Deputy Director - Corporate Services & Strategic Finance

Harris Hill are delighted to be working exclusively with this National Charitable Charity to recruit their new Deputy Director - Corporate Services & Strategic Finance. (Hybrid)

Deputy Director - Corporate Services & Strategic Finance:

• Position: Permanent
• Location: Central London / Home Working
• Salary: £66,000pa - £71000pa, plus £3.300 London Weighting
• Hybrid working: 1 days a week is required at their offices in Central London.
• Working pattern: Flexible working hours.
• Team structure: The role has responsibility for two Heads of Service, with a wider team of 12 colleagues reporting through them.

Role Purpose:

To support the strategic leadership of the organisation’s financial strategy, governance, and corporate services, ensuring robust financial management, regulatory compliance, and effective organisational systems that enable delivery of the charity’s mission.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of the organisation’s financial strategy, ensuring long-term sustainability.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, financial modelling, and scenario planning.
• Provide high-quality financial insight to the Board, and senior leadership.
• Ensure compliance with Charity SORP, financial regulations, and audit requirements.
• Lead relationships with auditors, investment managers, and financial partners.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Maintain robust governance frameworks aligned with charity and company law.
• Lead organisational risk management, including financial, operational, and regulatory risks.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, safeguarding, procurement, and funder requirements.
• Support the Board, Committee of Audit, Risk & Finance, and other governance bodies with timely reporting.

Corporate Services & Organisational Systems

• Oversee finance, governance, data, procurement, and corporate systems functions.
• Drive continuous improvement in organisational processes, systems, and controls.
• Lead contract negotiation and management with suppliers, funders, and partners.
• Ensure effective use of CRM, finance systems, and digital tools.

Leadership & Culture

• Provide inspirational leadership to multi-disciplinary teams.
• Build a culture of accountability, transparency, and high performance.
• Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion across the organisation.
• Act as a strategic partner.

External Engagement

• Represent the organisation with regulators, funders, partners, and sector bodies.
• Contribute to policy development and sector-wide initiatives where relevant.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Degree-level education and a recognised senior management qualification, or equivalent professional experience.
• Demonstrable understanding of financial regulations, compliance, and reporting with significant experience leading financial strategy in a complex organisation.
• Strong understanding and significant senior experience of company/charity/regulated sector governance and compliance frameworks and the ability to ensure organisational adherence
• Significant experience overseeing financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, audit, and long-term financial modelling.
• Experience in commercial, funder, and supplier contract negotiation, including risk assessment and performance management.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial and data insights to support organisational decision-making.
• Experience working directly with Boards and Committees, providing high-quality strategic insight and assurance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead organisational improvement, systems development, and process optimisation across multiple functions.

Desirable Qualifications & Experience

• A formal accounting qualification (CCAB or equivalent).
• Knowledge of Charities SORP and charity accounting principles.
• Ability to integrate finance, data, and governance into a coherent organisational assurance framework.
• Political and current-affairs awareness relevant to the charity and public-sector landscape.

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Strategic integrator — able to bring together finance, data, governance, and corporate services into a unified organisational strategy.
• Influencing & relationship-building — able to work effectively with senior stakeholders, regulators, funders, and partners.
• Change leadership — able to modernise systems, improve processes, and lead transformation.
• Integrity & accountability — committed to transparency, ethical leadership, and high standards of governance.
• Resilience & judgement — able to operate effectively in complex, ambiguous, or high-pressure environments.
• Commitment to EDI — demonstrates inclusive leadership and equitable organisational practice.