Senior Finance Manager

Senior Finance Manager (Fields In Trust)

Location: West London/Hybrid
Job Type: Full time (potential for reduced hours)
Contract Type: Permanent
Salary: £55,000 per annum

An excellent hands-on business partnering opportunity to make your mark in shaping our strategy, advising our Trustee Board and, drive business disciplines and efficiencies

About Us

Fields in Trust is the charity that protects the future of our parks, playgrounds, sports fields and green spaces.

This includes lobbying policymakers and helping to provide legal protection so that these spaces cannot be sold. It involves working side-by-side with landowners to create solutions to enhance spaces for the benefit of local people and the environment and crucially, providing ongoing stewardship for the 3,000 spaces protected in perpetuity over the last 100 years.

We are a small team of experts with a massive reach across the country and our impact is truly long-term.
It is a critical time for the charity as it focuses on the transformation needed to deliver its new strategy and refreshed mission to raise awareness of the value of green spaces, champion the best ways to protect them for the future and drive systemic change.

Aligned with this new chapter is the celebration of the charity's centenary in 2025 and the opportunity to maximise the potential of this significant year.

The role

We are a small, focused charity where you will provide financial advice and insight to the Chief Executive, Senior Management Team and Trustees, and where you will be at the heart of our financial and strategic decision-making as we move into the next phase of our strategic plans.

Essentially, you will be the Finance function, able to call on external support where needed, but tasked with building on the new systems (Xero) and automation to drive simplification and improved process effectiveness across finance and the charity's business disciplines and operations.

Responsibilities will range from the hands on/practical to the strategic; they will span all aspects of financial control, recording and reporting including some data entry/monitoring to developing robust financial plans, appraisals, reports and forecasts. You will be an active member of the management team contributing to all aspects of business management helping to embed a culture of business discipline and efficiencies.

Person Specification

• Professionally qualified (ACCA/CIMA) or, qualified by experience, with an in depth understanding of business/financial management and reporting in a not for profit setting.
• Knowledge of the financial requirements of Companies House, the Charity Commission, Inland Revenue and other key financial agencies.
• Solid experience with core finance operations; procure to pay, sales to collections, payroll, treasury, cash flow management, VAT and statutory reporting.
• Experienced in preparing financial plans and budgets against which performance can be assessed and in supporting business development and growth with costed and financially sustainable modelling
• Self-starter, able to work under own initiative and organise own time to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Flexible, able to operate independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues to support and influence non-financial colleagues them with practical financial insights and guidance.
• Highly numerate with advanced Excel skills. Experience with Xero (or similar cloud-based system) an advantage
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and integrity in financial matters.

Diversity and inclusion

Fields in Trust is fully committed to equality of opportunity and diversity to ensure that we reflect the full breadth of the people and communities we support. It is important that the Fields in Trust are representative of these communities, and we warmly welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

How to apply

Eastside People is supporting Fields in Trust in the recruitment of this roles.

Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter. Please use the cover letter as an opportunity to add to the information you have shared in your CV, and ensure that you cover the following (max 2 pages):

• Why are you interested in the Senior Finance Manager role, and why Fields In Trust?
• How can you contribute to Fields in Trust in this role? Please highlight relevant experience and demonstrate how your skills match the specific requirements of the role as set out in the job description and person specification.
• How will you go about marrying the strategic elements of this role with the day to day requirements?

The closing date for applications is Thursday December . Shortlisting interviews will take place shortly after and shortlisted candidates will have an interview with Fields in Trust on January 7th or January 9th 2025.

We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.

We are the only charity in the UK working to protect parks and green spaces for good. Because once lost, they're lost forever. Together, we work to harness the power of parks and green spaces for a happier, healthier, and greener future for everyone.

You may have experience in the following: Financial Controller, Finance Manager, Senior Financial Analyst, Charity Finance Manager, Head of Finance, Non-Profit Finance Manager, Accounting Manager, Business Partnering Manager, Treasury Manager, Finance Operations Manager, Strategic Finance Partner, Financial Planning and Analysis Manager, etc.

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