Head Of Finance

Westcountry Rivers Trust; Stoke Climsland; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An environmental charity is seeking a Head of Finance to lead its finance function. The ideal candidate will provide financial stewardship, support organizational planning, and ensure compliance with regulations. This role offers an opportunity to manage a diverse range of financial activities and contribute to impactful conservation projects. The charity offers a hybrid working model and a range of employee benefits, including an Employee Assistance Program and pension contributions.

Benefits

Employee Assistance Program

25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

9% pension contribution

Cycle to Work Scheme

Hybrid & Flexible Working

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of charity finance and accounting standards.
• Experience in financial planning, reporting, and analysis.
• Experience managing grants or multiple funding streams.
• Proven ability to improve financial systems and processes.

Responsibilities

• Support financial security of the Trust with reporting and analysis.
• Manage day-to-day cash and banking processes.
• Assist with year-end accounts and audit processes.
• Lead the finance team, developing skills and maintaining performance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organisational skills

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Proficiency in Xero

Advanced Excel

Education

Part-qualified or fully qualified (ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent)

Tools

Xero

Excel

Job description

Head of Finance

Contract: Permanent – after a successful 6‑month probation. Report to: Finance Director. Hours: 30 hours per week (full‑time 37.5 hours considered). Location: Westcountry Rivers Trust office in Stoke Climsland. Hybrid working – expectation to work from the office regularly and travel to sites across the delivery area.

Benefits of working for Westcountry Rivers Trust

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 25 days’ Annual Leave + Bank Holidays, with an additional 1 day per year for each year worked over 5 years, up to 30 days for 10 years continuous service
• Additional leave covering the Christmas Closure period
• WRT contributes 9% of salary to a personal pension scheme (following a 3‑month postponement period), plus Life Assurance cover
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Hybrid & Flexible Working

Apply by midnight on 14th January 2026 with a CV and Covering Letter.

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Stoke Climsland on Thursday 29th January 2026.

About the Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism, reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health. Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities, businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country, as the impacts of the climate emergency and the ecological crisis are forcing society to invest in building catchment resilience.

Spurred by a shared love of rivers, the Westcountry Rivers Trust is very much a grassroots organisation, brought into existence from the bottom up. In the early 90s a group of individuals, passionate – but concerned – about the waterways around them, began to stitch together their ambitions for restoring Westcountry rivers, laying the foundations for the Trust we know today. Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach’, considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within them. The Trust now has circa 75 employees with an annual turnover of c£3m running multi‑annual projects spread across a wide range of funders, three main delivery teams and a support services team.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Finance Director, the Head of Finance plays a central role in delivering a highly effective and well‑governed finance function for the Trust. Acting as the FD’s second‑in‑command, the role provides leadership across a wide variety of financial and project‑related activities, ensuring strong financial stewardship, consistent performance, and clear strategic insight.

As part of Westcountry Rivers Trust, this role sits at the heart of a successful and values‑driven environmental charity leading a diverse portfolio of innovative conservation and river restoration projects. It offers the opportunity to support meaningful, high‑impact work that is helping to protect and improve the natural environment across the region.

Responsibilities

Finance and Accounting

• Support the Finance Director in ensuring the financial security of the Trust.
• Provide regular reports and updates to the Finance Director on the status of Trust‑wide projects.
• Provide financial analysis to support organisational planning.
• Assist in overseeing the preparation of grant claims (for both UK and EU projects) and project accounting.
• Ensure strong financial controls are applied across expenditure, procurement, and financial systems.
• Manage day‑to‑day cash and banking processes.
• Assist with the preparation of year‑end accounts, provide high‑quality evidence, and ensure a smooth audit process.
• Support the preparation of bidding proposals for new projects.
• Support financial oversight of the trading subsidiary.
• Assist in ensuring the Trust’s tax and VAT compliance, preparing VAT returns for Finance Director review, and evaluating funding for VAT considerations.
• Support the Finance Director in managing the procurement process across the Trust.

People, Reporting, and Management

• Act as deputy to the Finance Director, providing cover and decision‑making support where appropriate.
• Supervise and support the day‑to‑day work of the finance team, helping to develop skills, maintain performance, and embed good financial practice.
• Provide financial information and clear communication to senior managers within the Trust, where required.
• Manage and lead the Grade 4 Senior Finance Team, overseeing performance, development, and day‑to‑day activities.

Governance, Systems, and Other Duties

• Support the Finance Director in maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements, audit standards, and financial policies.
• Contribute to improvements in financial systems, reporting, processes, and documentation to ensure accuracy, transparency, and efficiency.

Person Specification

• Highly professional and level‑headed, fostering a collaborative approach across teams.
• Honest, transparent, and consistent communicator, articulating challenges calmly, assertively, and in a balanced manner to build trust and engagement.
• Ambitious and results‑driven, striving for excellence in personal performance and team development, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Proactive and solution‑focused, identifying issues early and tackling them effectively before they escalade.

Knowledge and Experience

• Strong knowledge of charity finance, accounting standards, and compliance.
• Experience contributing to financial planning, reporting, and analysis.
• Experience managing grants or multiple funding streams.
• Experience with subsidiaries, inter‑company transactions, or charity trading operations.
• Experience improving financial systems, processes, and reporting.
• Knowledge of procurement processes and NEC contracts.

Skills and Competencies

• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficiency in Xero and advanced Excel.

Qualifications

Part‑qualified or fully qualified (ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).

The above are Essential criteria unless indicated as Desirable.

Other organisations may call this role Senior Finance Manager, Finance Operations Lead, Finance Business Partner, Head of Financial Management, Head of Finance Operations, Senior Financial Controller, Finance and Governance Manager, or Head of Accounting and Finance.