Role description
Head of Finance and Registration
Contract: Permanent
Team: Resources and Registration
Reports to: CEO
Salary: £80-£90K
Hours: Available full time or part time, with minimum 4 days per week. Standard full-time hours are 35 hours per week
Location: Hybrid (homeworking and central London office at Old Street). Attendance at London office is 40% per month
Purpose of the role
The Fundraising Regulator is a non-statutory regulator. It is midway through a 5 year strategic plan period for 2022-2027. This role is essential to ensuring delivery of our ambitious plan, which includes further development of existing functions and proactive development of our regulation through the greater use of data science and intelligence. Our role is non-statutory and we regulate fundraising by charitable institutions, most of which will be registered charities. We sometimes have to take complex decisions about whether some organisations fall within our remit so the postholder must be comfortable working in new situations and helping to determine those sorts of issues as they arise.
Reporting to the Chief Executive, the Head of Finance and Registration is a member of the Senior Management Team and will report directly to the Board and the Finance Audit and Risk Committee.
The Head of Finance and Registration is responsible for a team of three staff including a Registration Services Manager, a Finance & Registration Officer and Business & Registration Assistant.
The main function of the Finance and Registration team is to ensure the finance function is effectively and smoothly discharged. This includes overseeing all payments to suppliers, payroll and expenses for staff and board. In addition annual budgeting, investment management, in year management accounting and end of year financial accounting are also key requirements of the role.
Alongside the expenditure function the post is also responsible for revenue collection through our annual levy and registration processes. This includes managing relationships with over 6,000 charities currently registered with us.
The role is also responsible for the efficient management of other corporate functions namely:
Procurement;
Data management;
Facilities management; and
IS service delivery.
Our core business systems are applications based on the Salesforce CRM platform. We use Xero accounting software linked to Salesforce. Our payroll, pensions and IT support functions are outsourced as are a number of other important corporate functions so there is a need to re-retender suppliers from time to time.
Key responsibilities
To ensure that financial reporting and analysis is accurate, rigorous and timely.
To oversee the preparation of budgets and forecasts and to ensure that the Fundraising Regulator has adequate financial and accounting control procedures.
To oversee the Fundraising Regulator’s compliance with legal, accounting and tax regulations and requirements particularly the preparation of audited accounts.
To oversee the investment management of the regulator’s reserve funds.
To ensure systems for payment of staff and suppliers are timely and properly controlled to avoid risks of loss or fraud.
To oversee the Fundraising Regulator’s Registration scheme and the collection of the Levy and income from registrants and to expand the volume of registrants.
To oversee the IT and Facilities functions, ensuring that staff have an excellent working environment, access to all necessary tools and reliable and secure systems to do their jobs.
To act as Data Controller, with responsibility for ensuring the Fundraising Regulator complies with data handling legislation.
To manage the procurement function, ensuring value for money at all times and working with other teams to ensure tendering for services is effective and fair.
Working as an effective member of the Senior Management Team including strategic planning, budget management and ensuring the organisations aims and objectives are met.
Managing a small team, encouraging individual development and providing timely and constructive feedback and support.
Person specification
To be considered for the role, applicants should meet the criteria outlined in this person specification. You should make sure you refer to these criteria in your application.
Qualifications
Relevant accountancy qualifications are desirable but candidates must be able to demonstrate understanding of financial management gained through experience.
Work experience
This would be assessed via the application stage.
Essential
Considerable experience at a senior level within a similar environment, including the operation of an organisation’s financial function.
Desirable
Experience with creating both corporate and charity accounts.
Experience at a senior level of the operational running of a registration, regulatory or memberships function.
Knowledge, skills and ability
Some of these skills will be assessed at interview stage and others may be explored via a test at interview stage.
Essential
Experience of / informed knowledge of operating a finance function and financial systems.
Excellent report writing and interpersonal skills.
Experience of procurement, IT, facilities and contract management.
Experience/ and or informed knowledge of operating a registration or membership scheme.
Experience/ and or informed knowledge of data handling policies and the requirements of a Data Controller.
Experience of deploying a small team of financial and operational resources effectively.
Proven leadership and management skills.
Willingness to undertake any task to support the function – as the team is small you will be required to work in a hands on role as well in more strategic scenarios as the needs arise.
Desirable
Understanding of investment management.
Appreciation of legal framework The Fundraising Regulator operates within.
A good understanding of the charity sector and how large fundraising charities operate.
Knowledge of CRM systems as used in a registration function.
Knowledge of small business finance systems like Xero.
Benefits
We offer a range of benefits to all employees, including:
A flexible working environment
27 days’ annual leave, plus three days Christmas closure and bank holidays
Generous pension contribution from day one
Enhanced maternity, paternity and sickness pay
Paid time off for volunteering
Eyecare vouchers
Bike to work scheme and season ticket loans
Ongoing training and development
Employee Assistance Programme