Chief Financial & Operations Officer

The Lifescape Project; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing UK charity is seeking a Chief Financial & Operations Officer (CFOO) to oversee financial management and operational strategies. The role involves leading the Finance and Operations team, ensuring the organization’s sustainable growth and effective operations. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in financial leadership within the charity sector, excellent team management skills, and the ability to act as deputy to the CEO. This pivotal role will support the organization’s mission of restoring natural landscapes and requires strategic vision and strong execution skills.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in financial management in a charity or non-profit environment.
• Proven track record of operational leadership and team management.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial management and operational strategy.
• Oversee the Finance and Operations team.
• Act as deputy for the CEO when necessary.

Skills

Financial management

Operational leadership

Team management

Strategic planning

Education

Relevant degree in finance, business, or related field

Job description

Permanent, full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Remote working with some UK and international travel

We are looking for an ambitious, experienced and passionate Chief Financial & Operations Officer (CFOO) to join The Lifescape Project, leading the evolution, management and delivery of our financial and operational capacities as the organisation grows.

Our impact as a charity depends on excellent financial management and the efficient provision of supporting operational structures, policies and ways of working. As the organisation grows and diversifies, we need a dedicated Chief Financial and Operations Officer to lead the management and development of these critical functions in close liaison with the CEO. The CFOO will be second in command to the CEO and a key member of the Management Team.

About us and the role

We are a small and quickly growing UK-registered charity whose mission is to protect and restore wild, natural landscapes. We use the skills and expertise of our multi-disciplinary team (spanning science, law, economics, technology and culture) to develop projects that pursue this mission.

We use the approach of combining disciplines to design and deliver our work because the biodiversity crisis is driven and impacted by social, economic, legal and other complex factors. It is increasingly recognised that the urgent transformative change needed for a sustainable future on our planet is most effectively achieved through this approach. The Lifescape Project has a unique ability to apply these diverse areas of expertise to our mission whilst maintaining the agility of a smaller organisation in delivering our work.

Working in pursuit of our 2020-2026 strategy, the Lifescape Project has seen rapid growth in its impact, team and revenue since commencing work in 2020. Our annual revenue has increased from £265,000 in FY 2020 / 2021 to £1.2m in FY 2024 / 2025, with further growth expected in the current FY. Our team has grown from just one to a team which will number 20 at the time of the successful CFOO candidate joining. This growth to date and planned future growth requires constant evolution of our financial and operational infrastructure and an experienced hand to guide this process, which is the core purpose of the CFOO role we are seeking to appoint.

We are excited to be hiring for this role, which will be transformational for the organisation, allowing us to develop our approach to financial and operational matters and support the continued growth of our team and impact. The role will act as second in command and will deputise for the CEO when absent. We are therefore looking for a highly capable and experienced finance and operations leader with the vision to ensure that we continue to grow in a sustainable, effective and efficient way.

We currently have a full-time manager and officer in our Finance and Operations team (F&O Team), which the CFOO will be joining to oversee, develop and guide all relevant functions. With the small size of the team at this time, the CFOO will be expected to jump into the detail in some areas. In the short term this will include delivering some of the more complex areas of the F&O team’s work, such as the audit process, multi-year financial planning and legal compliance, with support from other team members and external advisers as appropriate. If we continue to succeed in delivering our growth strategy, the role will progress over the medium term with increasing team size / supervisory duties and reducing involvement in immediate implementation. Remuneration would also increase in line with growth and assuming strong performance in the role.

For further information, please download the job pack below. Candidates must review the entire job pack before applying.

To apply, please email a cover letter and CV (each a maximum of 2 pages).

Closing date

9.00pm on 29th January 2026, however we will be reviewing applications as they come in and reserve our discretion to extend the deadline if necessary.

First interview

First round interviews are expected to take place virtually on Microsoft Teams between 3rd-6th February.

Second interview

Second round interviews are expected to take place between 23rd-27th February.

Assessed task

There will be an assessed task which candidates will be asked to complete, either before the first round or second round interview.

Start date

The role will commence as soon as possible from 1st April 2026, subject to the successful candidate’s availability.