The Head of Operations and Finance provides strategic and operational leadership across operations, finance, people, governance and digital. They ensure the organization is well-run, financially sustainable, compliant and values-driven, so that our resources, systems and culture are aligned with our mission.
This is a senior internal support role, working closely with the Executive Director and acting as a central operational pillar for the organization.
1. Organizational strategy
- Provide clear, insight-driven analysis and recommendations to support major strategic decisions (e.g., new programs, partnerships, cost management) in regard to financial, people, and operational plans.
- Lead the annual planning budgeting process, ensuring alignment between objectives, activities, budgets, and KPIs.
- Build a high-performing, service-oriented function that supports colleagues to deliver impact.
- Champion a culture of accountability, learning, and collaboration across the organization, role-modeling our values in leadership and decision-making.
2. Financial strategy, planning & stewardship
- Develop and keep under review the organization’s financial strategy, ensuring long-term sustainability, appropriate reserves, and effective use of resources.
- Lead and coordinate the annual budget and medium-term financial planning process, working closely with budget holders to create robust, activity-based budgets.
- Oversee and, where appropriate, execute day-to-day financial operations, including supplier and expense payments, ensuring strong controls and timely processing.
- Provide timely, accurate, and insightful financial reporting to the team and board, including management accounts, restricted funds reporting, and forecasts.
- Maintain robust financial controls, policies, and procedures, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and accounting standards.
- Lead the relationship with external auditors and oversee the annual audit process, ensuring high-quality statutory accounts and a culture of continuous improvement in financial controls.
- Identify potential grants and other opportunities for project funding and assist the organization with applications.
3. People, culture & HR
- Champion the organization's values in all work-related activities.
- Develop strategy, workforce planning, recruitment, employee relations, and HR operations.
- Champion a positive and psychologically safe workplace culture. Lead on embedding equity and inclusion across the organization, shaping recruitment, policies, culture, and practices so that staff feel welcomed, represented, supported, and able to flourish.
- Lead the organization-wide objective-setting and performance management framework, ensuring clear expectations, regular feedback, and fair, constructive review processes.
- Oversee learning and development approaches so that staff and managers have the skills, tools, and support to perform at their best and develop their careers.
- Ensure all people-related policies and procedures (including safeguarding where appropriate) are up-to-date, legally compliant, values-aligned, and consistently implemented.
- Oversee insurance, payroll, and benefits, ensuring these are well-managed and compliant.
4. Governance, risk & compliance
- Liaise with the Board, ensuring effective governance processes and high-quality information flows between the board and staff.
- Ensure timely and accurate compliance with regulatory or funder requirements, including statutory filings and returns.
- Lead the development, maintenance, and regular review of the organizational risk register, ensuring an appropriate appetite for risk and clear mitigation actions.
- Coordinate the review, approval, communication, and implementation of organizational policies, ensuring staff are inducted, trained, and clear on their responsibilities.
- Planning the Board meetings agendas, ensuring members are well-supported to discharge their duties and have appropriate information to make decisions.
5. Digital, data, IT & systems
- Work alongside the team to support the organization's digital and technology strategy, ensuring systems and tools are fit for purpose.
- Oversee data protection and information security
- Lead the design and continuous improvement of cross-organizational systems and processes to reduce duplication, improve user experience, and increase efficiency.
6. Operations, facilities & supplier management
- Oversee the effective management of remote working arrangements, ensuring they are safe, inclusive, and support collaborative working.
- Plan for future workspace needs in line with organizational growth, culture and budget.
- Lead procurement and supplier management, together with the Operations & Contracts Manager, for key operational services, ensuring contracts are well-managed and aligned with our ethical, environmental, and sustainability commitments.
- Ensure robust health and safety arrangements are in place and implemented across all activities, including appropriate policies, risk assessments, and training.