Head of Finance

Head of Finance

We are looking for a Head of Finance to oversee budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and management reporting.

Job details

Location

London Hybrid - 1 day per week in London office

Salary

actual £56,499 - £62,365 (FTE £70,624 - £77,956)

Hours of work

28 hours per week (4 days per week)

Contract

Permanent

Closing date

October 26, 2026

Job Title: Head of Finance

Location: London Hybrid - 1 day per week in London office

Pay: £56,499 - £62,365 (FTE £70,624 - £77,956)

Contract: Permanent Contract, 0.8 (4 days per week)

Role Overview:

We are looking for a Head of Finance to oversee budgeting, forecasting, cost analysis, and management reporting. You will line manage the Finance Officer team and serve as the lead technical finance expert, second only to the Director of Finance and IT. You will provide expert advice to the Finance Manager, Finance Officers, budget holders, and the Senior Management Team on management accounting, statutory reporting, payroll, VAT, and charity accounting matters.

You will also deputise for the Director of Finance and IT, providing continuity of financial leadership during absences, and play a pivotal part in strengthening our financial operations and long-term sustainability.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining technical excellence, strategic business partnering and organisational change delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leading budgeting, the full year reforecast, cashflow forecasting and KPI reporting




• Maintaining financial controls, leading the year-end accounts and audit under the Charities SORP, owning statutory, Charity Commission and funder returns, and reviewing VAT




• Owning cash and liquidity management, acting as the main bank contact and approving payment runs




• Leading and developing the finance team, managing workloads and deadlines, supporting staff development and deputising for the Finance Director when required




• Reviewing and approving payroll, ensuring PAYE and NI compliance, posting journals and forecasting staff costs




• Overseeing reconciliations, overhead recharges, investment accounting and endowment modelling




• Providing clear financial information, analysis and recommendations to support good decision-making

What we are looking for:

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, CIMA or equivalent)




• Significant management accounting experience, including budgets and forecasts




• Knowledge of charity accounting and SORP, ideally with experience in the charity sector.




• Strong understanding of financial controls and procedures, with experience of statutory accounts under SORP (FRS 102) and reviewing VAT compliance.




• Experience overseeing payroll, PAYE compliance, cashflow management, treasury activities and banking relationships




• Most importantly, you will share our values, communicate well, and be able to turn complex financial information into clear, practical insight

About Us:

We are Speech and Language UK - we want every child to face the future with confidence. For 2 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feel like an impossible hurdle. Without the right help, this can destroy their world. They feel disconnected from their family. Unable to make friends. Unfairly punished for not following instructions they don't understand. What does the future hold for them?

Why Us?

Speech and Language UK is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for children and young people with communication needs. If you're ready to make a difference in a supportive, mission-driven environment, we'd love to hear from you.

Benefits include a competitive salary, 28 days holiday, group pension scheme, life assurance and the opportunity to work in an organisation where every job matters!

Accessibility Support:
We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any adjustments or need to apply in a different format, please contact our People Team at hr@speechandlanguage.org.uk and we will be happy to assist you.

We are a Disability Confident Committed Employer.

Note on AI use:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of the application process. While it can be helpful for research, we've noticed some applicants rely too much on AI-generated answers. This often leads to weak responses that lack personal examples and important soft skills like communication and teamwork. As a result, these applicants are usually less successful. To ensure fairness, we ask that all candidates use their own words and real-life experiences as this makes the process more transparent and avoids the risks of AI-generated responses.

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