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DFN Project SEARCH is looking for an experienced charity finance professional to take on the newly-created Head of Finance role. As a well-established and successful UK charity, we are operating in a period of continued growth and require a Head of Finance who combines reliable financial insight, robust control and strong governance with hands-on delivery. This role will work closely with the Finance Director and wider executive team while remaining directly involved in month-end, reporting, controls, cash flow and systems improvement. This role has a requirement to travel to London an average of twice monthly as well as other UK travel to support away days and programme visits.
Key responsibilities include:
- End-to-end ownership of the finance function, ensuring accurate, efficient and compliant day-to-day operations.
- Working closely with the Finance Director to deliver management reporting, annual budgeting, statutory accounts and audit support.
- Strengthening cash flow forecasting, treasury oversight, credit control and financial planning to support organisational growth.
- Principal owner of the charity’s financial controls, policies, procedures and systems, further developing the use of Xero for real-time insight.
- Supporting the charity’s funding model through strong oversight of restricted funds, grant reporting, contract support and funder compliance.
- Build financial understanding across the organisation by supporting budget holders and translating financial information for non-finance colleagues.
- Clear reporting relationship with the Finance Director and line management responsibility for the Finance Administrator.
Essential criteria
The successful candidate should be a fully qualified accountant who is comfortable leading and doing in a small charity environment. They should be technically strong, confident with hands-on financial operations, and able to work credibly with the Finance Director, executive colleagues, trustees, external advisors and non-finance budget holders.
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent).
- Proven experience in a finance management role with end-to-end responsibility for a finance function.
- Strong working knowledge of Charity SORP and charity accounting requirements.
- Experience preparing management accounts, statutory accounts and board-level financial reports.
- Strong cash flow management, balance sheet reconciliation and month-end close capability.
- Experience of restricted funds management, grant reporting and supporting budgets for funding applications or tenders.
- Confident using accounting systems, ideally Xero, and advanced Excel.
- Ability to explain financial information clearly to non-specialist audiences and partner effectively with budget holders.
- Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to line manage and develop a small finance team.
- Proven experience in developing and implementing Financial Instructions in a charity setting
Desirable criteria
- Experience of leading change and process optimisation
- Experience in a remote or distributed organisation
- Experience of working with complex stakeholder groups across education, public sector, social impact or donor settings
- Experience of payroll oversight, VAT returns and finance systems/process improvement would be highly valuable.
Remuneration and Offer Considerations
Over and above the salary range offered, we also offer:
- Flexible working arrangements considered including jobsharing and part-time (minimum of 4 days per week) work as well as a condensed hours working pattern of 10 working days over 9.
- Annual leave buy-back.
- Remote role with travel as required.
- Wellbeing benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme and NHS top-up support.
To apply for this role you must have the right to work in the UK.
Please send a copy of your CV with a maximum of two pages, and a supporting statement outlining why you would like to work for DFN Project SEARCH, why you are interested in this role, how you meet the essential and where applicable the desirable criteria, and what experience you would bring if you were to be successful.
Final panel interview date is scheduled for 30 June 2026.
DFN Project SEARCH is a disability confident employer. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments during your application process.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About Us
The Early Education and Childcare Coalition unites the voices of parents, children, providers, early years professionals and the wider business community, working together for investment and reform of early education and childcare in England.
We believe that we all benefit from a well-functioning early education system and we all have a role to play in ensuring it works for children, parents and the economy.
We are backed by some of the most high-profile campaign and research organisations in the UK. Our members span providers, parent groups, trade unions, the business community and NGOs. Together, we use our collective voice and research to build public and political support for change.
This is an exciting time to join the Coalition. We have experienced significant growth in recent years and, with early years firmly on the political agenda, we expect this to continue.
About the role
- Hours: 30 hours per week (this can be worked over 4 or 5 days). We will consider other working patterns with a minimum of 3.5 days per week worked over 4.
- Duration: Two-year contract, renewed subject to funding
- Location: Home-working, can be based anywhere in the country
- Salary: c. £53,820 per annum FTE (£43,056 pro-rata for 4 days)
We are a remote team, with most colleagues based outside London. This role will support the whole organisation and requires occasional in-person meetings such as in-person team planning days which you will be expected to travel to.
We work flexibly and understand the realities of balancing work with caring commitments. We trust you to manage your time, but expect most hours to be worked within core office hours. To support effective remote working, all staff work on Thursdays.
This is a senior, cross-cutting leadership role sitting at the heart of the organisation. You will lead on operations, finance, HR and organisational systems, while working closely with the Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and the Board to ensure the Coalition is sustainable, well-run, and set up for growth and impact.
About You
You are an experienced operations leader with a strong track record of building and running effective organisational systems, ideally within a charity, social impact or policy environment.
You are equally comfortable developing strategy and rolling up your sleeves to deliver. You bring strong financial and organisational management skills, and are motivated by enabling high-impact teams to thrive.
You have experience working at senior leadership level and are confident operating across a small, fast-paced organisation where priorities can shift quickly. You are a systems thinker who can spot gaps, create structure, and improve how things work.
What You Can Expect to Be Doing
Function leadership
- Work as part of the Senior Leadership Team
- Contribute to organisational strategy, planning and growth
- Support organisational decision-making, balancing operational, financial and strategic priorities
Develop operations and organisational systems
- Oversee the day-to-day running of the organisation, ensuring efficient and effective operations
- Develop and implement systems, processes and policies to support a scaling organisation
- Take ownership of organisational infrastructure (e.g. CRM, internal systems, workflows)
- Improve internal coordination, planning and ways of working across functions
Financial management and sustainability
- Oversee day-to-day financial operations, including reporting, invoicing and payments
- Support organisational financial planning, forecasting and scenario modelling
- Work with external accountants/bookkeepers and ensure strong financial controls
- Support the Executive Director and Board on financial governance and decision-making
People management
- Ensure the organisation has robust HR systems in place, ensuring they reflect changes in legislation, support staff wellbeing and development and foster an inclusive and positive culture
- Lead recruitment, onboarding and staff contracts
- Support performance management, team development and organisational culture
Programme and contract management
- Oversee operational delivery of programmes and projects
- Manage funder agreements and contracts, ensuring compliance and reporting
- Support programme leads with planning, delivery tracking and coordination
- Strengthen systems for delivery and accountability
Governance and organisational support
- Support effective governance, including Board coordination and reporting
- Ensure strong administration of meetings, papers and decision-making processes
- Strengthen alignment between governance, strategy and operations
Cross-organisational leadership
- Act as a central coordination point across policy, campaigns, research and communications
- Support other heads of function to deliver effectively through strong operational systems
- Identify and address organisational capacity gaps, particularly in admin, finance and infrastructure
Person Specification
Essential
- Experience of working at senior leadership level
- Strong experience in operations and financial management
- Experience establishing or improving systems and organisational infrastructure
- Experience of HR processes and people management
- Experience supporting governance and working with senior stakeholders
- Ability to operate effectively in a small, fast-paced and growing organisation
- Strong organisational, problem-solving and communication skills
Desirable
- Experience in a charity, coalition, membership or policy organisation
- Experience supporting organisational growth or scaling
- Experience managing CRMs or digital systems
- While not essential, we would welcome applications from candidate who have either a HR or a financial qualification i.e. CIPD qualified or AAT qualification or similar level of experience and knowledg
The application process
Please apply with a CV and cover letter (no more than two pages) by the listed closing date. No agencies please. We recognise that the use of AI technologies can be useful in reducing the work that goes into job-hunting, however, we kindly request that you use your cover letter to evidence that you have understood the requirements of the role and provide examples of how you can meet the criteria.
The EECC is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We use anonymous recruiting during the application process and we use positive action under section 159 of the Equality Act in relation to disability or race. This means that if we have two candidates of equal merit in our process, we will seek to take forward the disabled or Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic candidate in order to diversify our staff team.
We regret that our small team does not have capacity to respond to unsuccessful applicants individually.
Timeline
- Closing date: 23:30, Thursday 11th June
- Notified for interview by: Tuesday 16th June
- Interviews: We expect this to be a two-stage interview process with first interviews held on either 24th or 25th June and second stage interviews arranged an agreed time.
Non Charity Employer
6 - 10
Working together for an early education and childcare sector that delivers for our children, for parents, and for the economy.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
Artswork is looking for a Data Protection & Impact Manager to lead Artswork’s approach to data so we operate safely and legally, and so that data informs every area of our work, shapes our planning, and enables us to demonstrate the impact of our programmes. This role works closely with the Evaluation & Impact Manager, and focuses specifically on data protection, data analysis and data reporting e.g. to funders.
We are looking for someone to lead on data analysis and data protection within Artswork, embedding a data-led approach to our work. Working closely with the (part-time) Evaluation & Impact Manager, you will not only provide expertise in data generation across the organisation but also insightful analysis of the data to feed into the organisation’s strategic decision-making. You’ll be skilled in using tools that enable us to aggregate, manipulate and visualise data. You’ll be able to generate reports at different levels, from overviews to granular detail, and you’ll be willing and able to do accurate, capable data entry when needed (for example onto funders’ reporting platforms). You’ll liaise with other teams around their data requirements, particularly the Co-CEOs, Fundraising and Sales & Marketing. You’ll also lead on Data Protection for the organisation, training team members, generating ‘how to’ guides for colleagues and ensuring that our data protection policies and procedures are updated and compliant with current legislation.
Main Responsibilities:
Strategy
- Embed a data-led approach across Artswork, ensuring data is used to inform organisational planning, prioritisation and decision-making.
- Collaborate with the Evaluation & Impact Manager to align data generation, evaluation activity and reporting cycles, ensuring coherence across programmes.
- Develop, maintain and continuously improve organisational data systems, tools and processes so that they are fit for purpose, efficient and scalable.
- Provide insight and recommendations based on analysis, highlighting trends, opportunities, risks and areas for improvement in our work directly with children and young people.
Data analysis and treatment
- Lead on organisation-wide data aggregation and analysis, ensuring accurate interpretation of programme, audience/participant and organisational data.
- Collaborate with the Evaluation & Impact Manager to support the design and improvement of data collection methods (e.g. surveys, forms and CRM processes), ensuring data is robust, consistent and useful.
- Clean, validate and audit datasets to maintain high data quality, including addressing gaps, duplicates and errors.
- Maintain and improve data structures (e.g., spreadsheets, CRM exports, dashboards), enabling analysis at overview and granular levels.
- Use appropriate tools to analyse and visualise data efficiently (e.g., Excel/Power Query, Power BI, dashboards), and document processes to support consistency and continuity.
- Carry out accurate data entry when required, including into funder platforms and monitoring systems.
- Liaise with colleagues across teams (particularly Co-CEOs, Fundraising and Sales & Marketing) to understand their data needs and provide analysis in usable formats.
Impact reporting
- Collaborate with the Evaluation & Impact Manager to produce clear, accurate and timely reporting for internal and external audiences, working together to translate data into insight and narrative.
- Support consistent reporting cycles (quarterly/annual as required), including monitoring returns and KPI reporting.
- Contribute data and insight to funder reporting, including accurate entry onto funders’ platforms and the production of supporting evidence.
- Generate reports at different levels (headline dashboards through to detailed breakdowns) to support operational planning and strategic decisions.
- Work with Fundraising and Sales & Marketing to align impact evidence with funding priorities and communications needs, providing statistics, summaries and insights.
Data Protection compliance
- Lead on Data Protection for the organisation, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and internal policies and procedures.
- Maintain, implement and regularly review data protection policies, procedures and guidance, ensuring they are practical and compliant.
- Train and onboard staff on data protection requirements, creating accessible ‘how to’ guidance and providing ongoing support to colleagues.
- Support and advise on appropriate data handling, including lawful bases, consent, retention, deletion and secure storage.
- Work with the Finance & Operations team and external IT provider to review and implement new data security requirements, including mapping software use and implementing new data protection controls.
- Review data protection clauses and data sharing agreements for organisational contracts with third parties especially in relation to tenders and new business.
- Manage subject access requests, data protection breaches, internal investigation & documenting, external responses and organisational learning.
- Liaise with teams to ensure their data practices (including fundraising and communications activity) meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Administration and Legal compliance
- Maintain positive professional relationships with our participants, partners and stakeholders.
- Adhere to Artswork’s values and its policies and procedures, i.e. Equalities, Health and Safety, Data Protection, Safeguarding and Environmental policies.
- Be a committed champion for Artswork’s Anti-Discrimination Charter.
- Maintain and develop personal skills and knowledge through appropriate training.
- Perform own administrative duties.
Application Procedure
Applicants should complete the Artswork application form, available below. CVs will not be accepted, and applicants should not attach CVs or other supporting documents.
Applications must arrive by 12:00 Monday 8 June 2026 using the online form provided.
We would be grateful if applicants could also complete Artswork's equal opportunities monitoring form using the link provided at the bottom of this page. This is separate from your application form and not viewed by the shortlisting or interviewing panel. It is submitted anonymously and is only used for monitoring purposes.
Benefits:
We provide a range of benefits for employees including:
- Flexible working options
- Generous 29 days holiday pro rata plus bank holidays, including guaranteed time off between Christmas and New Year
- Access to the Sage Employee Benefits programme
- Stakeholder pension
- Additional wellbeing time, which allows you to take 25% of your hours back when you really need it
- Enhanced Parental Leave and Carer’s Leave Policies to help maintain a positive work life balance that recognises caring commitments
- 3 paid volunteering days a year, including 1 dedicated to environmental activities
We champion continuous professional development and offer all employees access to training opportunities, as well as investing in your learning and nurturing your aspirations with a £500 annual budget to be spent on training of your choice.
Accessibility and flexible working:
Artswork values the diversity of its employees and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We help everyone to work in a way that is best for them and have an Adjustments Policy to enable us to support employees by implementing measures that remove barriers and make working easier.
Artswork’s flexible working policy includes compressed hours, flexitime, staggered hours and reduced hours or a combination of these arrangements. We support remote working for all roles.
We welcome requests for adjustments and flexible working at any stage of the recruitment process. These are not considered as part of our scoring or decision making when assessing candidates for the role.
Closing date and interviews:
Applications must be made by 12:00 Monday 8 June 2026 using the online form provided on our website
Interviews:
Interviews will take place on Tuesday 23 June 2026 on Teams.
This will be a standard interview. Candidates who are selected for this stage will be informed no later than 5pm on Tuesday 16 June. If you are successfully shortlisted, the interview questions will be sent in advance to support you. If you require any further support please let us know.
We regret to say that we will not be able to provide feedback to candidates who have not been shortlisted. Thank you for your interest in this post.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We empower young people to lead change through creativity – for themselves, their communities and the world.
