Director of Finance and Operations
Contract type: Fixed Term, initially 18 months, part time (initially 2 - 3 days a week)
Contract start date: asap
Location: Remote (some travel for meetings in London)
Please note, this role is only open to applicants residing in and with the right to work in the UK.
This is an exciting opportunity to become a key member of the leadership team for a unique Fund focused on commercial scripted and unscripted projects that address the climate crisis. This is a part time role working remotely, but with the potential for growth.
THE COMPANY
Climate Spring is a unique organisation working to fund and develop content with the world’s leading production companies and broadcasters. We are a company based in the UK working globally, funded by philanthropic foundations. Our team is made up of film and TV professionals, climate and funding experts based in the UK, US and France. Our primary focus is on identifying, supporting and developing a range of long-form content that is commercially viable within the global English language market. We also provide consultancy and training support to the industry on climate storytelling within a commercial context. We aim to create better connections, coordination and partnership to what is a growing movement of interest Climate Spring has grown rapidly over the last 18 months, and has plans for further expansion.
THE ROLE
We are looking for a motivated and passionate Director of Finance and Operationsto join our team, to provide strategic and financial leadership and support to Climate Spring as it continues to grow
Key responsibilities:
- Strategic leadership on all finance and operational matters affecting Climate Spring’s activities
- Manage and oversee the organisation’s budget in line with the organisation’s strategy
- Support the Executive Director and Director of Impact with fundraising strategy and funder management.
- Oversee the financial management of the organisation
- Provide financial and operational leadership for the organisation’s establishment of a new production fund
- Prepare and present financial reports for board and funders.
- Manage relevant internal and departmental operational developments
- Oversee the organisation’s operations, ensuring effective and inclusive practices and policies
- Oversee the organisation’s HR policies and practice
- Supporting the Executive Director in reporting to the board and ensuring effective governance
Minimum role criteria:
- 10+ years of experience working in philanthropic, social investment or charity sector with significant leadership experience.
- Experience managing organisational budgets over £2m
- Experience managing a diverse team
- Experience managing grants and donor relationships
Additional desired skills
- Experience managing social investment funds
- Experience of the entertainment or culture sectors
- Experience setting up new organisations or companies
- Experience drafting contractual agreements
- Governance expertise
To be considered for this opportunity you will need to demonstrate the following skills:
Key skills:
- Excellent leadership skills that foster inclusive cultures
- Excellent fundraising and donor/investor partnership management skills
- Entrepreneurial and adaptive, with creative problem-solving abilities
- Strong attention to detail
- Excellent organisational, time management and long-term planning skills
- Excellent writing and communication skills, including clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, negotiating skills, strong drafting abilities
- Professional individual who can build and manage a positive team dynamic
- Demonstrable experience of building and managing budgets and organisational finances.
- Problem solving skills, and a can-do, team attitude
- Ability to juggle multiple, competing priorities, pivot quickly, think practically and be solution-oriented
- Diligent and resourceful
We strongly encourage applications for this role from people with a disability and if you meet the minimum criteria for a role and you have declared that you are disabled, we’ll guarantee you’ll get to the next stage* (minimum criteria above). We're happy to discuss any support/personalisation you may need during our selection process as a reasonable adjustment.
NEXT STEPS
If your skills & experience fit the above requirements and you would like to talk to us about this role, please apply by emailing attaching:
- CV
- Covering letter (no more than 250 words)
Deadline for applications: 6th May 2025
Interviews: 26th May 2025
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
35 hours per week
£35,100 per annum
Home based with occasional office days when required
The Children's Society has been helping children and young people in this country for over 140 years. We run local services that support children when they are at their most vulnerable and in desperate need of help. We're there for children, every step of the way.
This role sits within Social Impact. Social Impact's primary focus is on 'Building a Movement,' which drives two key objectives:
-Changing society's attitudes and actions towards young people
-Growing support, raising income for The Children's Society
We are currently looking for Senior Copywriter with 5+ years of experience and a proven track record of crafting bold and standout brand voice, impactful campaign messaging in both long and short form, and is capable of creating engaging and insightful yearly reports.
Key parts of this role include an ability to manage your own time efficiently, hold strong collaboration skills to work with designers, social, digital and strategy roles, and an eagerness to bring colleagues from outside of creative & copy backgrounds (often youth service practitioners) along with you through the creative process.
KEY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
In order to be successful in this role, you must have:
-Experience of hands-on editorial content creation and copywriting for a wide range of comms inc. advertising, marketing, brand, fundraising, plus messaging development
-Using audience insight
-Using creative ways to communicate messages
-Broad digital knowledge and interest inc. content design and management, UX, accessibility, analytics
-Working in cross-functional groups with a shared goal
-Contributing to successful integrated campaigns
-Ensuring strong written identity
-Writing, editing and proofing copy for internal clients
-Working with design, video production, digital producers, story and voice colleagues
-Develop, champion, protect brand voice and tone
-Champion co-creation with children and young people
-Building strong collaborative relationships across knowledge groups
-Creative and critical thinking
-Understanding of and interest in accessible content design
-Proposition and creative concept development
-Stakeholder management
-Prioritisation and project management
-Knowledge of diversity and inclusion
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
-Act as enabler of our brand messaging and voice by coaching and upskilling colleagues and freelancers to develop messaging that is consistent with brand narrative and engages audiences, driving behaviour that creates action and impact
-Working closely with the Chief Creative to craft inspiring organisational messaging that builds on audience insight, tells a powerful story, elevates youth voice, amplifies message and grows support for the charity
-Support development and evolution of brand voice and editorial style guidelines that elevate youth voice, give young people agency and inclusive representation, help to ensure these are embedded across all messaging
-Applying audience insights, work with colleagues to develop brave, innovative and powerful creative propositions and concepts that deliver impact, achieve cut-through and meet campaign objectives
-Write and edit copy for a variety of audiences, purposes and channel executions, ensuring it delivers against the objectives as set out in the brief, building audience understanding and driving action and support
-Outputs: house style guide, brand narrative/voice and tone guidelines
-Organisational brand messaging
-Consistent cross-platform/channel/format brand expression
-Contribution to growth in attraction, support, income
-Contribution to audience understanding and attitude shift towards young people
INFO ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
The Children's Society runs over 100 local services that help thousands of young people who desperately need our support, and we campaign to get laws and policies changed to make children's lives happier and safer.
Every day we're changing the lives of children in this country for the better - and with your help, tomorrow we can be there for even more.
The Children's Society is committed to safeguarding and protecting the children and young people that we work with. As such, all posts are subject to a safer recruitment process, including the disclosure of criminal records and vetting checks. We ensure that we have a range of policies and procedures in place which promote safeguarding and safer working practices across our services.
Therefore, candidates applying for work in our CYP Directorate will be required to complete an “Employment history_template” document prior to interview. The fully completed document should be loaded by the candidate at the point of uploading your CV.
The closing date for applications is at midnight on Tuesday 6th May 2025.
Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.
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