The Brain Tumour Charity is leading the way in research, support, and advocacy for everyone affect by brain tumours. Our mission is simple but urgent: to accelerate a cure for brain tumours and improve life for everyone affected by this devastating disease.

We have a five-year strategy with three strategic priorities: to transform the research landscape, to raise voices to campaign for change, and to improve quality of life through providing support and best care for everyone diagnosed with a brain tumour. Our work will include strengthening our research portfolio, developing internal research to understand and address under-served need, and building an evidence-based and sustainable charity that is fit for purpose for the future. This is a time of great opportunity for us as a charity. Ensuring our strong and sustainable financial health, with strong performance and planning, governance and IT Services in place is pivotal to achieving our bold ambitions.

Reporting directly to the CEO and as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Finance and Resources provides strategic leadership and operational oversight of the Finance, Governance, Planning and Performance, IT Services, and Facilities teams. The role is also Company Secretary and SLT Lead for the Finance Committee and Governance & Ethics Committee of The Charity. The postholder leads a department of c.15 colleagues, with five direct reports including three Heads of Teams covering Finance, IT and Planning and Performance; a Data Governance Manager; and a Facilities Manager.

📍Location: This role is based in our office in Fleet, Hampshire. We operate a hybrid working policy, with a minimum of two working days in the office per week.

⏰Working hours: This role is 37.5 per week. We support flexible working.

💰Benchmarked salary: £95,000 - £100,000

We’re seeking a qualified accountant with strong, senior leadership experience in a similar role from within any sector. Whatever sector you come from, you will be a self-assured professional who can partner with others who don't have your financial background to support strategic change.

You’ll be resourceful and innovative, keen to work alongside other leaders across The Charity to ensure our finances are secure, sustainable, and utilised for the greatest impact for the brain tumour community. You will have excellent business partnering skills and will operate as a strategic adviser and critical friend to the CEO, the wider Senior Leadership Team, and the board of trustees.

This role leads a diverse range of enabling functions at The Charity, and a background of leading multi-disciplinary teams, and of leading planning and governance strategies and processes will be important.

Strategic leadership

• Operating as a key part of the Senior Leadership Team of The Charity, supporting the development and delivery of our strategic plans.
• Contributing to the development of The Charity’s medium and long-term vision and strategy and ensuring accurate monitoring of our achievements against the strategy.
• Developing and leading a medium-term finance and resources strategy aligned to organisational goals and risk appetite.
• Providing trusted advice to the CEO and Board on financial, operational and governance matters.
• Championing a culture of accountability, performance and continuous improvement.

Strategic oversight of Charity finance, business planning and governance

• Accountable for the financial management and performance of The Charity, including through the design and delivery of finance strategy, financial modelling and strategic forecasting.
• Senior leadership of the finance team, ensuring strong financial analysis and plans, and sound financial controls, policies and risk management.
• Providing timely, accessible and useful financial information, KPIs and analysis to SLT, budget holders, Finance Committee and Trustees, proactively developing reporting analysis as required.
• Completing annual budgets and 5-year projections in a timely, detailed manner, providing analysis of key budget trends and year on year analysis.
• Working with the Head of Finance, as a direct report, to analyse trends in income and expenditure including restricted and designated funds, identifying, investigating and reporting on variances.
• Ensuring compliance with the relevant tax regulations for Gift Aid, VAT and submission of annual Corporation Tax returns.
• Overseeing corporate finance, including policies regarding capital requirements, debt, taxation, equity, disposals and acquisitions, investments and insurance as appropriate.
• Ensuring financial operations including payments are processed effectively and efficient by the Finance team and working with the Head of Finance on system improvements.
• Ultimate responsibility for financial audit and year-end processes, ensuring compliance with Charity SORP and other regulations.
• Overseeing The Charity’s performance framework and business planning cycle, enabling evidence-based decisions and clear reporting to the Board and SLT.

Strategic oversight and leadership of governance, data security, risk and compliance

• As Data Protection Officer, ensuring The Charity is compliant and adheres to best practice and legislative compliance. Reviewing and acting upon data breaches processed by the Data Governance Manager.
• As Company Secretary, ensuring all reporting to Companies House and the Charity Commission is submitted on time and changes to the Board of Trustees are notified in a timely manner.
• Ensuring that the governance of The Charity including the Board of Trustees complies with all legislative requirements and best practice.
• Provide SLT leadership to the Governance and Ethics Committee, with SLT responsibility for investigating non-fundraising complaints against The Charity.
• Identifying, assessing and mitigating strategic risks that may inhibit the organisation’s ability to achieve our goals, income targets, our brand or reputation.

Strategic oversight of IT Services and wider Charity operations

• Providing strategic oversight of IT and digital infrastructure, ensuring systems are secure, scalable and support efficient ways of working across The Charity.
• Reviewing all strategic funding and supplier contracts to ensure alignment with The Charity’s policies and terms.
• Overseeing supplier relationships and technology procurement as SLT sponsor to ensure resilience and value for money.
• Being the strategic sponsor for the development of a data and insight strategy to strengthen organisational learning and decision-making.
• Overseeing the management and maintenance of the Fleet office and our location strategy and plans.
• Ensuring effective health & safety, business continuity and environmental sustainability practices.

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA or overseas equivalent).
• A proven track record of success in inspiring, leading and managing a team of comparable size and complexity to deliver high quality results to deadlines.
• Extensive senior leadership experience covering finance and at least one other resources discipline (e.g. IT, governance, or facilities).
• Experience of working in a senior team to develop, communicate and implement organizational-wide business plans.
• Proven experience and understanding of data management, analysis and evaluation to meet organisational needs.
• Demonstrated experience in risk management and governance at Board level.
  

Essential Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Personal and professional credibility and integrity to inspire confidence with Trustees, leadership, senior managers, the wider Charity team, external partners and stakeholders.
• Strong financial analysis and modelling skills to support commercial decision-making.
• Good working knowledge of company secretarial, legal and tax issues relating to companies and/or charities.
• A proven strategic thinker, with the ability to develop strategy and ensure its effective implementation.
• Experience of formulating, overseeing and reporting on operational plans with KPIs.
• Confident written and verbal communication skills with highly developed listening skills
• The ability to show empathy and understanding to those personally affected by a brain tumour, and to support relationship building internally and externally to The Charity.
• Ability to prioritise and work under pressure, with strong planning skills.
  

*Please note that the responsibilities listed are not exhaustive and this job description may be subject to change as the role evolves over time.

You’ll be joining a collaborative, bold and innovative team of individuals who put our community first and are connected by a passion to make a real difference. 

🏆Our amazing benefits: 

The Brain Tumour Charity is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our organisation. We particularly welcome applications from individuals belonging to minority ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities. 

We strive to create a workplace that celebrates diversity and provides equal opportunities for all candidates and we encourage all individuals to apply even if they don’t meet all the criteria.

Whilst we'd love to have you on board, we want to be upfront as we’d hate to waste your time applying for a role where we can’t take you on. At the moment, we're unable to offer visa sponsorship for any of our positions. We're currently seeking candidates who are already authorised to work in the UK without the need for sponsorship, who can remain on a permanent basis.

Please apply by clicking the red ‘join our team’ button, attaching your CV and a covering letter explaining why you want the role, what you would bring to the team and how your skillset and experience will enable us to make a real impact for those affected by brain tumours. We'd like to encourage you not to use AI to write your cover letter as we want to get to know you, the real you!

We are keen to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive so if you’d find it beneficial to submit your application in a different format, please drop us a line at careers@thebraintumourcharity.org.

Advert close date: midnight on Sunday 30^th November

First interview date and location: Tuesday 9^th December over Teams

Second interview date and location:  week commencing 15^th December in person

The post holder will also; 

• Contribute to achieving the objectives of The Brain Tumour Charity
• Live and breathe our values by being bold, collaborative and innovative, with a community-first approach to everything you do
• Undertake any additional and ad hoc tasks as required 
• Participate in team meetings and other meetings as required 
• Monitor and evaluate activities and provide written reports 
• Represent The Charity at external events in a professional manner 
• Work within an equal opportunities framework 
• Adhere to all The Charity’s policies, procedures and working 
• Ensure all records are held in compliance with GDPR, The Fundraising Regulator Code of Practice and The Brain Tumour Charity policies.

We process your data in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation. For full details, please read our privacy policy for job applicants.