Chief Operating Officer

Contact; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Contact is seeking an exceptional Chief Operating Officer to help shape its next chapter in serving families with disabled children. Reporting to the CEO, you will oversee finance, people, governance and digital functions, lead transformational change and strengthen sustainability.

This is a hybrid, London-based, full-time role with two days per week at the London office; flexible options, including a four-day week, may be explored to attract the strongest candidate.

Qualifications

• Senior charity leader with professional accountancy qualification.
• Experience in financial leadership and reporting.
• Proven ability to drive organisational change and operating-model improvements.
• Strategic thinker able to balance sustainability with mission impact.

Responsibilities

• Oversee finance, people, governance and digital functions.
• Lead change programs to modernise systems and processes.
• Strengthen financial sustainability and decision-making.
• Build organisational resilience and enable effective teamwork.

Education

Professional accountancy qualification

Job description

Help shape the future of a charity making a difference to families with disabled children

Contact is the UK charity for families with disabled children. We provide trusted information, advice and support to parent carers navigating complex health, education, social care and welfare systems, while campaigning to improve the policies and services that affect their lives.

We are entering an important phase of development, with an ambitious strategy to reach more families, strengthen our impact and secure our long-term sustainability. We are now seeking an exceptional Chief Operating Officer to help us turn that ambition into reality.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Chief Executive, Anna Bird, and working closely with the Executive Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, the Chief Operating Officer will play a pivotal role in shaping Contact’s next chapter.

This is a broad strategic leadership position, bringing together financial expertise, operational leadership and organisational transformation. You will lead a programme of change to modernise systems and processes, improve organisational effectiveness and ensure our resources are focused on delivering the greatest possible impact for families.

With responsibility for finance, people, governance and digital functions, you will help strengthen our financial sustainability, improve decision-making and build the organisational resilience needed to deliver our strategy. You will also play a key role in leading cultural and structural change, ensuring colleagues feel supported, engaged and equipped to work effectively together.

This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in an organisation with a clear purpose, a committed team and an ambitious vision for the future.

About you

You will be an experienced senior leader from a charity, not-for-profit or similarly governed organisation, with a recognised professional accountancy qualification and significant senior financial leadership experience.

You will bring a strong track record of leading complex organisational change, including improving operating models, systems and processes, alongside experience of financial planning, performance management and risk oversight.

Commercially astute and strategically minded, you will be able to translate organisational ambition into practical action, balancing financial sustainability with mission and impact. You will also be an inclusive and collaborative leader who can build trust, navigate complexity and bring people with you through change, while having the confidence to make difficult decisions when needed.

Above all, you will share Contact’s commitment to improving the lives of families with disabled children and be motivated by the opportunity to help us become an even stronger, more effective and influential organisation.

Terms of appointment

• Salary: c.£85,000 per annum.
• Location: Hybrid, with a minimum expectation of two days per week at Contact’s London office.
• Working arrangements: The role is envisaged as full-time, although Contact is open to exploring flexible arrangements, including a four-day week, to attract the strongest candidate.

Contact is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, including people with lived experience of disability and caring responsibilities. We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible and inclusive.