Head of Finance
Contract type: Permanent
Working hours: Full Time - 37 hours per week
Salary: Circa £45,000 per annum
Location: Head Office - Newton Aycliffe, DL5
About The Employer
Our client is a long established environmental and community charity with over 30 years of experience creating greener, healthier and more resilient places across the region. Their mission centres on Creating Better Places, Improving People’s Prospects, and Promoting Greener Living, helping communities thrive no matter the challenges they face.
They deliver hundreds of locally led projects each year, including initiatives that support young people and adults into education, training and employment, helping them overcome barriers, build life skills, and reach their full potential.
About You And The Role
Our client is now seeking a strategic, forward‑thinking Head of Finance to lead their finance function and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of their organisation.
Job Purpose
This is more than a finance role, it’s an opportunity to guide, influence and strengthen the financial sustainability of a charity creating meaningful, lasting change. The organisation is seeking someone with strong financial management experience, including statutory reporting and VAT. Experience of charity accounting and SORP is desirable, but candidates from the private sector with the ability to learn charity‑specific requirements are welcome, further requirements of the role are provided below.
Responsibilities
* Provide strategic financial leadership across the organisation, working closely with the Chief Executive, Trustees, and Senior Leaders.
* Lead on financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial risk management.
* Ensure robust financial controls, compliance with charity accounting standards (SORP), and oversee VAT, statutory requirements, and audits.
* Manage and motivate the finance team, fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
* Strengthen financial systems, reporting, and automation to support operational efficiency.
* Support project managers with financial planning, grant management, and contract delivery.
* Drive improvements that support long‑term organisational sustainability.
Essential
* A recognised accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent).
* Experience delivering a wide range of finance duties, including management accounts, budgeting, strategic analysis, and year‑end processes.
* Experience managing finance teams.
* Outstanding analytical, organisational, and financial planning skills.
* Excellent communication skills, able to present complex information clearly to colleagues and trustees.
* High integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the values and mission of the charity.
Desirable
* Experience in community based or grant funded projects.
* Experience strengthening financial controls and supporting fundraising or contract bidding.
* Knowledge of procurement procedures or state aid regulations.
* Familiarity with Sage Intacct.
Closing Date
Thursday, 30th April 2026
Interview Details
To be confirmed after the closing date.
Disability Confident
The employer is a Disability Confident employer and offers a guaranteed interview to applicants with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role.
Safeguarding
The employer ensures a safe environment for adults, children and young people to take part in any activity or service that they organise. They are committed to creating a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children, young people and adults, and their safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring a consistent and comprehensive process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all the people they appoint are suitable to work with children, young people and adults.
Visa Requirement
This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship – the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract.
Other
No agencies please.
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