Head of Corporate Planning in Guildford

What if your planning expertise could help one of the UK's largest charities turn ambitious strategy into measurable progress for people affected by dementia?

As Head of Corporate Planning, you'll lead the process by which Alzheimer's Society translates its strategy into a clear, deliverable plan and tracks the difference we are making. In a role where every decision shapes how we use our resources to end the devastation of dementia, you'll provide the leadership team with the insight they need to focus on what matters most and to keep adjusting course as the world around us changes.

You'll bring people together from across the organisation, building trusted relationships that make corporate planning a genuinely shared endeavour rather than a Finance exercise. Through workshops, partnership and powerful reporting, you'll help leaders at every level understand how their work connects to the corporate plan, where progress is being made, and where we need to challenge ourselves to do more.

You'll be part of our Finance and Assurance directorate, where our vision is to be the Society's single point of truth. Working closely with other Finance department heads, you'll help to deliver an accountable, efficient and improvement-driven approach to the Society's financial and corporate strategy, providing the leadership team with the information they need to run the organisation well.

Leading our Corporate Planning team, you'll set the standard for accessible, timely and accurate corporate planning, while continuously improving the way we plan across the Society and the way we measure success. You'll act as a vital source of insight on what is working across the Society, what might need to change, and where the next opportunity to increase our impact for people affected by dementia might lie.

Please note that this role is a 12 month fixed term contract.

You're an experienced corporate planning or strategy professional who understands that good planning is about people as much as process. You're as comfortable in an Executive workshop as you are in the detail, and you know how to combine analytical rigour with clear communication, constructive challenge and a genuine interest in helping others see the bigger picture.

You'll have:

• An in-depth understanding and significant experience of planning a large organisation's activity in a way that effectively supports delivery and the tracking of performance, driving continuous improvement.
• A track record of providing insightful, accessible reporting to drive decision-making at senior levels, including with Executive and Board audiences.
• The confidence to engage stakeholders at all levels in planning and progress tracking, leading them through it with clarity and credibility.
• Proven facilitation, workshop leading and presentation skills, including with executive and senior leadership teams.
• Effective analytical skills, with the ability to draw insight from data and influence priority setting at an organisational level.
• Confidence and experience in leading a small team, managing their performance and developing their capability.
• The ability to deliver effectively to timelines in complex and sometimes ambiguous environments, balancing strategic focus with operational responsiveness.
• Demonstratable critical thinking skills, identifying and acting on ways to work more effectively and efficiently, and celebrating progress, solutions and impact rather than activity.

It would be particularly valuable if you also bring:

• Experience of corporate planning or strategy delivery within a large charity, public sector or values-led organisation.

What you'll focus on:

• Leading the corporate planning process and producing the corporate plan, with clear objectives that align to budget and risk appetite and translate strategy into delivery.
• Analysing performance against the corporate plan and providing accessible, timely insight to the leadership of the organisation on what is working and what may need to change.
• Working with Finance, Risk and other relevant teams to align reporting on progress, outcome, finance and risk, producing engaging dashboards and reports that drive decision-making at Executive and Board level.
• Facilitating discussions, running workshops and driving engagement and understanding of our plans and how we measure them across all parts of the organisation.
• Setting, tracking and reporting the impact of activity as part of integrated team, directorate and corporate reporting.
• Continuously improving the performance of the Corporate Planning function so the Society remains agile in delivering impact aligned with the strategy.
• Owning and managing the departmental budget, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to meet strategic and operational objectives.
• Building and drawing on external networks to inform the Society's approach and decision-making, bringing best practice from across the sector and more widely.

You'll work alongside other leaders across Finance and Assurance to deliver the directorate plan and deputise for the Associate Director of Finance as required, role-modelling a high challenge, high support culture where accountability, performance and development go hand in hand.

Are you ready to bring planning rigour, partnership and insight to the people working to end the devastation of dementia?