The Forest of Avon is one of England’s Community Forests and a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. The Forest of Avon was established in 1992 as one of the first England’s Community Forests and became a charity in 2008. The Forest of Avon hosts several programmes including the multi-million pound Trees for Climate and the Western Forest, delivering woodland creation and restoration across the region as well as our expert-led Nature and Health work. The charity has a growing team and an actively engaged Board of Trustees.
The Head of Finance (HoF) is responsible for overseeing all financial operations of the Forest of Avon Trust which now includes Western Forest, England’s first new national forest in 30 years covering Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the West of England (including North Somerset).
Our new HoF will manage the charity’s financial systems, preparing accounts, supporting audits, reporting to the Board of Trustees and overseeing and reporting on the financial elements of key programmes such as the Trees for Climate grant scheme and the Western Forest. The HoF also works closely with the team and external stakeholders to expand the charity’s financial capacity, ensuring transparency and effectiveness in all financial activities.
Role Description
Post: Head of Finance, Forest of Avon (including Western Forest)
Salary: £46,305-51,146, with annual pay review
Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week, flexible work hours
Line manager: CEO, Forest of Avon / reporting to Finance Sub-Group of Board.
Contract: Permanent
(Forest of Avon are also open to considering an Interim contract whilst recruitment for a permanent role is underway – please contact Solutions for HR as soon as possible)
Location: Central Bristol. Mainly office based with the option for some home working, as agreed.
Benefits include: Staff pension, Employee Assistance package, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, volunteering days and staff training and social events.
Some key duties of the role include (but are not limited to):
- Prepare the annual accounts and financial statements in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Work with the charity’s auditors to ensure the successful completion of the annual audit process.
- Provide monthly and quarterly financial reporting, including budget setting, forecasts, and projections to ensure the Trust’s financial health is consistently monitored, including projects such as Trees for Climate and Western Forest.
- Present financial reports to the Board of Trustees and Western Forest Boards, providing insight and recommendations on financial strategies and growth opportunities.
- Ensure accurate recording of grant agreements, claims processing, and reconciliation of funds in line with grant terms.
- Oversee end-of-year financial reconciliation and reporting for all funding programmes, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and financial policies.
- Provide financial input and support for the management of restricted funds, ensuring all are appropriately allocated and tracked.
The successful candidate will have/be:
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent) with extensive experience in financial management within a charity or non-profit sector.
- Strong experience in preparing accounts, managing audits, and financial reporting.
- Experience with grant management, including financial administration, claims processing, and reporting in relation to large-scale funding programmes.
- Strong financial analysis and reporting skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial data and provide clear insights to the Board and other stakeholders.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and advise both internal teams and external partners on financial matters.
- Strong organisational skills, with an ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Proficient in financial software and IT systems, including bookkeeping and accounting platforms.
Forest of Avon are an equal opportunity employer and applications will be considered without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, veteran status or age. The Forest of Avon is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable people and expects all members of staff to share this commitment. We seek to challenge the status quo with the power of diversity, inclusion, and collaboration. We encourage different perspectives and seek to support our team and partners to share and implement new ideas, to continue improving and to realise our full potential.
To apply for this role please submit your CV detailing your relevant experience together with a covering letter (cover letter to be no more than 2 A4 pages) to the recruitment team.
The closing date for this role is 5pm on Monday 2nd June 2025. Interviews are likely to be held w/c 9th June 2025.
Non Charity Employer 
6 - 10
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Internews is an international non-profit organisation whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, the ability to connect and the means to make their voices heard.
Internews provides communities the resources to produce local news and information with integrity and independence. With global expertise and reach, Internews trains both media professionals and citizen journalists, introduces innovative media solutions, increases coverage of vital issues and helps establish policies needed for open access to information.
Internews programmes create platforms for dialogue and enable informed debate, which bring about social and economic progress. Internews’ commitment to research and evaluation creates effective and sustainable programs, even in the most challenging environments.
Internews operates internationally, with administrative centres in California, Washington DC, and London, as well as regional hubs in Bangkok and Nairobi. Formed in 1982, Internews has worked in more than 100 countries, and currently has offices in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and North America.
About the role
The P&C Administrative Assistant will be based in our London office (two days a week), sharing time between general HR administrative and general office support duties. The role will support the People & Culture function on general HR and administrative tasks.
Roles and Responsibilities
Human Resources
- Monitoring shared P&C inbox, addressing enquires in a timely manner.
- Collecting and maintaining various HR trackers and databases.
- Providing administrative support for the recruitment process, posting job adverts, contacting candidates, scheduling job interviews and collecting recruitment related documentation.
- Assisting in the new joiner induction and on-boarding processes.
- Updating and maintaining staff records.
- Ensuring data is stored in line with principles of GDPR.
- Completing pre-employment checks, including reference, right to work, and vetting checks.
- Supporting the probationary process for new joiners (including scheduling meeting, distributing relevant documentation and collecting completed forms and feedback.
- Performs other related duties as assigned
- General Administration:
- As part of onboarding, facilitate the induction process for new joiners in the London office, including:
- Issuing access passes
- Coordinating with the TSS team on new joiner equipment
- Facilitate the DSE assessment process
- Act as a Health & Safety Officer and Fire Safety Officer for the London Office.
- Any other duties of an administrative nature
Person Specification
Essential
- Degree or equivalent work experience
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Knowledge of basic principles of GDPR
- Methodical, accurate and organized with a keen eye for detail
- Proven ability to successfully communicate and mediate with both management and staff
- Good understanding of Microsoft Windows including MS Word, Excel and Outlook
- Good communication and interpersonal skills
Desirable
- Experience of using Microsoft Applications
- Experience of using Human Resources Information Systems
- Experience of working in an International NGO
- Proficiency in additional language would be advantageous
- Proven ability to successfully operate in multi-cultural environments
Recruitment Timeline:
Closing date for applications: Wednesday, 14 May 2025
Candidates must submit a CV highlighting relevant experience. The successful candidate will also be asked to provide three professional referees, one of whom must be from their most recent employer.
The above noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, all the tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the job holder a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of his/her position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.
This position will be located in the United Kingdom and therefore a successful applicant must obtain the Right to Work in the UK in order to commence their employment
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
The Volunteer Engagement Manager will manage a range of volunteers and support groups, and support staff across the charity to ensure volunteers are recruited, trained and managed effectively
About us:
Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity bringing individuals, families and professionals together to fight muscle-wasting conditions. We bring together more than 60 rare and very rare progressive muscle-weakening and wasting conditions, affecting around 110,000 children and adults in the UK.
We share expert advice and support to live well now; fund groundbreaking research to understand the different conditions better and lead us to new treatments; work with the NHS towards universal access to specialist health; and together, campaign for people’s rights, better understanding, accessibility, and access to treatments.
Benefits:
We appreciate the range of skills and experience our staff have to offer. In return for your enthusiasm and commitment we commit to actively developing and supporting you. We also offer a range of benefits including pension, life assurance, cycle scheme, health cash plan, financial wellbeing and an employee assistance programme.
Please download the job description to see full role responsibilities.
Location: We operate a hybrid model (home and office, London SE1).
Closing date: 15 May 2025
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.