Director of Finance & Operations

Can you help Friends of the Earth support key functions at a crucial time for the organisation? Can you ensure embedding financial sustainability by providing inspiring leadership and strategic oversight by heading up our central services of finance, IT, facilities, and governance.

As a core member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will ensure Friends of the Earth is financially sustainable and compliant with relevant regulations and laws and has the premises and organisational infrastructure it needs to support a great campaigning organisation.

We are looking for someone who can bring an inspirational, empathetic approach to support a range of established functions that are vital to the organisation’s ability to deliver its mission of campaigning to resolve the climate emergency and nature crisis. A commitment to social and environmental justice is essential and the successful candidate will have a key role to embedding our aims of collaboration, inclusion, wellbeing and an effective and supportive working environment. 

How to apply: 

Please apply via our online application form, you will be able to save your application and come back to it before submitting your form. 

Your supporting statement should be no more than 2 pages of A4 and address the key requirements of the person specification with relevant examples of your experience and outline why you are interested in the post.  

Key dates: 

Closing date: Monday 16 September 2024 (23:59)

1st Interviews:  w/c 23rd September 2024 (online via Teams meeting) 

2nd Interviews: w/c 30th September 2024 (in person at our London office)

Benefits summary: 

In return we offer a competitive range of benefits, including a contributory pension, good work/life balance including a 4-day working week with no loss of pay, excellent learning and development opportunities and a vibrant organisational culture. 

Annual Leave   

All employees are entitled to 20 days (5 weeks) annual leave with additional leave accrued for every full year of employment up to a maximum of 4 additional leave days (pro-rated for part timer). The leave year runs from every January. Employees can purchase up to 4 days additional annual leave per leave year (pro-rated for part-timers), with payments spread over 12 months’ pay.   

Pension Scheme    

We offer all employees a generous contributory pension scheme through Aviva. All employees are auto enrolled into the pension scheme at their joining date. The minimum employee contribution is 4% auto salary sacrifice. There is no maximum capped on employee contribution, which means employees can pay their entire salary into their pension pot. The organisation matches all employee contribution, up to a maximum employer contribution at 7%.    

Employee pension contributions at gross pay ‘salary sacrifice’, allows employees to make tax and National Insurance savings on their gross pay, allowing employees to save more for their retirement. Employees can ‘opt out’ of salary sacrifice if they prefer to contribute to the pension via the net pay method.                                           

About us:

Our staff body is currently under-representative of People of Colour, LGBTQIA+ people and people with long term conditions or impairments. We are committed to eroding these historic barriers, so as to create a movement in which people from all walks of life see themselves in, and so we particularly encourage you to apply if you belong to one of these groups or sit at multiple intersections of disadvantage. We are committed to the Disability Confident standard and will guarantee an interview to any candidates who declare a disability and who meet the essential criteria for the role. 

Friends of the Earth staff who publicly represent Friends of the Earth (including all campaigners) are not allowed to also represent a political party. This is to ensure that there can be no confusion in the minds of the public about Friends of the Earth's party-political independence. Affected staff should also seek permission from the Senior Management Team if they wish to hold a non-public facing official role in a political party. If this is an issue, please do raise this with us as soon as possible.

Friends of the Earth is an international community dedicated to protecting the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We lead campaigns, provide resources and information, and drive real solutions to the environmental problems facing us all.