Director of Finance and Operations

Salary: £75,000 FTE

Hours: Part time/Full time (minimum three days per week)

Location: John Keats Primary School SE16 3FN currently (office move due June 2024)

Hybrid working with two days in office

Contract: Permanent

Benefits:

25 days annual leave plus up to 3 days Christmas

Royal London Pension Plan up to 5% of basic salary matched

Access to Simply Health insurance plan

Challenge Partners' is an education charity with a mission to reduce educational inequality and improve the life chances of all children. We partner with schools and trusts across England to ensure every school community can access the combined wisdom of the education system. In January 2023 we launched an ambitious strategy to enhance and extend our partnership so that by 2027 half a million pupils each year benefit from Challenge Partners’ unique blend of collaboration, challenge and leadership development. We want to grow in underserved areas, redoubling our focus on securing the biggest impact for the disadvantaged pupils who need it most.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of Finance and Operations to join our small, ambitious team and support the next phase of our five-year growth strategy. In this role, you will be a pivotal member of the leadership team, providing strategic leadership in developing and managing Finance, HR, IT, Governance, Legal and Facilities, while still being hands-on operationally.

You will use your skills and expertise to contribute to the development and implementation of a strategy to secure Challenge Partners’ long-term financial health and growth, allowing us to deliver our vision and mission. You will create an environment, culture, policies, processes and practices which ensure Challenge Partners’ is an exemplary place to work for our 28 employees. As Company Secretary and Data Protection Officer, you will be responsible for our legal compliance and statutory duties.

It’s not all about the strategic. Challenge Partners is a small team that achieves great things so we need someone who is as happy getting stuck in producing reports, writing policies, creating budgets and providing information as they are with big-picture thinking. This is a unique opportunity to join a small organisation committed to an ambitious growth agenda, with a remit to ensure the staff team are supported financially and operationally. You will have a real breadth of influence and the chance to make an impact across the organisation.

We would really welcome your application (via BeApplied) if you want to make a difference to children’s lives and are a qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA essential) with a track record of achievement in a senior strategic-level financial and operational management role, and experience of leading and developing a small central team. Click here to find out more

https://app.beapplied.com/apply/ztbdhxikgh?utm_source=guardian

All employees at Challenge Partners will be subject to an enhanced DBS check as part of our commitment to safeguarding.

Challenge Partners is committed to diversity, equality and inclusion and we are working towards a goal where our team fully reflects the diversity and difference in lived experiences. We strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups including: people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ people, and those with disabilities.

As part of our commitment to fairer recruitment, all applications must be made through BeApplied. The information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential.

No agencies please.

Closing Date: 5pm Tuesday 9th January

Shortlisting: Wednesday 10th January

First Interview (Virtual): Monday 15th January

In person interviews: Monday 29th January

For an informal chat about the role please email Laura Lewis-Williams Managing Director [email protected] or Wendy Wright current Director of Finance and Operations [email protected]