Strategic Treasurer: Grow a Charity for Emergency Services

Help shape the future of the Blue Light Symphony Orchestra as our Trustee Treasurer. We are a growing charity supporting emergency services wellbeing through orchestral and jazz workshops, concerts and music therapy, and need financial leadership to help us grow sustainably.

This role will help BLSO grow with confidence. As Trustee Treasurer, you will help ensure that the charity has the financial oversight, planning and resilience needed to expand its work while staying true to its core mission providing affordable, accessible and welcoming music-based experiences for serving and former emergency services personnel. Your work will directly support our ability to develop orchestral and jazz workshops in new locations, build stronger partnerships with emergency services organisations, and create new initiatives that reach more people across the blue light community.

Good financial leadership will help us understand what is sustainable, where investment is possible, and how to manage risk responsibly as the charity grows. The impact of the role goes beyond accounts and reporting. By helping the board make clear, informed financial decisions, you will help protect the accessibility of our events, support our fundraising and grant reporting, and ensure that our resources are used effectively for the people we exist to serve.

You will be building on strong foundations created by our outgoing Treasurer, who has helped guide the charity’s financial development over the past five years. This is an opportunity to take on a well-supported role and make a significant contribution to the next stage of BLSO’s growth. Ultimately, your contribution will help more emergency services musicians find a place where they can reconnect with music, build friendships, feel understood and experience the wellbeing that comes from making music with others.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone with strong financial experience who wants to use their skills to help a growing charity make a real difference. The most important requirement is the ability to provide clear, reliable financial oversight for the charity. This could come from experience as an accountant, finance manager, finance director, bookkeeper, charity finance professional, business owner or someone with equivalent practical experience. A formal accounting qualification would be welcome, but it is not essential if the person has the right knowledge, judgement and experience.

Our ideal trustee will be confident working with financial records, budgets, cash flow, reporting and financial controls. They should be able to explain financial information clearly to trustees who do not have a finance background, helping the board make informed decisions about growth, risk and sustainability. Experience of charity finance would be particularly valuable, including annual accounts, Charity Commission reporting, Gift Aid, grant reporting, reserves policies and financial controls. Familiarity with Xero would also be useful, although a willingness to learn would be enough.

Just as importantly, we are looking for someone who is thoughtful, reliable and collaborative. BLSO is a small, volunteer-led charity, so trustees need to be willing to contribute practically as well as strategically. The right person will enjoy working as part of a friendly board, asking constructive questions, challenging where needed, and helping us make good decisions. We would particularly welcome someone who is excited by the opportunity to help the charity grow.

Over the next few years, we want to expand our workshop programme, develop new initiatives, strengthen partnerships with emergency services organisations and keep our activities affordable and accessible. We need a Treasurer who can help us do that sustainably. A connection with the emergency services community, music, mental wellbeing or the voluntary sector would be welcome, but it is not essential. What matters most is that the person understands the value of our mission and wants to help create a lasting, supportive musical community for serving and former emergency services personnel.

Essential Qualities And Experience

• Financial, accounting, bookkeeping or financial management experience.
• Ability to understand and explain financial information clearly.
• Good judgement, reliability and attention to detail.
• Commitment to good governance and responsible financial management.
• Willingness to work collaboratively as part of a small trustee board.
• Enthusiasm for BLSO’s mission and future growth.

Desirable qualities and experience

• Charity finance or voluntary sector experience.
• Knowledge of Charity Commission reporting.
• Experience with Gift Aid, grant reporting or reserves policies.
• Familiarity with Xero.
• Experience helping a small organisation grow sustainably.
• Connection with music, wellbeing or the emergency services community.

What will you be doing?

BLSO is entering an important stage of growth. Our board is small, committed and hands-on, with six trustees supporting an entirely volunteer-led charity. We have built a strong musical community, with a mailing list of more than 500 musicians, regular orchestral and jazz workshops in London and Bath, performances in major concert venues, and growing opportunities to support emergency services events.

For the past five years, we have benefited from an excellent Trustee Treasurer, a chartered accountant who has helped the charity grow in a financially sustainable way. We are now looking for the right person to take on the role following a proper handover, building on strong foundations rather than starting from scratch.

The board’s current priorities are to expand our workshop programme into new locations, develop new music-based initiatives for the emergency services community, strengthen partnerships with police, fire, ambulance, NHS and other emergency services organisations, and ensure our activities remain affordable and accessible for serving and former emergency services personnel.

The Trustee Treasurer will play a central role in this next stage. They will provide financial leadership to the board, help us understand the financial implications of our plans, and ensure we maintain clear controls, reporting and budgeting as the charity develops. Specific responsibilities will include maintaining accurate financial records, preparing financial reports for trustee meetings and the AGM, leading on the preparation of annual accounts, overseeing budgeting and cash flow, managing Gift Aid claims, supporting the financial elements of grant applications and funder reporting, acting as a bank signatory, and advising the board on financial risks and opportunities.

This is not just a bookkeeping role. We are looking for someone who can help shape the future of the charity. Good financial leadership will directly affect how many emergency services personnel we can reach, how affordable our activities remain, and how confidently we can develop new partnerships and initiatives. The right person will join a friendly and purposeful board at a positive moment in BLSO’s development. The charity has a clear mission, a distinctive place within the emergency services community, and strong potential to grow. We now need a Treasurer who can continue the excellent work already done and help us build the next stage sustainably.