Interim Head of Finance (charity)
Employer Location England, Bristol Salary Competitive Closing date 17 Feb 2026 View more categoriesView less categories Sector Salary band, Contract type Hours Where will they be working You need to or to save a job.
Job Details
Contract: 4-6 months initially (with scope to extend while a permanent hire is sourced)
Start: ASAP - Teams interviews scheduled immediately (1-stage with CEO and Head of People)
Reporting to: CEO
Team: 1 x Assistant Accountant (you'll be 1 of 2 in finance)
Location: Bristol - can work on a very flexible hybrid basis - client preference is 2 days a week on site/ in one of the offices
The Opportunity:
Join a purpose‑driven charity at a pivotal moment. As Interim Head of Finance, you'll take full ownership of the finance function, steady the ship during a period of transition, and partner closely with the CEO, SLT, and Board of Trustees to drive confident, informed decisions.
What You'll Lead & Deliver
1. Own day‑to‑day finance operations end‑to‑end, ensuring robust controls, timely reporting, and smooth month‑end.
2. Act as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, providing clear, actionable financial insight to the SLT and Trustees.
3. Analyse performance across activities/programmes, highlighting risks, opportunities, and ROI.
4. Budgets & forecasting: prepare and refine budgets/forecasts that underpin strategic plans.
5. Income & fundraising support: bring charity know‑how to review/support fundraising, income generation, and funding applications.
6. Systems change: the organisation is updating its Payroll & HR system in March - experience with BrightHR would be a real plus.
About You
7. A qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) who can step in and take ownership from day one.
8. Proven experience in the charity sector, with a solid grasp of charity reporting and governance.
9. Comfortable in a hands‑on role within a lean team, balancing detail with big‑picture thinking.
10. Calm under pressure, great with ambiguity, and effective at influencing senior stakeholders.
How to Apply
If you're immediately available for contract work and have recent, relevant charity experience, please contact Charles Maidment (Hays Bristol Finance) directly to discuss next steps. Directly on here on LinkedIn or email
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Company
At Hays we invest in lifelong partnerships that empower people and businesses to succeed. With over 50 years’ success under our belts and a workforce of 10,000+ people across 32 countries, we’ve evolved to put our customers at the heart of everything we do.
From CFO to Newly Qualified, we work with talented finance professionals and match them with organisations where they can achieve a lasting impact.
So much more than specialist recruiters in accounting and finance, what really sets us apart is our knowledge through scale, deep understanding and our ability to meaningfully innovate for our customers. All our consultants have strong relationships across the industry and the support of our extensive global network. That’s why organisations of all types and sizes – from international blue chips to SMEs – trust us to find the people who can help transform their business.
So, whether you want something local or international, permanent, or interim, we have the breadth of coverage and the depth of understanding to help you find it.
We have specialist recruitment teams in the following areas:
11. Corporate Governance
12. Credit Control
13. Part-Qualified Accountant
14. Payroll
15. Public Practice Accounting
16. Public Services Accounting
17. Senior Finance – Qualified
18. Support, Ledgers & Bookkeeping
19. Tax & Treasury
You can rely on us to deliver today and help you plan for tomorrow
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