Head of Finance

Unlocked Graduates is partnering exclusively with Robertson Bell to recruit to a Head of Finance on a permanent, full-time basis. Unlocked Graduates exists to break cycles of reoffending in prison and throughout society.

We are recruiting for a Head of Finance to take the reins of our charity’s finance function. To give a sense of scale, we have a turnover of around £4m and around 47 headquarters staff. Established in 2016 and gaining independent charitable status in 2020, we are out of ‘start up’ phase but maintain the dynamism of a growing and ambitious charity

The key responsibilities will be:

• Working with the Directors to produce annual, multi-year, departmental and project budgets and forecasts, and produce reports for the trustees and budget managers to manage and monitor performance
• Manage all financial accounting functions including accounts payable and receivable, VAT, gift aid, expenses, fixed assets, balance sheet reconciliations and cash
• Work with the CEO and COO to ensure the financial strategy aligns with organisational strategy and maximise the impact of our financial resources
• Manage the statutory reporting to Charity Commission, Companies House, and HMRC
• Lead on the audit process annually
• Monitor and manage cash flow as necessary
• Empower directors to take control of their budget, communicating clearly with budget holders, and playing a support and challenge role
• Produce management accounts and reports for the Senior Leadership Team and Trustees to manage and monitor performance

The organisation:

Currently, prison is not a place which breaks the cycle of reoffending successfully: the average prisoner has 16 previous convictions and nearly half of prisoners reoffend within a year of release. This is the problem which Unlocked Graduates exists to fix. We do this predominantly through a leadership programme which recruits, trains and supports excellent graduates to develop leadership skills through working as prison officers and improving prisons from the inside.

The successful candidate will:

• Be a qualified Accountant (ACA, CIMA, CIPFA or ACCA)
• Ideally have an understanding of charitable accounting and reporting requirements
• Have at least 1-year post-qualified experience
• Be mission-motivated and driven by the capacity for finance to enable transformational work towards our vision
• Be solutions-focused and keen to take on new challenges
• Be a confident and clear communicator across teams and all levels

This position will be based officially at the head office in Holborn however flexible working will be on offer with two days a week required in the office. The closing date for applications is 24^th September with first stage interviews taking place the week commencing 2^nd October. Applications will be under constant review before the closing date so please submit your application to our exclusive search agent Robertson Bell. Apply now to be considered!