Director of Finance

Together Women Projects; Leeds; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Together Women Projects in Leeds is seeking a Director of Finance to provide strategic leadership, ensuring robust financial management, governance and high-quality financial insight to support confident decision making.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on delivery. With a small finance team, you will set direction, develop systems and support growth while upholding the highest standards of financial management and governance.

Qualifications

• Significant senior-level finance experience guiding strategic decisions.
• Experience advising boards and senior leadership teams.
• Proven ability to lead budgeting, forecasting and audits.
• Experience managing a small finance team and hands-on delivery.
• Experience in charity sector governance and financial compliance is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial leadership across the organisation.
• Lead annual budgets, management accounts and forecasts.
• Advise the Chief Executive, Executive Team and Board on financial strategy.
• Lead annual audits and liaise with external auditors.
• Develop financial systems, processes and controls to support growth.
• Lead from the front in a small two-person finance team.

Skills

Strategic financial planning

Finance business partnering

Leadership

Board advisory

Governance & risk management

Education

Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent)

Job description

Workingclosely with the Chief Executive, Board of Trustees, Finance Committee and Executive Team, the Director of Finance will provide strategic financial leadership, ensuring the organisation has robust financial management, strong governance, effective controls and high-quality financial insight to support confident decision making.

The role combines strategic leadership and finance business partnering with hands-on delivery. With a small finance team, you will set the financial direction and also stay close to the detail, producing and reviewing key outputs yourself. The successful candidate will lead the finance function, develop financial systems and processes, support organisational growth and ensure Together Women continues to operate with the highest standards of financial management and governance.

Thisrole is about much more than producing financial reports. It is about influencing decisions, identifying opportunities, managing risk and providing trusted advice that enables the organisation to deliver its mission and achieve its long-term ambitions.

What We Are Looking For

We want a strategic finance leader who is also an experienced finance business partner. We are particularly looking for someone who:

• has shaped long-term financial strategy, modelling and planning, and advised a Chief Executive and Board on financial sustainability;
• has worked alongside non-finance managers as a business partner, helping them understand and own their budgets, cost services and contracts, and make informed decisions;
• is comfortable leading a small team of two Finance Administrators and getting involved in management accounts, forecasts and year-end work when needed.

Please use your supporting statement to give clear examples of your strategic finance and business partnering experience. These will be the main focus of shortlisting.

The role is only open to women, in accordance with the sex-based exemptions of the Equality Act 2010 pursuant to Schedule 9, Part 1.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Provide strategic financial leadership across the organisation
• Develop long term financial plans that support Together Women's strategic ambitions
• Advise the Chief Executive, Executive Team and Board on financial strategy, sustainability
• Leadfinancial modelling, scenario planning and business planning
• Ensurethe organisation maintains appropriate reserves, cashflow and financial resilience
• Identifyopportunities to improve efficiency, maximise resources and strengthen financial sustainability

Executive Leadership and Business Partnering

• Workcollaboratively as a member of the Executive Team to shape organisational strategy and performance
• Actas a trusted adviser to the Chief Executive, providing timely, balanced and commercially astute financial advice
• Buildstrong relationships with Directors and managers, supporting them to understand financial performance, manage budgets and make informed decisions
• Provide regular, hands-on business partnering to service managers and budget holders across our services, including monthly budget reviews, contract performance and full cost recovery.
• Help managers build their financial confidence so they understand, own and are accountable for their budgets.
• Supportthe development of new services, contracts and business opportunities through financial modelling and costing
• Contributeto organisational planning, transformation and continuous improvement

Financial Management and Governance

• Lead the preparation of annual budgets, management accounts, statutory accounts and financial forecasts
• Ensurerobust financial controls, compliance and effective governance across the organisation
• Leadthe annual audit process and maintain excellent relationships with external auditors
• Ensurecompliance with charity, company and financial legislation
• Presenthigh-quality financial reports to the Board of Trustees and Finance Committee, translating complex financial information into clear, meaningful insight
• Ensure effective management of restricted funds, grant reporting and contract finances

Leadership of the Finance Function

• Provideleadership, support and development to the finance team, creating a high performing and customer focused finance service
• Lead from the front in a small team of two Finance Administrators, carrying out technical work such as month-end, management accounts and year-end preparation where needed.
• Developefficient financial systems, processes and controls that support a growing organisation
• Promotecontinuous improvement through digital innovation, automation and modern financial practices
• Fostera culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous learning

Income Growth and Organisational Development

• Supportthe Chief Executive and Director of Development in preparing financially robust funding applications, tenders and business cases
• Developproject budgets and financial models for new opportunities
• Provide financial due diligence for partnerships, contracts and new initiatives
• Supportcontract mobilisation and ongoing financial performance monitoring

Risk, Assurance and Compliance

• Maintaina proactive approach to financial risk management
• Ensureappropriate financial policies, procedures and internal controls are in place and regularly reviewed
• Supportorganisational assurance through effective risk reporting and compliance monitoring
• Workclosely with the Finance Committee, Trustees and external stakeholders to maintain confidence in Together Women's financial stewardship

Role Requirements

Essential

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent)

Experience

• Significantstrategic finance experience at a senior level, including long-term financial planning, scenario modelling and advising on financial sustainability.
• Experienceofadvising Boards, Committees and senior leadership teams
• Proven finance business partnering experience, working with non-finance managers and budget holders to improve financial understanding, performance and decision-making.
• Experienceofof leading annual budgeting, forecasting, cashflow management and statutory accounts
• Experienceof managing audits and working effectively with external auditors
• Experienceof leading and developing finance teams
• Experience of working in a small finance team, combining strategic leadership with hands‑on technical delivery.
• Experienceof financial planning within organisations delivering multiple funding streams, contracts or grant funded programmes
• Experienceof developing financial systems, improving processes and driving continuous improvement

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellentstrategic financial planning and analytical skills
• Abilityto interpret complex financial information and communicate it clearly to non-finance audiences
• Strongcommercial awareness and sound business judgement
• Excellentleadership, influencing and relationship building skills
• Strongunderstanding of governance, risk management and internal controls
• Comfortable moving between strategic work and hands‑on delivery in a small team

Personal Qualities

• Highlevels of integrity and professional credibility
• Collaborative and approachable leadership style
• Excellentjudgement and sound decision making
• Solutionsfocused with the confidence to challenge constructively
• Highlyorganised with excellent attention to detail
• Resilient,adaptable and able to work effectively in a fast-changing environment
• Passionateabout Together Women's mission and committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Desirable

• Experiencewithin the charity or not for profit sector
• Experienceof charity accounting, restricted funds and SORP
• Experienceof contract costing, commissioning or public sector funding
• Experience of supporting organisational growth and change
• Experienceof financial systems implementation or digital transformation

Within the first 12 months you will have:

• StrengthenedTogether Women's financial planning and reporting
• Builttrusted relationships with the Board, Executive Team and managers
• Become the go‑to finance business partner for service managers, with budget holders confident in understanding and managing their budgets
• Developeda high performing finance function
• Enhancedfinancial systems, controls and business intelligence
• Supportedsuccessful funding bids, new contracts and organisational growth
• Establishedyourself as a trusted strategic adviser to the Chief Executive and Board

The role is only open to women, in accordance with the sex-based exemptions of the Equality Act 2010 pursuant to Schedule 9, Part 1.

Applicants should have the right to live and work in the UK.