Finance Director

Royal Naval Benevolent Trust; Portsmouth; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity organization is seeking a Finance Director to ensure financial sustainability and guide strategic development. This leadership role involves overseeing financial functions, preparing budgets, and ensuring compliance with regulations within a supportive, collaborative team environment. The ideal candidate will be a qualified finance professional with significant leadership experience, ideally in the charity or public sector.

Benefits

Medicash health plan

Private Health Insurance

26 days holiday plus Christmas shut down

7% employer contribution pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Early finish on Fridays

Free on-site parking

Eligible for blue light card

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience, preferably in charity or public sector.
• Must be a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach.
• Ability to balance high-level oversight with day-to-day operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial strategy, planning, and forecasting.
• Oversee annual budgets, management accounts, and financial statements.
• Ensure compliance with charity finance regulations.

Skills

Highly numerate

Analytical

Excellent attention to detail

Confident communicator

Proactive and collaborative

Education

Qualified finance professional (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

Job description

The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust is a Royal Navy & Royal Marine charity that gives help, in cases of need, to serving and former Royal Naval ratings and Royal Marines. We also help their partners, children and some others connected with them. The RNBT has a ‘family-run’ feel and we have carefully created a supportive, friendly and close-knit team, making it a unique and very special place to work.

We are now recruiting for a Finance Director to join our senior leadership team. Reporting to the Chief Executive, this role is based at our Head Office in Portsmouth or may be offered on a hybrid basis. This role is not offered on a fully remote basis.

As Finance Director, you will play a central role in ensuring the long-term financial sustainability and strategic development of the Trust. This is a broad and rewarding leadership role, with responsibility for the financial stewardship of the charity, including budgeting, forecasting, investment oversight and regulatory compliance. Working closely with the CEO, Trustees, and wider leadership team, you will help shape the future direction of the Trust by providing robust financial insight and strategic advice.

This post will also oversee our small but capable finance team, providing guidance and support to help them thrive. The post-holder will at all times be an ambassador for the values and culture of the RNBT. Not only as a role model but as a senior figure with natural leadership style and capability that is adaptable to both the finance and wider RNBT team.

Key responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Lead the Trust’s financial strategy, planning and forecasting to ensure long-term financial sustainability.
• Provide financial leadership and advice to the Chief Executive, Trustees and senior leadership team.
• Oversee the preparation of annual budgets, management accounts and statutory financial statements.
• Ensure compliance with charity finance regulations, including SORP and relevant statutory requirements (e.g. Companies House, Charity Commission, HMRC).
• Monitor and manage investment performance in line with the Trust’s objectives.
• Lead and manage the finance function, ensuring accurate and timely financial processing, reporting, and compliance
• Work collaboratively across the organisation to embed sound financial practices and support strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to the effective governance of the Trust, including reporting to the Board of Trustees.
• Maintain and improve financial systems and controls, ensuring processes are efficient and robust.
• Coordinate the year-end process, including preparation of statutory accounts and liaison with external auditors.

This role would suit a qualified finance professional (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with significant leadership experience, preferably gained within a charity, public sector, or values-led organisation. You’ll be a strategic thinker with a hands-on approach, able to balance high-level financial oversight with the detail of day-to-day financial operations.

We are looking for someone who is:

An empathetic, kind leader who is able to encourage and nurture as well as lead and be highly accountable for the finance function of a charity with at times complex financial arrangements.

• Highly numerate and analytical, with excellent attention to detail.
• A confident communicator, able to convey complex financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues.
• Proactive and collaborative, with a strong sense of purpose and alignment to our values.
• A confident and approachable professional with strong interpersonal skills, capable of using their natural warmth, emotional intelligence, and communication style to build positive relationships, influence effectively, and enhance the overall impact of their role.

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a generous suite of benefits to our employees including:

• Medicash health plan
• Private Health Insurance
• (Bupa) 26 days holiday and Christmas shut down (in addition to annual leave)
• 7% employer contribution pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Early finish on Fridays
• Free on-site parking
• Eligible for blue light card

A full job description is available on request.

As a Silver accredited Armed Forces Covenant signatory, we are committed to supporting the Armed Forces community and recognising the value that serving personnel, reservists, veterans, and military families bring to our organisation. We welcome applications from all members of the Armed Forces community and are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer.