Director of Finance and Governance, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION

Guardian Jobs; London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 81,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity in London seeks a Director of Finance and Governance to join their team. You will play a pivotal role in strategic decision-making, finance oversight, and governance, ensuring organizational growth and compliance. The position calls for an experienced finance leader committed to delivering impactful changes for survivors of trauma and trafficking.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

4% pension contribution

Flexible working arrangements

60% office presence required

Enhanced family pay policies

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification in accountancy or substantial experience in finance.
• Track record in a senior strategic financial management role.
• Experience with preparing financial statements and audits.

Responsibilities

• Lead finance strategies and governance for the organization.
• Ensure financial health through budgeting and planning.
• Manage and develop the finance team effectively.

Skills

Financial leadership

Strategic management

Budgeting

Governance compliance

Education

Professional accountancy qualification (CIMA, ACA, ACCA, CIPFA)

Job description

Director of Finance and Governance, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION

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Director of Finance and Governance, HELEN BAMBER FOUNDATION

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Job Title: Director of Finance and Governance

Responsible to: CEO

Hours: 9 – 5.30pm, 37.5 hours per week (full time)

Salary: £70,000 p.a

Location: Helen Bamber Foundation office, 26 Westland Place, London N1 7JH

Start Date: As soon as possible

Contract type: Permanent

Benefits:

Annual Leave: 27 days plus bank holidays (increasing to 29 days after three years of service, and to 30 days after five years of service) plus up to 4 discretionary days for the winter closure period

Winter closure period: Two week winter closure period where the charity is closed

Pension: 4% contribution by the Helen Bamber Foundation Group

Enhanced pay: Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and Family Reunion pay

Flexible working practices: we care about your wellbeing and encourage flexible working arrangements to promote a healthy work-life balance including the opportunity to work abroad for up to 4 weeks a year

Hybrid working: 60% office presence

BACKGROUND

“Our society will be judged by how we respond to those to whom we owe nothing.” Helen Bamber OBE

Vision: All survivors of trafficking, torture, and extreme human cruelty have safety, freedom, and power.

Mission:

Support: Using our Model of Integrated Care and legal expertise, we protect survivors from persecution, re-trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. Collaborate: Working with individuals with lived experience and key partners, we tackle systemic challenges facing survivors, train practitioners, and promote best practices to support more people. Advocate: Drawing on our unique expertise, we drive policy and systemic changes to improve access to protection and uphold the human rights of survivors.

The Helen Bamber Foundation, founded in 2005 by the pioneering human rights advocate Helen Bamber, was created to reflect the evolving global patterns of violence and persecution. Helen Bamber, who entered Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in 1945 as part of one of the first rehabilitation teams, recognised that all survivors of extreme violence—regardless of the perpetrator—require safety, legal protection, and medical and emotional support. Today it is a specialist clinical and human rights charity that works with people seeking asylum and refugees who are Survivors of trafficking, torture and other forms of extreme human cruelty.

In 2020 the Helen Bamber Foundation joined forces with Asylum Aid (established in 1990) to form the Group. Asylum Aid specialises in providing legal representation to vulnerable individuals seeking asylum, focusing on the most complex cases including survivors of trafficking, children, and stateless people. Asylum Aid is a leading actor in strategic litigation and advocates for policy and systemic changes to remove barriers to protection and justice. Asylum Aid maximises its impact by providing training and working in partnership with other organisations.

Today, the Helen Bamber Foundation's unique Model of Integrated Care (MoIC) provides holistic support encompassing therapy, legal advocacy, medical treatment, and practical assistance, helping survivors rebuild their lives with safety, freedom, and dignity. Using our expertise we drive best practice and systems change to deliver for all survivors.

We are innovative, ambitious and compassionate. The bravery and resilience of our clients is an inspiration to all the team at Helen Bamber Foundation Group, which comprises Helen Bamber Foundation and Asylum Aid. We believe that all Survivors should have safety, freedom and power to rebuild their lives.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Our commitment to principles of equity, diversity and inclusion is an integral part of our approach to our clients, our volunteers and our staff, and we are an equal opportunities and Living Wage employer.

We are committed to attracting and recruiting diverse candidates because we are keen to make sure that all our staff, trustees, volunteers and ambassadors reflect the communities we serve and the wider community we work in.

We recognise and value the role diversity plays in good governance and genuinely welcome and encourage applications from a range of backgrounds, especially people of colour, people with disabilities, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, refugees, stateless people and others with lived experience of forced migration or trauma.

Overview Of The Role

The Director of Finance & Governance is a key member of Helen Bamber Foundation’s Management Team and plays a pivotal role in designing and delivering the organisation’s strategy and approach. The role will lead the finance infrastructure of the organisation and prioritise enabling the organisation’s growth. You will work in close collaboration with the CEO and other members of the Management Team to develop the capacity, capability and impetus of the organisation in achieving impact at scale through direct delivery, partnerships and systems change for survivors of torture and trafficking across the UK and globally.

Your priorities will include providing strategic leadership in developing and managing finance and leading on several governance systems and functions, as well as directly leading on specific strategic projects. You will contribute to the development and implementation of a strategy to secure the organisation’s long-term financial health and growth, enabling us to deliver our vision and mission. Together with your Management team colleagues, you will create an environment, culture, policies, processes and practices which ensure the Helen Bamber Foundation group is an exemplary place to work.

The role of Director of Finance & Governance is critical to ensuring the Helen Bamber Foundation Group delivers its ambitious strategy to increase impact on all survivors of trafficking and torture. It is an exciting time to be joining us and you will help ensure we build upon our success to date to increase impact and income. We would like to hear from you, whatever your background. We do not believe that prior charity experience is necessary for this role, please do apply if you believe you have the skills, experience and confidence to make a financial and strategic contribution to our ambition to grow impact.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

Strategic leadership and management

Reporting to the CEO, and working closely with the Management Team and the Board, the Director of Finance and Goverance will have responsibilities to:

• Work collaboratively with Management colleagues to provide operational leadership and development for the whole organisation, building our capacity and capability to deliver our strategy.
• Work with the CEO to develop robust governance systems and infrastructure that will strengthen accountability, and support growth and deliver impact.
• Lead, manage and develop the Finance Team supported by the Senior Finance Manager.
• Conduct strategic financial planning to support the decision making of the Management Team, Board sub-committees and the Board, and report to the Board as appropriate working with the Executive Team Assistant in this regard.
• Oversee and regularly review and update the organisational risk register, including financial and governance risks..
• Act as strategic lead on processes, systems development and internal controls.
  
  
  

Finance oversight and leadership:

• Oversee all aspects of finance to enable effective day-to-day running of the Helen Bamber Foundation group and to support the continuous improvement of employee experience.
• Finalise annual financial statements/periodic financial reports (where required), and provide them to the CEO, Board and Board subcommittees for consideration and approval. Lead on the Helen Bamber Foundation Group audit process, working with the external auditors. Ensuring all statutory and non-statutory reporting requirements are met.
• Lead on budgeting and reforecasting across the organisation, supporting and challenging other teams to predict income and expenditure and make sound financial decisions, presenting to the Board and Board subcommittees.
• Support organisational planning by developing the systems to enable teams to model potential future work - e.g. costs of expansion of an existing programme or modelling potential new programmes and projects.
• Oversee the production of management accounting information, including internal monthly management accounts, quarterly reports for the Board, and financial reports for funders. Develop, maintain and monitor the financial systems of the organisation to ensure the accurate & timely production of these reports.
• Ensure compliance with agreements and contracts in relation to banks and external service providers.
• Monitor and report on the overall funding status, and ensure the timely reporting on grants is well supported.
• Support the preparation of applications for fundraising. Conduct financial analysis and review of existing and proposed strategic programmes, projects, and campaigns, contributing to decision making in this area.
• Oversee staff payroll, handling of petty cash and banking of donations, management of activity fees and credit control process.
  
  
  

Governance:

• Work with the CEO and Executive Team Assistant to ensure that governance arrangements are fit-for-purpose, compliant and embody the spirit of partnership which defines the Helen Bamber Foundation Group.
• Support the Board and Board sub-committees, producing papers, and monitoring actions.
• Manage the organisational risk register including updating and monitoring of actions and Board discussions.
• Work with the Board to continue the development of outstanding governance policies and practices.
• Work with the CEO to develop and evolve the induction and training schedules for Trustees.
• Act in the capacity of Company Secretary.
  
  
  

Additional duties:

• Act at all times as an ambassador for the Helen Bamber Foundation Group representing us at internal and external events.
• Perform any other task assigned by the CEO or Board.
  
  
  

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Experience:

• A relevant professional qualification in accountancy (CIMA, ACA, ACCA, CIPFA) or substantial relevant finance experience.
• Track record of achievement in a senior strategic-level financial management role.
• Demonstrable financial leadership and a thorough understanding of best practices in setting and managing budgets and oversight of day-to-day financial management.
• Experience of preparing financial statements, consolidated accounts and seeing through the audit process from start to finish, including dealing with external auditors.
• Proven track record of building, developing and managing teams.
• Demonstrable experience in working successfully as part of a senior leadership team.
• Experience of managing change and growth.
• Knowledge and experience of charity finance would be an advantage.
• Experience of operating at a senior level within a role which requires an organisation-wide, cross-functional perspective on issues, challenges and opportunities would be an advantage.
  
  
  

Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to build trust and respect internally and externally, including with trustees, partners and clients.
• Ability to demonstrate tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to work at pace and across multiple projects whilst maintaining exemplary accuracy and quality of work.
• Ability to demonstrate strategic management capability.
• Strong collaborative approach to team working and ability to lead and motivate staff teams and external stakeholders.
• Ability to produce high quality communications for a range of stakeholders including representing the charity as needed.
• Ability to think laterally and develop creative and innovative solutions.
• Advanced computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel.
• Demonstrable commitment to the Helen Bamber Foundations Group’s core values.
  
  
  

APPLICATION PROCESS

The first stage is to complete on our online application form on our website by 9am on Monday 23rd June 2025

The website form will asked you to:

• Upload a short covering letter. Please tell us why the position appeals to you, and how your skills and experience demonstrate your suitability for the role. Please also state in your covering letter when you would be available to start the role.
• Upload your current CV.
• Complete an online Equal Opportunities monitoring form – completion of this form will help us ensure that our recruitment procedures operate in such a way as to provide genuine equality of opportunity. The questions are entirely optional, and this information will not be available to members of the selection panel.
  
  
  

SELECTION PROCESS

Longlisted candidates are scheduled to be invited to a short introductory online interview of 15 minutes on Monday 30th June 2025.

Shortlisted candidates are scheduled to be invited to interview on the 11th July 2025 and will be conducted either in person at our office or where needed via Zoom.

At Helen Bamber Foundation Group we want to be transparent about what kind of qualities we are looking for and build trust from the very beginning of your journey with us. The first step is your interview, and we mean ‘your’ interview so we will provide you with your interview questions ahead of the interview. This will allow you time to prepare, and ensure you have your best examples in mind.

ELIGIBILITY

Please note that the successful candidate will have the right to work in the UK and will be subject to a DBS check. If appointed, you will also be required to give your consent to the charity to receive regular updates on your criminal records status throughout your employment and to disclose any relevant convictions incurred during your time with us.

ADJUSTMENTS

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you require a different format of the application form, such as large print or Word format, or if you would like to discuss any specific requirements, please get in touch with us at [e-mail].

Experts By Experience Support

We are also proud to be a member of the Experts by Experience Employment Network, which aims to increase representation of people with lived experience in the charitable sector. Please feel free to use information and resources which may help in preparing your job application.

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