At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial transformation and oversee a large finance team in a charity setting.
- Company: Join Barnardo’s, a leading UK charity dedicated to supporting children and families.
- Benefits: Competitive salary of £92,892, remote work flexibility, and impactful leadership role.
- Other info: 12-month fixed-term contract with opportunities for professional growth and development.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in the charity sector while driving financial excellence and innovation.
- Qualifications: Significant senior finance experience and a fully qualified accountancy qualification required.
The predicted salary is between 92892 - 92892 £ per year.
Location: Remote Working
Sector: Charity
Date Posted: 03/09/2026
Salary: £92,892 - £92,892 per year
Specialism: Finance
Robertson Bell is exclusively partnering with Barnardo’s to recruit a Group Financial Controller on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This is a significant senior finance leadership opportunity to join a complex and well-established organisation at an important point in its development, leading a large finance team and driving transformation across processes and systems.
Following changes to the Finance leadership structure, the Group Financial Controller will provide additional senior leadership capacity during a period of significant organisational development and change. Reporting directly to the CFO, you will act as a senior operational deputy, providing leadership across financial control, finance operations, treasury management, finance systems, finance transformation and legacy operations. You will lead a team of up to 7 directly, with up to 60 indirect reports, and will play a key role in strengthening financial governance, operational performance and service delivery.
Barnardo’s is a leading UK charity working to support children, young people and families. Its Finance function is strengthening to support the organisation’s strategy through financial stewardship, operational excellence and transformation, with a focus on improving processes and controls, modernising systems and reporting, embedding digital solutions and developing organisational capability.
The key duties of the Group Financial Controller are:
- Act as the senior operational deputy to the CFO, representing Finance at senior management meetings and providing senior leadership across the function.
- Lead key Finance transformation priorities, driving significant improvements across systems, processes, data and organisational capability.
- Act as senior sponsor for Finance systems development and optimisation, ensuring technology investments deliver measurable benefits and are accompanied by genuine process change.
- Champion automation, digital enablement and AI opportunities to reduce manual activity, strengthen controls and improve the Finance user experience.
- Support wider organisational change initiatives, ensuring Finance structures, systems and resources are aligned to future requirements.
- Provide visible and effective leadership across a large Finance function, promoting a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and high performance.
- Provide leadership and oversight across statutory reporting, taxation, audit, technical accounting and group consolidation, maintaining strong financial governance and control.
- Oversee finance operations including transaction processing, income management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, Gift Aid and related services, driving operational excellence and improved service standards.
- Oversee treasury activities, including cash, liquidity and investments, while strengthening processes, systems and internal capability.
The successful candidate will have:
- Significant post-qualification experience in a senior finance leadership position, ideally operating at or close to Finance Director, Deputy CFO, Group Financial Controller or equivalent level.
- Experience leading financial control and finance operations within a large, complex organisation, with previous charity experience highly desirable.
- A fully qualified accountancy qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
- Strong technical accounting experience, including statutory reporting, audit management, taxation, financial governance and controls.
- A proven track record of leading and developing high-performing teams, with the ability to coach and support permanent team members.
- Demonstrable experience delivering organisational change, service improvement and finance transformation programmes across people, processes and systems.
- Experience working effectively with senior stakeholders, including executive and board reporting.
- Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to convey complex financial information clearly to senior audiences.
- A pragmatic, resilient, collaborative and emotionally intelligent approach, with the ability to build trust quickly and integrate effectively into an established team.
- A proactive and solutions-focused mindset, with the ability to challenge constructively, identify opportunities for improvement and deliver against complex priorities.
This is a 12-month fixed-term opportunity paying up to £92,892 per annum and will be largely home-based with occasional days in the London office. Applications close on Tuesday 15th September, with first-stage interviews expected to take place on Friday 25th September. Second-stage interviews will follow thereafter.
Group Financial Controller - 12 Month FTC in London employer: your Jared
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Group Financial Controller - 12 Month FTC in London
✨Get Involved in Financial Networks
Join local financial associations or forums where you can connect with professionals in financial-controlling. Networking events often lead to temporary positions, as companies look for quick hires when they need extra hands.
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We think you need these skills to ace Group Financial Controller - 12 Month FTC in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Academic Aces:In the financial controlling game, grades and relevant certifications can make a significant difference. Be sure to highlight your academic achievements, like finance-related coursework and any professional certifications you’ve got on your CV that show you’re clued up in this area. It’s all about demonstrating that you’re not just good at numbers but also know your stuff!
Quantify Your Achievements:When applying for a temporary role in financial controlling, make sure your CV reflects any previous experience with real, measurable outcomes. Use numbers to showcase your past successes, like percentage improvements in budgeting or cost savings you’ve achieved in previous roles. This not only gives us insights into your capabilities but also tells us you're results-driven.
Personalise Your Application:We love seeing applicants who take the time to tailor their applications! In your cover letter, mention why you’re particularly interested in the temporary role with your Jared and how your specific skills and experiences align with the job. Show us that you see this role as an opportunity to contribute, even if it's for a short stint!
Flexibility is Key:Since this is a temporary position, make sure to highlight your availability in your application. We’re interested in knowing how soon you can start and if you’re open to working flexible hours. This shows us your eagerness to jump right in and adapt to the dynamic needs of our team at your Jared.
How to prepare for a job interview at your Jared
✨Get Hands-On with Financial Tools
Being in financial controlling means you’ll likely be working with various software like Excel, Power BI, or even SAP. Make sure you brush up on these tools and prepare to discuss your experience using them. Being able to reference specific projects or analyses where you employed these programs will definitely give you an edge.
✨Prepare for Technical Financial Questions
Expect scenario-based questions where you might need to analyse financial statements or suggest budgetary strategies during the interview. Practising common financial concepts like variance analysis or cost control measures will not only boost your confidence but also prove your suitability for the role.
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As this is a temporary position, the interviewers will want to see that you can hit the ground running. Be sure to highlight any previous short-term roles or projects where you successfully adapted to new environments quickly – this will showcase your readiness to tackle challenges head-on.
✨Highlight Your Commitment to Precision
In financial controlling, attention to detail is absolutely crucial. Be ready to provide examples from your past work that demonstrate your ability to spot discrepancies and ensure accuracy in financial reporting. Your precision could be the factor that sets you apart in a temporary role like this one!
