Finance Director

The Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) is a charity with the object of advancing education in the administration and practice of the law, by promoting high standards of advocacy and by enforcing professional standards of conduct amongst barristers. COIC advances the former through the activities of the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (the ICCA) and the latter through the work of the Bar Tribunals and Adjudication Service (BTAS).

The ICCA delivers a not-for-profit postgraduate Bar Course which features innovative admissions policies to attract a diverse cohort of students, and provides high-quality CPD, education and training materials to practising barristers. The BTAS administers Disciplinary Tribunals, Fitness to Practise and other hearings for barristers. BTAS does not investigate or prosecute alleged misconduct itself, but instead it performs the vital role of ensuring the fairness and independence of the hearing process.

The Council of the Inns of Court (COIC) is seeking to recruit its first Finance Director. This is a key appointment to help safeguard COIC’s long-term financial sustainability, requiring development, implementation and oversight of robust financial processes and systems. Working closely with the senior leadership team, the FD will provide the rigour, insight and analysis needed to enable confident, well-informed financial decision-making. They will lead on budgeting and forecasting (including reliable future fee income and cashflow modelling) and audit work—bringing expertise and leadership to a complex, multi-entity organisation with a current turnover of in excess of £5M p.a. This is a flexible opportunity (0.4–1.0 FTE) and the scope of the role will be aligned to agreed hours and the successful candidate’s skills and experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Safeguarding the ongoing financial health of COIC and its subsidiary organisations.
• Introducing and operationalising strong financial governance and robust controls, ensuring regulatory compliance; introducing comprehensive financial systems based on best practice.
• Reliable multi-year budgeting, forecasting and cashflow processes necessary to support strategic financial planning.
• Modelling high-confidence ICCA student number and tuition fee income scenarios and forecasts.
• Providing timely, transparent and high-quality reporting, analysis and narrative to enable well-informed financial decision-making.
• Maintaining an appropriate reserves strategy, overseeing the financial risk framework, and supporting long-term financial sustainability through the identification and mitigation of key financial and operational risks.
• Developing the finance function, strengthening team capability, embedding a culture of financial accountability across the organisation, and driving continuous improvement in financial systems, processes and data quality.
• Partnering with non-financial colleagues on scenario planning and financial evaluation of new proposals; ensuring business plans are supported by accurate resource allocation, budget setting and clear assessment of financial and risk implications.
• Ensuring compliance with accounting, statutory and regulatory standards and reporting requirements; including preparation of Charity Commission and Companies House Returns, Office for Students Annual Finance Returns, and support for the external audit.
• Developing meaningful key performance indicators and financial health metrics; monitoring performance and providing regular updates and insight on emerging trends.
• Ensuring VAT and other tax records/returns are accurate and compliant, maximising recovery of input tax, allowances and exemptions where applicable.
• Undertake ad hoc financial projects and analysis as required by stakeholders.
• Any other reasonable duties as required.

Person Specification

• A recognised accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA or equivalent).
• A successful track record in the commercial, higher education or charity sectors, ideally in a small organisation without sophisticated accounting and management information systems.
• A hands‑on finance leader who has built processes, controls and management information in scaling organisations.
• Strong in-depth knowledge of excellent financial management, practices and procedures.
• Proven experience of developing financial plans, long‑term forecasts, and scenario modelling.
• Strong analytical, planning and organisational skills.
• Ability to communicate accessibly and influence at senior leadership and Board levels.
• Comfortable establishing a culture of high-quality financial management, planning and discipline amongst non-financial colleagues.
• Careful attention to detail in both own work and that of others.
• Experience developing an in‑house finance function (processes, systems and staff).
• Experience of successfully leading and managing direct reports.
• Familiarity with the use of risk management frameworks and approaches.
• Experience supporting colleagues with financial modelling, scenario planning and business cases for growth and sustainability; establishing a culture of strong financial awareness amongst non-financial colleagues.
• A flexible approach, including the willingness to attend early morning and evening meetings as required.

The Contract

• Salary £80,000 per annum (pro‑rata depending on contract).
• Generous Defined Pension Contribution by the employer (after 3 months).
• Private Health Insurance (after completion of three months probationary period).

Location

COIC is based at 9 Gray’s Inn Square, London WC1R 5JD. We offer flexible hybrid working, with an expectation that employees spend a minimum of 50% of their time working from the office.

COIC values equality and diversity and is committed to ensuring its processes and procedures are fair, transparent and free from unlawful discrimination.