Head of Finance & Purchasing in Newcastle upon Tyne

St Oswald's Hospice is one of the North East's most respected charities, providing specialist care and support to children, young people and adults with life‐limiting conditions. We are now seeking an exceptional Head of Finance & Purchasing to play a pivotal leadership role in strengthening financial insight, governance and procurement across the organisation.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a qualified accountant who enjoys combining strategic thinking with operational leadership, and who is motivated by making a meaningful impact through their work.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Director of Finance, you will lead the organisation's finance and purchasing functions, ensuring strong financial stewardship while helping the organisation use data, systems and technology to improve decision‐making. Key priorities include:

• Delivering high-quality monthly financial reporting and insight to support strategic decisions
• Leading efficient month‐end and year‐end processes, ensuring strong statutory compliance
• Driving digital improvement and automation across finance systems and reporting
• Supporting managers through strong financial business partnering
• Overseeing cashflow forecasting and treasury management
• Embedding value‐for‐money, sustainable and well‐governed procurement
• Leading and developing a high‐performing finance and purchasing team

You will also act as a trusted adviser across the organisation, helping leaders understand financial trends, risks and opportunities.

About You

We are looking for someone who brings both technical credibility and collaborative leadership. You will likely have:

• Strong experience in financial reporting, budgeting and financial systems
• Experience working in a complex organisation, ideally within the charity or not‐for‐profit sector
• Experience leading and developing teams
• Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel and reporting tools (e.g. Power BI)
• The ability to communicate financial insight clearly to non‐financial colleagues
• Experience of Charity SORP, fund accounting and charity VAT would be advantageous

Most importantly, you will bring a values‐driven, compassionate leadership style, with a commitment to collaboration and continuous improvement.

Our Values

At St Oswald's Hospice our work is guided by values that shape everything we do:

• Safe and supportive
• Positive and can‐do
• Accountable and authentic
• Caring and compassionate
• Excellence and innovation

Studies have shown that women and people of the global majority are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification and requirement. Research also shows that many people with other protected characteristics also find it hard it much harder to gain employment. At St Oswald's Hospice we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. So if you are excited by the role but your past experience doesn't quite match every requirement we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the person we are looking for!

Please apply via CV to our retained consultancy Castle Peak Group. If you would like a confidential discussion or view the full candidate pack, please email.