Chief Financial Officer

Barnwood Trust; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A charitable foundation in Gloucestershire is seeking a Chief Financial Officer who will lead the finance function and governance while ensuring efficient use of resources. The ideal candidate will have a commitment to social change, demonstrated CFO experience, and a relevant financial qualification. This role will shape the foundation's investment strategies and contribute to its mission of empowering disabled people and those with mental health conditions.

Qualifications

• Proven experience developing long-term organisational, financial, and governance strategies.
• Focus on operational improvement and effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Lead, deliver, and develop the finance function and governance.
• Ensure efficient use of financial resources and capital assets.
• Shape and evolve the investment portfolio strategy.

Skills

Commitment to social change for disabled people and people with mental health conditions

Demonstrable CFO experience or similar

Experience working with a diverse Board of Trustees

Education

Chartered accounting or equivalent financial qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

Job description

Barnwood Trust is a long‑established charitable Trust in Gloucestershire. Their vision is that Gloucestershire will be a better place when disabled people and people with mental health conditions are equal, empowered and their rights are upheld.

They are now looking for a Chief Financial Officer who can lead, deliver, and develop the finance function, governance, and operational systems of a complex charitable foundation which aims to create social change. They have made exciting strides in their approach to social and impact investment alongside local grant making, and the way in which they manage their investment portfolio. The new CFO will shape and evolve this approach, ensuring alignment between capital stewardship and mission impact.

The new CFO will be a strategic, pragmatic and commercially‑minded leader and will ensure effective, efficient and innovative use of financial resources, investments and capital assets to deliver mission aligned impact and value.

They will bring:

• Commitment to social change for disabled people and people with mental health conditions
• Demonstratable CFO experience or similar
• Chartered accounting or equivalent financial qualification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA)
• Experience in developing and implementing long‑term organisational, financial and governance strategies, with a focus on operational improvement and effectiveness.
• Experience and confidence working with a diverse Board of Trustees

The Trust is coming to the end of its current strategy phase and has a new CEO and Leadership Team in place. They have developed and piloted a range of interesting work over the last few years, and in 2026 will be setting plans, partnerships and strategies for the next phase of their journey. This is a period of renewal and strategic opportunity, building on strong foundations while shaping the Trust for its next phase.

How to Apply

To apply for the role, please upload your CV together with a supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) onto the Prospectus website via the link below.

Please ensure that you have included a telephone number, as well as any dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the recruitment timetable.

If you wish to apply using an alternative format, please contact Prospectus on 020 7691 1920 or email [e-mail]

For guidance on formulating your supporting statement, please review our guide How to Write a Cover Letter for a Charity Leadership Role –

If you would like to have an informal conversation about the role, please contact our retained partners: [e-mail] or [e-mail]

At Prospectus we believe passionately that a truly inclusive workplace leads to increased social impact. We are committed to supporting our clients build more inclusive teams. To understand how we are performing, we ask that you kindly complete the brief equal opportunities questionnaire when you submit your application via our website. Please be assured that your responses are kept confidential, separate from your candidate record, are not part of any application you make, and that the consultants never see individual responses to the questionnaire.

Recruitment Timetable

Deadline for applications: Sunday 1st February (midnight)
Interviews with Prospectus: w/c 9th February
First stage interviews with Barnwood Trust: 2nd– 5th March

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