Head of Finance Business Partnering

Exciting opportunity to join our world‑leading mental health charity for children, young people and their families. Our mission is to close the gap in wellbeing and mental health by advancing, translating, delivering, and sharing the best science and practice with everyone who impacts the lives of children, young people and their families.

Our EDI commitment

We are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and being an equal opportunities employer, whereby equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to our recruitment practices. All candidates who meet the job criteria will be considered for employment, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities and care experience. We ask candidates to share their diversity dimensions with us to help us identify, tackle and prevent bias across the employee lifecycle. We believe a diverse workforce enhances our ability to support mental health and wellbeing, allowing us to better meet the needs of the children, young people and families we serve. As a Disability Confident employer, disabled candidates meeting our criteria are guaranteed an interview. Applications are submitted anonymously and assessed using a fair evaluation process based on the criteria set out in our job profiles.

What we offer

We offer a range of staff benefits, including an all‑in‑one rewards and recognition platform called Perkbox and wellbeing offers such as finishing early on Fridays and free counselling through our Employee Assistance Programme. We are proud to have staff‑led Diversity Networks offering unique opportunities for learning, connection and impact.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a strategic, Exec‑facing role where your work will directly shape key decisions and the organisation’s long‑term direction. You’ll build and lead a Finance Business Partnering function from the ground up, with real ownership and the chance to make a lasting impact, while tackling complex, high‑value financial challenges that will stretch and develop your expertise, all within a purpose‑driven organisation improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.

What you’ll do

• Lead financial strategy and modelling; develop long‑term financial plans, including income and expenditure projections, scenario modelling, and sustainability metrics (e.g. cash flow, reserves, EBITDA).
• Own budgeting and reporting; oversee budgeting, forecasting and management accounts, ensuring accurate, timely and insightful financial reporting.
• Drive business partnering; build strong relationships with budget holders and senior stakeholders, providing challenge, insight and support to improve financial performance.
• Lead and develop the team; manage and grow a high‑performing Finance Business Partnering team, supporting capability and continuous improvement.
• Enhance systems and processes; improve financial systems, tools and processes to strengthen data quality, insight and organisational decision‑making.

What you’ll bring

You will be a senior, qualified finance leader with strong business partnering experience, able to combine strategic thinking with advanced technical expertise to influence decision‑making, lead high‑performing teams, and drive financial insight across a complex, mission‑driven organisation.

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with significant experience in financial management within a complex organisation.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence and challenge senior leaders and non‑financial stakeholders.
• Advanced financial modelling and analytical capability, including scenario planning, data interpretation, and translating insight into action.
• Proven experience leading and developing high‑performing teams, managing competing priorities and delivering to tight deadlines.
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting and management reporting, ideally within the charity sector, including knowledge of restricted funds and compliance.

Hours: Full‑time: usual working hours are Monday to Friday, 09:00‑17:00. Flexible working is possible.

Salary: £60,000 FTE per annum, plus 6% contributory pension scheme.

Location: Hybrid (a mixture of home/onsite working): staff are working onsite for at least 20% of their working hours at our London site (4‑8 Rodney Street, London N1 9JH). There may be occasions where additional office attendance is required, depending on business needs.

Contract type: Permanent.

Next steps

Closing date for applications: midday (12pm), Wednesday, 06 May 2026. Please note that due to high application volumes, we may close this advert early. We encourage you to apply promptly and to keep an eye on our future vacancies for more opportunities.

Notification of interview: shortlisted applicants will be notified no later than Thursday, 07 May 2026. During shortlisting, applicants are anonymously assessed using the criteria visible in the Job Profile. Please note: due to the high volume of applications received, we will not be able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Interviews: There will be 2 interviews with the first being held in‑person on Friday, 15 May 2026 and Tuesday 19 May for the second in‑person interview. For the 1st interview, there will be a short task and presentation.

How to apply: visit www.annafreud.org/careers/ to apply online. We are unable to accept CVs and kindly request no contact from agencies.

Questions? Please email recruitment@annafreud.org with any job enquiries, or if you require assistance or experience difficulties when applying. Please note that successful candidate(s) will be asked to evidence their Right to Work in the UK post‑job offer – we do not hold a sponsor license therefore we are unable to provide Visa sponsorship.