Director of Finance & Resources

CY Executive Resourcing are delighted to be supporting POhWER in the search for their next Director of Finance & Resources.

POhWER was established in 1996 by a number of founders, all of whom had disabilities and were fighting social injustice and challenges in their lives. POhWER still operates with these roots at the heart of everything it does; supporting marginalised, vulnerable and socially excluded people through its work.

The Director of Finance & Resources is a pivotal leadership role in driving financial strategy, commercial innovation, and operational excellence across the charity. You will ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, budgeting, and statutory accounts in compliance with UK charity and financial regulations, forecasting, planning, and risk management processes. The Director of Finance & Resources will be responsible for ensuring robust financial governance, improving financial performance, and identifying income-generating opportunities aligned with our charitable objectives. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, you will contribute to shaping our future direction and impact.

Drawing on your commercial experience, you will provide strategic insight and commercial challenge to the Executive Team and Trustees, and lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team of direct reports and stakeholders, fostering a culture of financial accountability and commercial awareness. You will champion commercial performance, budgetary control, and tight working capital management to ensure that the Charity operates in a financially sustainable manner. The Director of Finance & Resources will lead on Identifying and evaluating commercial opportunities to diversify income and improve financial resilience and stability, oversee pricing, cost management, contracting, and funding models for services, grants, and partnerships and drive efficiency and value-for-money across all operations.

The Director of Finance & Resources will be an agile and collaborative leader who can think strategically but also have an eye on the detail. You will be calm and resilient under pressure, and embrace the ethos of POhWER supporting a culture of mutual respect, effective team working and commercial awareness.

Role & Responsibilities;

• To provide executive-level strategic and technical Finance leadership.
• To lead on the development of the 5-year Financial Strategy as part of the new POhWER strategy. To lead the operation for all matters related to our Finances, Technology, Compliance and Procurement. To lead the operation of Information Technology Support Services and. We are undertaking a period of significant change and transformation so this role would suit someone with a flexible and innovative mindset.
• Leadership and stewardship of the Charity’s finances, regulatory, and legal compliance.
• The Charity lead on the provision of accurate financial information to assist the Executive Team and Board of Trustees in reaching decisions and understanding the financial implications.
• Design and implement financial strategies and delivery plans to support the success of the Charity’s overarching Strategy.
• Lead on financial compliance, controls and operations to ensure that the Charity operates to best practice.
• Lead on IT strategy and system change requirements to facilitate efficient growth.
• Champion commercial performance, budgetary control, and tight working capital management to ensure that the Charity operates in a financially sustainable manner.
• Contribute to best practice in risk and regulatory compliance matters.
• Taking responsibility for the finance team outputs.
• Financial operations that provide excellent stakeholder service.
• Robust working capital controls and management.
• Asset management and placing suitable investments within agreed parameters.
• High quality internal and external financial reporting.
• Production of budgets and forecasts; thereafter managing performance against budget with variance insight and remedy where possible.
• Delivery of the annual external audit with a compliant set of financial statements and remedy of any audit finding recommendations.
• Commercial business development support such as pricing, cost management; contract review and intervention.
• Supporting the Board and Finance, Audit and Risk Committee with agreed reports, and work to ensure that the Committee’s forward agenda plan is adhered to, to enable effective financial governance.
• Ensuring that financial systems and processes are efficient, cost effective and fit for purpose.
• Maintaining financial policies and procedures and ensure compliance.
• Ensure compliance with tax legislation and any other regulators connected with financial activity.
• Design, implement and adapt financial strategies and plans that best support the Charity to achieve its overarching Strategy and goals.
• Ensure that the finance team and budget-holding managers are furnished with appropriate financial information in order to fulfil their duties with the appropriate level of financial insight.
• Act as the point of contact for key financial institutions such as banks, investment agents and auditors.
• Manage all major supplier and outsourced supplier relationships – IT, lawyers, landlords.

Knowledge and Experience;

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with proven senior- level experience of financial leadership in a charitable or not for profit organisation.
• Effective leader and strong team player able to lead with authority when required and develop effective relations with diverse staff, trustees, and stakeholders.
• Experience of statutory reporting and engagement with regulatory bodies.
• Experience of financial modelling using marginal cost/full cost recovery techniques.
• Knowledge and understanding of audit processes and the production of financial statements to current accounting standards.
• Sector-relevant technical accounting and tax knowledge e.g., SORP.
• Creative and solution focused, able to develop and maintain systematic approaches to service improvement with experience of designing, developing, and implementing business support systems Knowledge and understanding of the regulatory environment.
• An understanding of charity governance.
• Demonstrable experience of succinct and accurate report writing for an Executive and Board.

For further information and a confidential discussion, please contact Kurt Rimell Lejeune at CY Executive Resourcing on 07531140479 or kurt@cyresourcing.com