Senior executive jobs in leeds, west yorkshire

At Makani, we are passionate about working with women seeking sanctuary to overcome trauma, fight for rights, and to transform lives and the world around us. Our vision is a world of freedom, equality and dignity for all refugee women and girls. 

WHAT WE DO

We work in Lebanon with Syrian and Palestinian women, and in the UK with women from all over the world. 

Our arts projects include theatre and craft therapy, filmmaking and feminist embroidery. We also facilitate access to training, education and income generation opportunities, and run workshops on parenting support and on women’s rights in a context of rights for all. 

Our flagship Oshana project provides refugee women in Lebanon with a dignified income, a supportive community, and a creative outlet for trauma through embroidery and crochet - and has built a reputation for beautiful design and impeccable craftsmanship. 

We are a young but ambitious organisation that is transforming the lives of hundreds of refugee women and their families in Lebanon, and dozens in the UK. We have rapidly grown over the past three years, with an accompanying increase in income. 

WHO WE ARE

Makani was founded in 2022 and officially registered as a charity in June 2024. One of our co-founders has her own lived experience of displacement; both have worked for many years supporting women who have been forced to leave their homes. 

We now have two staff in the UK and four in Lebanon. We work from home with occasional meetings in London for UK-based staff. As Finance and Administration Manager, you will join us as our seventh staff member, a key member of the team.

As a charity with a strong emphasis on mental health, we foster a supportive and inclusive working environment. We are friendly and flexible. Our team members enjoy working with Makani because we care about each other and are passionate about what we do.

Makani means ‘my place’ in Arabic. We gave this name to our charity as we want to create a space which women who have been forced to leave their homes, or who have felt dispossessed by society, can call their own. Could Makani be your place too?

THE ROLE

We are looking for an experienced and dedicated Finance and Administration Manager to lead on developing and maintaining our financial and organisational systems, enabling Makani to increase our impact on the lives of refugee women. 

Position: Finance and Administration Manager

Contract type: Permanent - but also open to applications on a consultant basis

Responsible to: Director of Operations

Location: Home-based, with occasional meetings in London (transport costs covered)

Hours: 20 hours per week, core hours to be agreed upon appointment, flexitime-friendly

Salary: £35,000 per annum pro rata (£20,000 for the 20 hour week)

Annual leave and benefits:

28 days annual leave pro rata (not including bank holidays)

Company pension with matched contributions of at least 3% after probation passed.

KEY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance

• Work with the Executive team to set and monitor annual budgets

• Record all financial transactions using accounting software (Xero)

• Record and track multiple restricted and unrestricted grants from a range of donors

• Prepare and present quarterly management accounts for the Board

• Prepare end-of-year accounts 

• Oversee payroll and ensure timely invoice payments

• Ensure the charity complies with the financial requirements of the Charity Commission, HMRC and other bodies

• Develop and maintain financial procedures and internal controls

• Liaise with external accountants or auditors for the preparation of annual accounts and statutory reporting

• Monitor cash flow and support the Director of Operations in maintaining financial sustainability

• Work with colleagues to prepare budgets and financial reports for funders

• Contribute to development of funding bids, with Executive Team.
   

Administration & HR

• Support the board and senior staff to maintain and update charity policies (safeguarding, finance, HR, etc.)

• Support the board to develop HR processes to ensure legal compliance 

• Organise and minute quarterly trustee meetings

• Book travel and support with other logistics as needed

• Other administrative tasks as relevant and appropriate
   

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

You will have:

• Proven experience in charity financial management, including restricted/unrestricted funding

• Familiarity with or willingness to learn Xero accounting software

• Familiarity with UK charity accounting and reporting standards

• Strong organisational and administrative skills

• Ability to work independently and remotely and to communicate well in a small team

• Understanding of good HR policies and practice for small charities 

• Understanding of or willingness to learn about other key areas of compliance such as data protection 

• Commitment to Makani’s mission and our feminist and anti-racist values

And it's desirable but not essential that you have:

• Experience of preparing funding bids and financial reporting to funders 

• Experience of working in a charity with some overseas operations

TO APPLY

To apply, click the CharityJob Apply button below.

You’ll be asked to submit a CV and a cover letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role.

• CV - no more than two sides A4.
• Cover letter outlining your experience and suitability for the role - no more than two sides A4.

First-round interviews will take place in the week commencing 29 September; final interviews may take place after that if required.

Closing date: 18:00 on 19 September 2025

Makani is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

UK-based/ Colchester or Home-based with monthly travel to Colchester office. Overseas travel with trips lasting from 10-14 days. 

This post requires the candidates to have independent rights to live and work in the UK

Background

Lepra is dedicated to addressing leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) and their consequences through direct support, advocacy, and the promotion of inclusive communities. We work in Bangladesh and in India, through our sister organisation, LEPRA Society. We work in partnership with people affected by leprosy and LF to improve detection, ensure access to treatment and care, and promote inclusion and wellbeing. Last year we finalised our new Global Strategy for 2024-30, which will guide us in our efforts to accelerate progress towards global targets for leprosy and LF, and towards our vision of a world free from leprosy and LF.

Job Context

Our Global Strategy marks a significant evolution in our organisational direction, introducing innovative approaches and renewed priorities. This includes our first-ever global Theory of Change (ToC), our most comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework to date, a Research and Innovation strategy, and a dedicated Advocacy sub-strategy to guide our influencing efforts.

With the Lepra Advocacy Strategy, we will be working over the next 6 years to strengthen our approaches to our advocacy efforts. The post holder will play a key role in supporting the roll out of the Advocacy strategy working closely with the Director of Programmes and Advocacy, the Head of Research, the Senior Programme Manager, the Programme Officer and the teams where we work.

Job Purpose

This role is an exciting role within the programmes team in response to evolving needs. The incoming post holder will work within the 5 person UK’s Programme and Advocacy team and will drive, advise and support the team in relation to Lepra’s advocacy profile. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, strategic and creative person who has outstanding skills to engage and work with a diverse team. We are looking for someone to work with a clear strategy and then develop, grow and successfully shape the future of Lepra’s advocacy efforts.

Working Relationships

Reports to Lepra UK’s Director of Programmes and Advocacy (DPA)

Works closely with the Programmes and Advocacy Team

Close working links with colleagues in India and in Bangladesh and the UK’s communications team

International travel as needed for programmes oversight and support, and external representation.

Key responsibilities

Advocacy Delivery (50%)

Under the supervision of the DPA implement Lepra’s global Advocacy strategy and coordinate advocacy initiatives.

Serve as the driver of advocacy efforts, facilitating the transitional year of implementation including coordinating the Advocacy Steering Group; advocacy toolkit development; action planning.

Represent Lepra in specific fora and advocacy networks and within the broader leprosy and NTD community in close coordination with the DPA.

Produce quarterly advocacy newsletters

Maintain quarterly reports on flagging areas of concern and actioning steering committee advice.

Assist in the preparation of policy documents and the presentation of papers for publication, conferences, or specific institutions and/or individuals - identifying and targeting the most appropriate audiences.

Support and contribute to the development and implementation of initiatives that foster an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment across organisational programmes, policies, and advocacy efforts.

Support and contribute to initiatives that promote inclusion and equity, with a strong focus on developing the leadership and advocacy capacity of people with lived experience of leprosy, ensuring their voices are central in decision-making and programme design.

Knowledge management / Learning and Development (20%)

Support the preparation of Lepra advocacy and policy documents.

Disseminate knowledge so that it is integrated into Lepra’s portfolio to amplify the impact for target audiences and improve their outcomes.

Facilitate the new knowledge and learning hub and forge a clear path for its evolution.

Facilitate knowledge sharing through updating the communications team with relevant materials for the new programme folder on the website.

Organise and develop advocacy training.

Develop and take ownership of the new programme’ s team knowledge sharing approaches.

Develop a workplan of knowledge sharing events. 

Support annual review meetings.

Communications (10%)

Assist the programmes team with the documentation of Lepra examples and models of best practice, at the same time identifying and developing mechanisms and avenues for the effective dissemination of this knowledge – internally and externally.

Assist the programmes team, DPO, Chief Executive and Country Programme staff in the synthesis of complex technical/scientific information adapting it to language and formats easily used by target audiences.

Contribute to content development of community engagement materials (public information, brochures, leaflets) that help explain the operations and impact of Lepra’s work to LF and/or leprosy affected communities.

Maintain good working links with Lepra’s UK Fundraising and Communications Team, contributing towards UK facing communications materials as and when required.

Prepare updates, papers, and reports for trustee meetings, funding partners, and wherever else applicable.

External representation (10%)

Support the Chief Executive, DPA and programmes team to maintain and expand existing strategic relationships with key international stakeholders to further Lepra’s advocacy strategy and advance Lepra’s agenda.

Ensure Lepra’s external profile is raised and become the go-to organisation for the leprosy community in terms of advocacy and policy briefings.

Support the preparation of documents for presentation, publication or dissemination at international fora.

Develop/support the development of country specific briefing notes/press kits with the communications team.

Represent Lepra at key events, conferences, and meetings to enhance our visibility and opportunity for impact.

Safeguarding (5%)

Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within Lepra’s implemented projects.

Ensuring that safeguarding mechanisms are in place and remain at the heart of all activities.

Support the integration of strong safeguarding and PSEA practices into project design and delivery.

Monitoring, evaluation, and impact (5%)

Ensure that all advocacy and knowledge transfer efforts are captured and embedded in appropriate results frameworks, objectives, outputs, indicators and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Provide inputs to Lepra’s reports, according to Lepra’s needs.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant degree level of education in Public Health, Social Sciences, Global Health, Human Rights, Political Sciences or equivalent experience.

Desirable

Relevant post-graduate qualification

Relevant professional health-related qualification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Minimum of 2 yrs experience of advocacy/campaigning/policy work with an overseas development organisation

Experience of working to advance the rights of excluded populations

Extensive knowledge of global health issues and an up-to-date familiarity with issues and practice in the international development sector

Experience in planning and implementing successful strategies/campaigns/advocacy in Asia.

Experience in programme/project planning, budgeting, M&E and reporting, within a non-governmental organisation, including the preparation of reports for institutional donors.

Ability to analyse and act on data.

Experience of working on issues in relation to disability, mental health, gender, human rights and social inclusion.

Experience in project coordination and management.

Desirable

At least two years’ experience as an advocacy manager, preferably gained with an overseas development organisation or in academia, in a similar health focused role.

Familiarity with data visualisation tools and packages.

Proficiency in one or more Indian languages (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Telugu, etc.) is an asset.

Skills, Attitudes and Personal Qualities

Highly motivated individual with excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal to build strong relationships, negotiate and persuade a wide range of audiences, with confidence at presenting and representing.

Proven strength in both written and verbal communication

Able to reach, network with and communicate to a wide range of stakeholders and potential stakeholders.

Excellent attention to detail, and organisational and time management skills

Ability to manipulate and analyse data to draw useful conclusions to improve programme delivery.

Ability to use databases, Word, excel, PowerPoint and other Office packages

Ability to work independently, be flexible and prioritise workload.

Ability to travel within the UK and overseas.

The right to work in the UK.

We operate a non-bias recruitment process and run our job advertisements through anonymous recruitment methods.

We offer a lot of flexibility in working practices and there is free reserved parking available at our Colchester office. We also offer 26 days annual leave plus public holidays (pro-rated), pension, Employee Assistance Programme and support from an in-house well-being team.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited for interview. Please check your email inbox and spam/junk mail folder for any email correspondence for this vacancy.

If you require any reasonable considerations such as access or information in an alternative format, please inform us soon as you are able so that we can make the appropriate adjustments.

Please do not use AI to help you write cover letters, CVs and responses to any screening questions.  We want to hear your original voice.