About Penny Appeal
Penny Appeal is a UK-registered international humanitarian charity. Operating globally, we deliver transformational programmes in food, water, shelter, health, education, and emergency relief. Our work is underpinned by a commitment to financial transparency, strong governance, and accountability to our donors, trustees, and the communities we serve.
The Finance directorate plays a central role in the organisation, supporting strategic decision-making, regulatory compliance, and the delivery of Penny Appeal's charitable mission. We have recently completed the implementation of Sage Intacct as our core finance platform and are building a high-performing, professional finance team to support the next phase of the charity's growth.
Purpose of the Role
The Head of Finance is a senior leadership role and the principal operational lead within the Finance directorate. Reporting directly to the Director of Finance, the post holder will be responsible for the day-to-day management and integrity of Penny Appeal's financial operations, including statutory reporting, management accounting, financial controls, and team leadership.
This is a hands-on role that combines financial expertise with strong leadership and business partnering skills. The Head of Finance will act as deputy to the Director of Finance, representing the Finance function at senior leadership level and providing a credible, trusted interface between the finance team and the wider organisation.
The successful candidate will manage a team of three, comprising the Management Accountant, Finance Assistant, and Finance & Procurement Officer, and will play a key role in continuing to develop the capability and culture of the Finance team.
Key Responsibilities
1. Financial Accounting & Statutory Reporting
- Lead the preparation and ownership of Penny Appeal's annual statutory accounts, ensuring compliance with the Charities SORP FRS 102.
- Manage the end-to-end external audit process, acting as the primary point of contact for auditors, coordinating the preparation of audit files and supporting schedules.
- Ensure accurate and timely completion of month-end and year-end close processes, including journal preparation, balance sheet reconciliations, and inter-entity adjustments.
- Oversee the management of restricted and unrestricted fund accounting, ensuring income and expenditure are correctly allocated in accordance with donor conditions.
- Take ownership of Sage Intacct as the finance system lead, ensuring data integrity, user compliance, and continuous improvement of system configuration and workflows.
- Manage cash flow reporting and forecasting, providing the Director of Finance with timely visibility of the organisation's cash position and any material risks or opportunities.
- Oversee tax compliance matters, including Gift Aid claims, VAT partial exemption, and other relevant charity tax obligations.
2. Management Accounts & Financial Reporting
- Oversee the preparation of monthly management accounts, working closely with the Management Accountant to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timely delivery.
- Produce insightful, user-friendly management information packs for the Director of Finance, senior leadership team, and where required, the Trustee Board.
- Provide variance analysis and narrative commentary on financial performance against budget and forecast, highlighting key risks and areas requiring management attention.
- Support the Director of Finance in the preparation of board papers, financial performance reports, and trustee-facing materials.
- Develop and maintain financial dashboards and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making across the organisation.
3. Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Support the Director of Finance in the coordination and delivery of the annual budget process, working with departmental budget holders to produce robust, realistic plans.
- Maintain and update rolling forecasts throughout the year, incorporating actuals and revised assumptions as the financial position evolves.
- Provide proactive analysis of financial risks and opportunities, making recommendations to the Director of Finance for corrective action where required.
- Work with the Programmes team to ensure programme budgets are accurately reflected in the financial plan and that restricted income is correctly matched to project spend.
4. Financial Controls & Governance
- Maintain and continuously improve the organisation's system of internal financial controls, ensuring they are proportionate, effective, and consistently applied.
- Support the Director of Finance in responding to any audit findings, implementing agreed management actions in a timely manner.
- Ensure financial policies and procedures are kept up to date and that all finance team members operate in accordance with them.
- Provide financial due diligence oversight on programme delivery partners, grantees, and significant third-party relationships, working in collaboration with the Finance & Procurement Officer.
- Support the organisation's compliance with the Charity Commission's expectations on financial governance, including reserves policy management and restricted fund accountability.
5. Business Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a key business partner to departmental heads and senior managers, providing financial guidance, analysis, and challenge to support operational decision-making.
- Work closely with the fundraising and events teams to provide commercial insight on income performance, campaign analysis, and return on investment.
- Provide financial oversight and support to Penny Appeal's international offices, working with in-country finance leads to ensure consistency of reporting and compliance with group financial policies.
- Support the Estates function by providing financial analysis on property matters, including commercial tenancy income, lease obligations, and capital expenditure.
- Manage and develop Penny Appeal's banking relationships, including day-to-day liaison with the organisation's principal bank.
6. Team Leadership & Development
- Line manage the Management Accountant, Finance Assistant, and Finance & Procurement Officer, providing regular supervision, development support, and performance management.
- Foster a high-performing, collaborative, and professionally ambitious team culture within the Finance directorate.
- Identify and address skills gaps within the team, supporting individual professional development and qualification progression.
- Deputise for the Director of Finance in their absence, including attendance at senior leadership meetings, trustee board committees, and external stakeholder meetings as required.
- Contribute to the wider Finance directorate's strategic agenda, including system development, process improvement, and capacity building.
Person Specification
Essential
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
- Significant post-qualification experience in a finance management role, with a track record of managing statutory accounts, audit, and financial controls.
- Demonstrable experience of people management and team leadership, with the ability to motivate, develop, and hold colleagues accountable.
- Experience of preparing or contributing to board-level financial reporting and trustee-facing materials.
- Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to build and interrogate financial models and management information tools.
- Strong business partnering skills, with the ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and senior stakeholders.
- High degree of personal integrity, with a commitment to financial transparency and good governance.
Desirable
- Technical knowledge of UK charity accounting, including the Charities SORP FRS 102, restricted and unrestricted fund management, and Charity Commission regulatory requirements.
- Experience working in the charity or not-for-profit sector, ideally within an organisation with international operations.
- Knowledge of UK charity tax matters, including Gift Aid, VAT partial exemption, and trading subsidiary structures.
- Experience of Sage Intacct specifically, including system configuration, reporting, and user management.
- Experience of working with Trustees, including presentation of financial information at board level.
- Understanding of procurement governance and contract management in a charity context.
- Experience of financial due diligence on third-party organisations or international delivery partners.
Pay: Up to £60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Wakefield WF2 8QZ
