Head of Charities

TPF Recruitment; England; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

TPF Recruitment Ltd is partnering with an established Sussex accountancy practice to recruit a Head of Charities who will lead and develop its charities department. This senior role demands strategic vision, strong leadership and a proven track record of delivering growth and excellent client service.

You will drive the department's strategy, oversee a high calibre team of charity audit and accounts professionals, and nurture key client relationships to support sustainable expansion and enhanced

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in charity/audit environments.
• Proven ability to develop and implement strategic plans.
• Strong people management and KPI-driven mindset.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the department's strategic plan with clear objectives and KPIs.
• Own the department's performance, identify growth and innovation opportunities.
• Build a high performing culture with collaboration, accountability and CPD.
• Plan capacity, allocate resources and support succession planning.
• Collaborate with leadership to drive firm-wide strategy and business development.
• Lead and develop charity audit and accounts teams to reach their potential.
• Coach managers to strengthen leadership and client management.
• Oversee recruitment, performance reviews and staff engagement.
• Identify future leaders and support their progression.
• Promote a positive environment with balanced workloads and wellbeing.
• Own the charities client portfolio and maintain key stakeholder relationships.
• Lead senior client meetings with consistently high service standards.
• Oversee retention, fee reviews and engagement scope management.
• Resolve complex client issues professionally to protect long-term relationships.
• Ensure proactive, relationship-focused service across the department.
• Take responsibility for budgets, profitability and financial performance.
• Monitor billing, WIP, debtors and fee realization.
• Identify margins improvement and opportunities to increase fee income.
• Report KPIs and risks to Directors with clear visibility.
• Ensure pricing and scope management maximise value for clients.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Charity sector knowledge

Team development

Client relationship management

Job description

We are working with an established and growing accountancy practice in Sussex to recruit a Head of Charities to lead and develop its specialist charities department.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced charity audit professional who is ready to take ownership of a department, shape its future direction and play a key role in the wider success of the firm.

The successful candidate will take responsibility for the department's strategic development, technical quality, financial performance, client relationships and team culture. With dedicated management support overseeing the day to day workflow, the focus of this position is on leading the department, developing its people, strengthening client relationships and driving sustainable growth.

This is an opportunity to make a genuine impact, building on an established client portfolio and developing the firm's reputation within the charity sector.

Key Responsibilities:

Department Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and implement the department's strategic plan, setting clear objectives, annual targets and measurable KPIs.
• Take ownership of the department's overall performance, identifying opportunities for growth, improvement and innovation.
• Build a high performing culture, encouraging collaboration, accountability and continuous professional development.
• Oversee capacity planning, resource allocation and succession planning to support the department's long term success.
• Work closely with the wider leadership team to contribute to firm wide strategy and business development.

Team Development & Leadership

• Lead, motivate and develop a team of charity audit and accounts professionals, supporting them to achieve their full potential.
• Coach and mentor managers, helping them strengthen their leadership, technical and client management capabilities.
• Oversee recruitment, performance management, staff engagement and retention.
• Identify future leaders within the department and support their progression.
• Promote a positive working environment, ensuring workloads are managed effectively and staff wellbeing remains a priority.

Client Relationships & Portfolio Management

• Take overall responsibility for the charities client portfolio, maintaining strong relationships with key clients and stakeholders.
• Lead senior client meetings, ensuring consistently high standards of service and client satisfaction.
• Oversee client retention, fee reviews and the effective management of engagement scope.
• Handle complex client conversations and resolve issues professionally, protecting long term relationships.
• Ensure the department delivers a proactive, commercially aware and relationship focused service.

Financial & Commercial Performance

• Take responsibility for departmental budgets, profitability and financial performance.
• Monitor billing, work in progress, debtor levels, recovery rates and fee realisation.
• Identify opportunities to improve margins, increase fee income and strengthen commercial performance.
• Monitor departmental KPIs and report performance, progress and risks to the Directors.
• Ensure appropriate pricing and fee management, addressing scope creep and maximising the value delivered to clients.

Operational Oversight & Quality Assurance