

Council members are remunerated in accordance with our member fees policy (£13,962 per annum plus reasonable travel and subsistence expenses).  The member fee includes time for reading and preparation.

The appointed member will be expected to commit approximately 2-3 days per month.  Meetings will usually take place via MS Teams but may on occasion be held at the GOC Offices at Level 29, One Canada Square, London, E14 5AA. There are occasional online catch-up meetings - these are currently scheduled on a Tuesday evening every 6-8 weeks, from 5.30pm – 6.30pm.

How to apply:

Please email the the following to appointment@optical. org

· your CV outlining your employment history, any relevant voluntary work, public service or other experience; together with any relevant professional, academic or vocational qualifications;

· the application form, stating how your experience matches the criteria for the vacancy you are applying for; and

· complete the EDI monitoring form linked in the candidate pack (this is an online form and does not need to be included in the email with your CV and application form).

APPLICATION DEADLINE:  midnight on Sunday 10 August 2025.

Online interviews will be held on between Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 October 2025.

If you have any questions, please email them to appointment@optical. org and we will aim to respond to you within 48 hours. 

We welcome applications from individuals who are disabled and from diverse ethnic backgrounds as these are currently under-represented on our council and committees.

We strive to be as diverse as the public we protect and welcome applications from everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy, maternity and geographical locations outside of London.

Job Title: Senior Building Surveyor (Qualified)
Hours: 35 hours (full time)
Location: ISHA, 102 Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, N4 2DR
Salary: £56,195 per annum
Contract: Permanent

This role is based at our Head Office but there is some flexibility to work in a hybrid way if preferred.

Requirements

Are you a qualified Building Surveyor who cares as much about people as you do about properties? Do you believe that everyone deserves a safe, warm, and well-maintained home? If so, you might be just the person we need. We’re on the lookout for a Senior Building Surveyor who's ready to roll up their sleeves, dive into projects, and a person who enjoys collaborating with colleagues.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a qualitied Surveyor to join our Assets and Repairs Team that makes up one element of the wider Housing and Neighbourhoods directorate. The team is led by an Assets and Repairs Manager with a small team of Repairs and Maintenance Advisers, a Disrepair Coordinator, two Surveyors and a Senior Building Surveyor. Whilst we may be small, we’re perfectly formed.

It’s an interesting and varied role for someone with a passion for keeping homes safe, decent, and future-proof—whether that means identifying structural issues, managing planned maintenance, or working with residents to make sure they feel heard and respected. It’s important to us that you’re someone who keeps residents, and their homes, at the heart of your work.

There’s a lot of positive changes happening at ISHA, and within our team, so now is a great time to join so you can be involved, have influence over those changes, and see the beneficial impact they will have over the next 12 months. There are plenty of opportunities for you to shape this into a role you’ll love.

This role will suit you if you have an eye for detail, a head for problem-solving, and ideally, a sense of humour—because we promise there will be blocked drains, pressing deadlines for report submissions, and occasional out of hours work to deal with resident emergencies. You need to be ready for anything, which means working flexibility to find solutions, alongside facilitating the delivery of excellent repairs, voids and planned works. 

We’re not just looking for a surveyor. We’re looking for someone who sees the bigger picture—and wants to be part of it.

Some key responsibilities include:

• Supporting Building Surveyors with problematic jobs to ensure a successful outcome.
• Ownership and responsibility for service-related complaints, disrepair cases or queries from customers ensuring that the customer experience is positive, professional and within set timescales.
• Authorising works and approve payments ensuring suppliers are paid in accordance with terms of contracts. Resolve disputes and queries promptly and ensure ISHA’s interests are always protected.
• Carrying out post-works inspections on a proportion of completed works to assess quality of work, value for money and tenant satisfaction.

Don’t feel you meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that some candidates are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single requirement. At ISHA, we are dedicated to building an inclusive workforce, so if you’re excited by this role but your experience doesn’t quite align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway. You just might be the right candidate for this, or other roles, because of your transferable skills.

About ISHA

We are a small but ambitious housing association at a critical juncture. Our ambition is for the communities we are anchored in and exist to serve, and we have done and achieved much over the past few years. But in these challenging times we know we’ll achieve nothing unless we are equally ambitious for own our people.

Our values are at the heart of who we are and everything we do, inspiring our thinking and guiding our actions. We strive to build a more diverse organisation, where everyone feels empowered to bring, and be, their best self to work.

We can’t be a brilliant landlord if we don’t partner with brilliant colleagues. Could you be one of them and be trusted to make the difference?

If this sounds exciting, we want you on our team. Please do apply.

Staff Benefits

We’ll offer you a generous pension scheme (up to 10% employer matched contributions and a death in service benefit), 29 days annual leave (increasing after five years’ service), eye care vouchers, a cycle to work scheme and other great benefits (see attached). We have an evolving wellbeing offer, that is being developed following employee feedback, and we will invest in your professional development with on-going training and career development opportunities.

Inclusion and Diversity

We want ISHA to be a great place to work and to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and those of Other Ethnicities, LGBTQ+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that passionate commitment to customers, respect for everyone, pride in Team ISHA and trusted to make the difference remains at the heart of everything we do.

Deadline: 12:00pm 25 August 2025
Interview: To be confirmed.

Interested?

Please click the apply button. You will then be redirected to our website where you can find out more information and complete your application.

Once you have landed on our website, you will need to do the following in order to apply for this role:

Application Process

Please apply with your CV and a covering letter telling us: -

(a) After reading the job description and person spec, why you feel you are a great fit, and how your experience matches the skills and requirements of the role?

(b) About one challenge (ideally work related) that you have had, how you managed it, and what did you learn?

(c) What you enjoy most about working in income related environment or where you have delivered excellent customer service.

(d) When completing multiple tasks with competing deadlines, how do you prioritise?

(e) Anything else you want us to know about you.

Please note: We can only be able to accept applications from candidates with eligibility to currently work in the UK.

Applications sent without a covering letter will not be accepted.

Asking for adjustments

ISHA is committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the application, interview, or assessment process, including providing information in an alternative format, please contact us.

No agencies please.