Change Lead Finance Systems Replacement Project in Heathfield

The RSPB is seeking a Change Lead for the Finance System Replacement Project. This is a complex and major project for the RSPB. The Change Lead will ensure the whole organisation, and its Finance System users are ready, trained and supported to adopt the new finance system and new finance processes. This role will ensure the Programme succeeds beyond the technical go-live date. The Change Lead will operate within a recovery phase of the Programme, and will be expected to work at pace, prioritising business readiness, adoption risk and go-live assurance over documentation-led change activity.

This role is responsible for delivering:

• Apply the ADKAR framework pragmatically to structure awareness, readiness, training and reinforcement activities through to go-live and BAU.
• Business readiness for go-live - Lead structured change impact assessments to identify who is impacted, how, and where adoption risk exists across Finance and the wider organisation.
• Change impact assessment - Identify who is impacted, how they are impacted, and the scale of change across finance and the wider organisation.
• Training strategy and delivery - Define and coordinate role-based training using a 'Train-the-Trainer' model, aligned to system design decisions and readiness milestones.
• Stakeholder engagement and communications - Deliver clear, timely and decision-aligned communications so staff understand what is changing, when, and what is required of them.
• Super-user and local support model - Establish and support a super-user network to provide first-line support during rollout and hyper-care, with clear escalation routes into the Programme.
• Go-live and hyper-care support - Coordinate business-side support during go-live and hyper-care, including issue triage, prioritisation and escalation to delivery teams.
• Adoption tracking and issue feedback - Track adoption, training completion and user feedback, escalating material adoption risks to the Programme Director and Programme Board.
• BAU transition planning - Define and support handover from programme to BAU, ensuring ownership, support arrangements and decision rights are clear post go-live.
• Benefits realisation support - Support early definition and tracking of benefits linked to improved processes, controls and system usage.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of the ADKAR framework (Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement) or a similar change framework, and experience of successfully applying it.
• Experience of operating as the Change Lead for a Finance System replacement programme or equivalent Finance Transformation Programmes.
• Experience operating in a programme recovery or high-risk delivery environment, balancing pace, pragmatism and control.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to engage with stakeholders across the whole organisation and explain complex information and positively influence the acceptance of new ways of working.
• A thorough knowledge and understanding of financial work practices, policies and procedures, relevant to a medium-sized organisation.
• Ability to quickly acquire detailed operational knowledge of a complex, new finance system.
• Demonstrable ability to lead and influence people without line management authority.
• Ability to establish a clear, detailed and realistic plan, identifying priorities, managing multiple work programmes, track progress, escalate risks and issues and adhere the complex change aspects of the programme to a strict schedule.
• Able to work under pressure and adapt to changing circumstances.

Additional Information:

This is a fixed-term role for 9 months, full-time for 37.5 hours per week. This role is home-based with fortnightly (minimum) travel to the Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL. The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Closing date: 23:59, Thursday, 5th February 2026. We are looking to conduct interviews for this position from Monday 9 February 2026.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on natures side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application. The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer.

This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This role is not eligible for UK Visa Sponsorship - the successful applicant will need to have a pre-existing Right to Work in the UK in order to be offered an employment contract. As part of this application you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete a short form. If you wish to provide a cover letter with your application, please include this at the end of your CV document upload. Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.