Head of Finance

Role overview

GSG Impact is looking for a senior finance leader to oversee the full finance function for its charity, working closely with the Chief Operating Officer. This person will take ownership of financial stewardship, compliance, reporting, controls, planning, and support for board-level decision-making.

The role is responsible for managing the external audit process, preparing the annual report and accounts, and ensuring all statutory and regulatory obligations are met for a UK charitable organisation. The post holder will also help prepare materials and presentations for the Finance and Audit sub-committee as well as the main Board.

In addition, this position will monitor the organisation’s financial position, enforce strong financial controls across the procurement-to-payment cycle, lead budgeting and reforecasting, and provide business partnering and technical support to non-finance colleagues. A key part of the role is building effective working relationships across the organisation, especially with Fundraising and Programme Support teams, to support long-term sustainability.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the finance function and supervise finance staff on a day-to-day basis.
• Own the relationship with external auditors and coordinate the annual audit process.
• Prepare the annual financial statements and audited accounts for both the charity and its trading subsidiary.
• Complete all required filings and regulatory submissions for the Charities Commission.
• Coordinate and submit quarterly VAT returns and the annual Corporation Tax return.
• Review whether VAT registration remains appropriate for the organisation.
• Ensure gift aid is accurately calculated and transferred from the trading subsidiary to the charity where relevant.
• Drive the annual budgeting cycle, including multi-year financial planning and scenario analysis.
• Lead mid-year reforecasting for review and approval by the Board.
• Produce monthly and quarterly management accounts, including narrative analysis of major variances and trends.
• Oversee budget-versus-actual reporting by department or function for circulation to budget holders.
• Own month-end accounting activities and related accounting adjustments.
• Manage the monthly payroll process with the external payroll provider.
• Oversee monthly balance sheet reconciliations, including bank reconciliations.
• Manage accounts payable to ensure suppliers and third-party payments are settled on time.
• Monitor domestic and foreign bank accounts and maintain appropriate balances across currencies.
• Prepare cash flow forecasts using updated income and expenditure information to support short- and medium-term working capital planning.
• Support Programme Support colleagues with standard budgets for donor proposals and maximise cost recovery under the Full Cost Recovery Model.
• Maintain a staff cost allocation database to highlight funding gaps for future donor bids.
• Oversee financial reporting for donors, projects, and grants to meet all reporting obligations.
• Keep a restricted and unrestricted fund summary to support balance sheet fund balances.
• Work with finance colleagues in National Partners on sub-granted funds.
• Act as the main contact for the Audit and Finance Committee, including scheduling meetings and preparing papers and supporting documents.
• Provide finance input for trustee board packs, KPI reporting, and dashboards.
• Review the Reserves Policy periodically and recommend updates where needed.
• Maintain organisation-wide financial policies and procedures and ensure they are applied consistently.
• Prepare and assess information used for going-concern analysis.
• Review financial risks and update the Risk Register as needed.
• Support due diligence and risk reviews for partners receiving sub-grants.
• Improve finance processes continuously so systems can better support programme delivery and organisational growth.

Requirements

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA) with substantial experience gained after qualification.
• Practical knowledge of the UK Charity SORP and experience preparing annual reports and accounts.
• Proven experience managing a team and working with colleagues in a distributed global structure.
• Background in managing multi-donor budgets and grant budgets, including restricted and unrestricted funds, full cost recovery, and financial reporting.
• Experience handling multi-currency income and expenditure, plus the administration of sub-grants to overseas partners.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership by supporting senior leadership and the Board with clear, decision-useful financial information.
• Strong stakeholder management skills across senior leaders, trustees, fundraising teams, and national partners.
• Clear communicator who can explain complex financial matters to people without a finance background.
• Collaborative, practical, and mission-aligned, with a global outlook.

Benefits

• Flexible working arrangement, with remote working and occasional on-site meetings.
• Competitive pay within the charity sector, depending on experience.
• 25 days of annual leave plus 8 bank or public holidays.
• Enrolment in the NEST Pension Scheme, with 3% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution.

Additional information

This is a remote full-time role based in the United Kingdom, with occasional attendance required for meetings on site.