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For 30 years, Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal has helped transform children’s healthcare in Bristol, funding pioneering treatment, facilities and research at Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital. By uniting philanthropy with world-class medicine, the charity enables clinicians to deliver exceptional care and improve outcomes for babies and children across the South West and beyond. Our long-standing partnership with Aardman underpins the charity’s national profile and reach, while initiatives such as Cots for Tots and Gromit Unleashed demonstrate the scale, creativity and impact of our work. As The Grand Appeal continues to grow in scale, complexity and long-term investment commitments, we are creating a new Group Financial Controller role to strengthen financial leadership across the organisation and its subsidiary activities. This is a pivotal role at the heart of the charity. The successful candidate will ensure that the organisation’s financial systems, commitments and reporting remain robust, transparent and capable of supporting ambitious future plans - from major capital projects to long-term programme investment. Working closely with senior leadership and external advisers, the Group Financial Controller will help ensure that donor funds are stewarded responsibly and that the charity remains financially resilient as it evolves and grows. The role also covers the charity’s significant commercial and retail activity delivered through its trading subsidiary, requiring clear financial visibility of trading performance, margins and income streams. You will ensure this activity is reflected confidently within group reporting, supporting disciplined growth and long-term financial resilience. We are looking for someone who combines strong technical financial expertise with a practical, hands-on approach and the confidence to operate at both operational and strategic levels. This role offers the opportunity to shape financial governance in a growing, high-impact charity where financial leadership directly enables better outcomes for children and families. If you are motivated by purpose, value, integrity and want your work to have real-world impact, we would love to hear from you
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Job Type: Full time, Full time (potential for compressed/reduced hours)
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 - dependent on experience
About Us
We are West Sussex Mind the mental health charity which has been supporting the mental health of all people across West Sussex for over 50 years.
Rooted in our local communities and mental health partnerships, our 150 colleagues collaborate to build inclusive and empowering mental health services, reduce barriers to support and campaign to improve services and promote understanding. We also have a national voice through our membership of the Mind Federation.
2025 was the first year of our new ambitious 5-year strategy, “Building Resilient Communities Together”. This builds on our accomplished track record of achievement, growth and partnership working and points the way for us to develop and enhance our services, our teams and our ways of working.
The role
Right now, we are seeking a Head of Finance & Resources to join our senior leadership team and help us deliver on that mission. Your responsibilities will span finance, IT and premises and your brief will be to develop and deliver the insights, systems and processes that will enable us to grow and innovate.
This is a hands on role combining conscientious oversight, strategic impact and excellent communications skills to engage with and support our Trustee Board, senior leadership and delivery teams.
About you
Firstly, you will be passionate about making a real difference in people’s lives. At West Sussex Mind, we are all here to ensure that everyone experiencing mental health challenges get the support they need.
You will also be:
• Professionally qualified, or be qualified by wide experience in financial management
• Experienced in leading a finance and resources function within the charity sector, or able to evidence directly transferable knowledge and skills
• Experienced in preparing financial plans and budgets, against which performance can be assessed, and in supporting sustainable business development/growth with financial modelling
• Experienced with systems, processes and controls of core finance operations including sales administration, treasury, cash flow management, VAT, statutory reporting and payroll
• Demonstrate understanding of the financial reporting requirements of Companies House, the Charity Commission, Inland Revenue and other key financial agencies.
• Be able to provide leadership and management of an outsourced IT services provider
• Be flexible, able to operate independently, collaborate effectively to support and influence Trustees, the leadership team and non-financial colleagues with practical financial insights and guidance
• Be resilient and able to prioritise effectively and work with accuracy and to agreed timelines
• Be highly numerate with advanced Excel skills. Experience with Sage (or similar cloud-based system) would be an advantage
• Have strong problem-solving and communication skills
• Be committed to the mission and values of West Sussex Mind
How to apply
Eastside People is supporting West Sussex Mind in the recruitment of this role. Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter both in Word doc format.
Please use the cover letter (max 2 pages) as an opportunity to outline your interest and how you meet the role requirements.
You are welcome to send your cover letter in writing, or as a video or audio clip, alongside your CV.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If you have a disability or require reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please contact us so we can support you appropriately.
The closing date for applications is March 13 2026.
Shortlisting interviews will take place shortly after by Teams and shortlisted candidates will have interviews with West Sussex Mind at their offices on March 24 and 27 2026.
West Sussex Mind is committed to equality of opportunity for all staff, and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
It is important to us that anyone in West Sussex is able to get support. So our work includes outreach to ensure those who most need us know about us and feel able to ask for help. We provide support for children, young people, adults, older people, parents, carers and families, and specialist support for the LGBTQIA and resettled refugee communities.
You may also have experience in the following: Head of Finance, Director of Finance, Head of Finance & Resources, Finance Director (Charity), Charity Finance Manager, Head of Corporate Services, Director of Resources, Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Finance & Operations Director, Head of Business Support Services, Head of Finance and Operations, Financial Controller (Charity Sector), Finance Lead (Non-Profit), Director of Finance & IT, Head of Finance (Third Sector)
REF-226 818
Registered Charity
101 - 500
Together with those experiencing mental health problems, we will build inclusive and empowering mental health services.
