Director of Corporate & Finance in Oxford

Job Description

Director of Corporate & Finance

Oxfordshire | Predominantly Remote | Up to £95,000

Fixed-term contract to 2028 | Four-day working week | 30 hours worked, 37.5 hours paid | 12% employer pension

We're partnering with a purpose-led organisation in Oxfordshire to appoint a Director of Corporate & Finance to join its senior leadership team, at a genuinely pivotal moment for the organisation.

This is a Director-level position with responsibility across finance, governance, risk and corporate services, working closely with the Managing Director, Board and wider leadership team as the organisation navigates real change ahead in its structure and funding.

The organisation itself is relatively small, but the complexity isn't. It manages public funding, grant programmes and government-backed initiatives, working extensively with local authorities and other external stakeholders — which means the accountability attached to the money here is significant, even if the headcount doesn't suggest it.

For that reason, this isn't simply about finding an experienced commercial Finance Director. A key part of the brief is someone who understands the governance, scrutiny and accountability that comes with public money and externally funded programmes, but who can bring commercial thinking to it rather than pure process.

Experience within local government, the wider public sector, economic development, education, charities, housing, regulated organisations or another publicly funded environment is likely to translate particularly well.

The role

You'll provide senior leadership across areas including:

• Financial strategy and long-term planning
• Budgeting, forecasting and Board reporting
• Financial controls, cash flow and statutory reporting
• Public and grant funding governance and compliance
• Corporate governance, risk and assurance
• Procurement, contracts and supplier relationships
• Oversight of wider corporate services
• Leadership and development of the finance and corporate teams
• Advising the Managing Director, Board and senior leadership team

You'll also play a genuine role in helping shape the organisation's future structure, funding model and longer-term financial sustainability — not simply reporting on decisions made elsewhere.

What we're looking for

You'll be a qualified accountant — ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent — with substantial senior finance leadership experience. Beyond the qualification, we're looking for someone who's genuinely comfortable operating at Board level and close to the detail in the same week.

You'll ideally bring:

• Finance Director, Director of Finance, Head of Finance or equivalent experience
• Genuine Board and senior stakeholder exposure
• Experience of public money, grant funding or government-backed programmes
• Solid governance, risk and financial control experience
• Leadership and people management experience
• The confidence to challenge, influence and operate effectively in a relatively small organisation

The right person will be pragmatic, open and commercially aware, with the ability to move comfortably between strategic conversations and the detail when needed.

Package & working pattern

Salary: Up to £95,000
Contract: Fixed-term to 2028, with a realistic possibility of becoming permanent as the organisation's longer-term structure becomes clearer.
Four-day week: You'll be paid for 37.5 hours while working 30 hours across four days, typically with either a Monday or Friday off.
Hybrid: Predominantly home-based, with in-person meetings roughly once per week, typically on Wednesdays, plus occasional travel around Oxfordshire.
Annual leave: 23 days based on the four-day working week, plus additional leave for Bank Holidays falling outside your normal working pattern.
Pension: 12% employer contribution, with a minimum 4% employee contribution.

Additional benefits include healthcare support and flexible working arrangements.

If you want genuine influence at Board level, the flexibility of a four-day week, and the chance to help shape an organisation through real change rather than maintain the status quo — we'd like to hear from you.

Distinct Recruitment Privacy Policy