Head of Finance

Head of Finance
As Head of Finance at Youth Fed, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the financial sustainability and strategic growth of our organisation. Your leadership will drive not only sound financial management but also strategic transformation, enabling us to better support and empower young people across the North West of England.

We are looking for a dynamic and forward-thinking finance professional who thrives in a complex organisational structure. You will be an agent of change, leading the simplification of financial processes and governance while maintaining a strong focus on compliance and risk management.

Your primary objective is to deliver accurate, timely financial insights that support informed decision-making while maintaining robust internal controls. Additionally, you will contribute to the charity’s ongoing evolution and improvement, ensuring our services align with our objectives.

Youth Fed is a dynamic charity with multifaceted operations. Success in this role requires adaptability, proactivity, and resilience, along with a strategic mindset and the ability to influence and drive positive change.
We welcome applications from those seeking a permanent position as well as individuals looking for a more flexible, fixed-term contract.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership

1. As part of the Senior leadership team, contribute to the overall strategic direction of the charity.
2. Develop and implement financial strategies that support long-term sustainability, including budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and long-term financial planning.
3. Identify and drive simplification of financial processes to enhance clarity, accessibility, and efficiency across the Charity.
4. Challenge existing ways of working and champion continuous improvement, creating a more effective and agile financial function.
5. Lead the development and delivery of the Charity’s Business Plan and Annual Report.
6. Oversee the Annual Audit, working closely with auditors to prepare the Annual Accounts.

Financial Management & Reporting

1. Develop and monitor the charity’s annual operating budget, ensuring compliance with financial and statutory regulations.
2. Provide accurate and timely financial reporting and analysis, including balance sheets, cash flow reports, management accounts, and financial statements.
3. Report on the financial health of the charity, including year-to-date analysis and cash flow forecasts at Board level.
4. Offer financial insights for tenders, grant applications, and service investments, ensuring strategies are both financially viable and operationally feasible.
5. Develop timely and accurate project budgets for fundraising initiatives and programme delivery.
6. Oversee the financial reporting of Youth Fed programmes within set timeframes and budgets.
7. Line management of one member of staff.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

1. Ensure robust financial controls, policies, and procedures are in place.
2. Fulfil Company Secretary duties, ensuring compliance with Companies House and Charity Commission requirements.
3. Comply with all relevant charity, financial, and legal regulations, including HMRC, Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), and Financial Reporting Standards (FRS).
4. Oversee information security systems, acting as the Data Protection Officer.
5. Manage financial, operational, and reputational risks, maintaining and updating the organisation’s Risk Register on a quarterly basis.
6. Take full responsibility for identifying and mitigating financial risks while ensuring compliance with the Charity’s purchasing policy.

Leadership & Collaboration

1. Be accountable to the Chief Executive and Trustees for the work of the Finance Department.
2. Report to the Chief Executive and Board of Trustees on financial performance and strategic financial planning.
3. Champion Youth Fed’s vision, mission, and values, representing the charity internally and externally.
4. Actively promote equality, diversity, and inclusion across the organisation.
5. Foster a collaborative culture, encouraging cross-team working and problem-solving.
6. Ensure strong project management oversight, adhering to timelines, budgets, and quality standards.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
Essential

1. Holds a professional finance qualification
2. Experience in financial leadership and management.
3. Proficient in financial analysis and risk management.
4. Proven experience in budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting
5. Confident communicator, adept at engaging effectively with diverse stakeholders
6. Ability to think strategically and contribute to organisational development.
7. Familiarity with procurement processes and information security.
8. Ability to present financial data to a non-financial audience.

Desirable

1. Strong knowledge of charity financial regulations, SORP, and FRSs.
2. Good understanding of the third sector.
3. Demonstrated track record in overseeing project finances
4. Experience of project management
5. An understanding of investment models
6. Experience in leading and managing external audits and financial reporting.

Terms and Benefits of Employment:

Salary
Up to 50k (depending on experience) plus benefits package including pension and private health care.

Location
Our Head Office is based in Ellesmere Port. We operate a hybrid working policy but require office attendance to meet business needs. This means that the amount of time in the office one week, may differ to the next.

Hours of work
The standard working week at Youth Fed is 37.5 hours, Monday to Friday. Depending on the nature of the role, sometimes evening and weekend work is required. We are committed to empowering people to work flexibly, allowing people to structure their work around their personal commitments and based around business needs.

Holiday
We offer a holiday allowance of 28 days per year, plus public holidays.

Employee Assistance Program
Youth Fed is proud to offer an Employee Assistance Program, provided by Wisdom. Mental health support can be accessed, including counselling, as well as physical wellbeing advice, and free financial and legal advice.

Vitality Health Care
Entitled to membership of the Vitality Healthcare Scheme, which is a taxable benefit.

Pension Auto Enrolment
Auto-enrolment into our pension scheme with Aviva to which Youth Fed contribute 6% per month. Once a member, you have access to discounted Aviva products through the portal. Members may opt out at any time.

Equal and Fair Opportunity
Youth Fed is an equal opportunity employer and is fully committed to a policy of treating all its employees and job applicants equally.

The recruitment process will be conducted in such a way as to result in the selection of the most suitable person for the job in terms of experience, abilities, and qualifications. Youth Fed is committed to applying its equal opportunities policy statement at all stages of recruitment and selection. Advertisements will encourage applications from all suitably qualified and experienced people. The selection process will be conducted consistently for all jobs at all levels. All applications will be processed in the same way. The employees responsible for short-listing, interviewing, and selecting candidates will be clearly informed of the selection criteria and of the need for their consistent application. Wherever possible, all applicants will be interviewed by at least two interviewers and all questions asked of the applicants will relate to the requirements of the job. The selection of new employees will be based on the job requirements and the individual’s suitability and ability to do, or to train for, the job in question.

With disabled job applicants, Youth Fed will have regard to its duty to make reasonable adjustments to work arrangements or to work premises in order to ensure that the disabled person is not placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with persons who are not disabled.

Your Privacy
At Youth Fed, your privacy is very important to us, and we take all reasonable steps to protect any personal information you provide when applying for a position with us. We take care to follow data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 2018, please be reassured we will securely dispose of all applications after 6 months.

How to apply
CV & Covering letter to be sent through to or posted to Youth Fed, 20-21 Inward Way, Rossmore Business Village, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 3EY.

#J-18808-Ljbffr