Financial Controller

Our client is committed to transforming lives of children and young people by creating opportunities to learn, grow, and develop through Education. The organisation is an independent funder and our income is generated from our endowment which consists of both significant property holdings and financial investments, therefore we do not fund raise, the organisation has distributed over £298 million in grants to a range of organisations that seek to promote the life chances of children and young people through Education, with around £15 million in grants distributed each year. The charity gives grants to benefit children and young up to the age of 25 (or up to 30 for younger people with special educational needs and/or disabilities) who live within nine Boroughs in West, Central and North London.

We are delighted to be working with the charity to recruit a permanent Financial Controller to join its established team based in conveniently located offices in Central London. 

The role:

Reporting directly to the COO, the Financial Controller will ensure the provision of consistent, robust financial advice to the charity as a whole.  This person will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of finance and financial operations, ensuring these are compliant with statutory requirements and appropriate and effective financial controls are in place. They will also maintain a financial planning framework that will facilitate the delivery of the charity's financial strategy. This will involve managing one direct report, overseeing all financial reporting and tax compliance, preparing the charity’s management accounts and the end of year accounts for approval and sign off by the Trustees. In addition, the role will be responsible for managing an annual financial audit process preparing the annual budgets in advance for SLT sign off and providing sound financial advice across all of these areas.

This person will also manage all external relationships with banks, financial institutions, property Investors and auditors wherever Finance is the main issue being dealt with. This person will also oversee all Grants related financial transactions in close collaboration with the Grants department.

The person:

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant and will be able to provide excellent financial management and reporting for the Charity. They will be confident working with different internal stakeholders and external professional advisors and will be capable of considering their different requirements and priorities in a knowledgeable way. This person will have excellent attention to detail and will be highly organised and a strong communicator across a wide range of audiences. Educated to Degree level or the equivalent (ACCA, CIMA, ACA or CIPFA), this person will have excellent interpersonal skills, strong written and verbal communication and will be up to date on all MS Office packages and financial software including SAGE being essential.

Candidates with prior experience of working with endowed Trusts, Foundations or Charities or who have worked in Charities that have income derived from a permanent endowment (either partially or totally), will be of particular interest, so please draw attention to this when applying.

This person will have demonstrated substantial financial management experience at a senior level in the Charity or Not-for-Profit sectors, with extensive knowledge of UK Charity Accounting Standards (SORP, Charity Commission compliance and VAT). Also experienced in strategic financial planning, preparing complex financial statements, budgeting and cashflow forecasting, and have good knowledge of financial planning in a Funder or Grant-Maker setting. As our income is generated from our endowment which consists of both significant property holdings and financial investments a substantial experience of managing income and cashflow from property and investments is essential.

This role represents a wonderful opportunity to become a key part of a long established and successful charity, which has outstanding roots and a lasting positive legacy in the local communities in Central and Greater London it serves.

The organisation encourage applications from under-represented groups which reflect the diversity of the Charity’s Beneficial Area and the young people we seek to support. This includes Black, Asian, Mixed Race & other ethnically diverse individuals, people with disabilities, and members of LGBTQ+ communities. 

First Round Interviews: 12th May 2025

Second Round Interview: 19th May 2025