Interim Head of Finance - #2088329

Interim Head of Finance | Part-time, 1 day a week in central Leeds | £52,000 FTE | c.7-month fixed term (end June to end January 2027)

A well-established charity in West Yorkshire is looking for an experienced interim to lead its finance function through a busy, important seven months — and we're working exclusively with their CEO to find the right person.

Behind the interim role is cover is a permanent process, they're just being pragmatic and ensuring they have cover in place rather than trying to navigate a permanent replacement and recruitment process in the middle of the summer holidays!

There's a clear agenda to deliver in a defined window, a capable team already in place who'll look to you for support and development, and a complex structure that needs someone calm, relational and on top of the detail. If you like the idea of coming in, holding things steady, getting a real body of work done and leaving the place in as good, or better shape than you found it (we're talking a few tweaks rather than major systematic change), read on.

A bit about the role
You'll lead the finance function across four charitable entities and a social enterprise, reporting to the Chief Executive and working closely with the COO and wider executive team. Because of the structure, this is as much a relational role as a technical one - you'll be comfortable holding complexity, building trust quickly, and bringing clarity where things get knotty.

It's a genuine mix of leading and doing. Over the contract you'll:

• Review and give final authorisation on payment runs
• Oversee payroll, supporting and developing the Finance Manager who runs it day to day
• Oversee quarterly accounts, cashflow and reforecasting across the four entities
• File annual returns (accounts already finalised) and prepare the annual accounts submission to the Charity Commission, ready for January 2027
• Line manage and mentor the finance team
• Pick up the investment retender that's already underway, overseeing the investment consultant and reporting to the board working group
• Contribute to the actuarial review for one of the charitable trusts, alongside a consultant and the Treasurer

What we're looking for

• A qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA or ACA), or someone strong qualified-by-experience and extensive charity finance experience
• Solid charity finance experience — you'll know fund accounting, statutory reporting and the rhythms of charity finance
• Confidence across budgets, reforecasts, quarterly accounts and Board-level reporting
• A working understanding of investment principles and financial compliance
• Good with finance systems (Sage and similar) and strong on Excel
• And, the bit that matters most: the ability to bring people with you. To be a steady anchor for the team, explain numbers to people who don't think in numbers, and know when to roll your sleeves up and when to develop someone else to do it

You don't need to tick every single box. If you've led or been close to this kind of work and you're ready to own it for a fixed, focused period, we'd still really like to hear from you.

What we need from you:

• £52,000 FTE, pro-rated for part-time hours (i.e. c£31,200 for the 3 days per week) day rate could be potentially considered
• A fixed-term interim contract of roughly seven months, from end June to end January 2027
• Part-time, with just one day a week in the office (Monday) in central Leeds and the rest worked flexibly from home
• A capable, committed team and an executive group that genuinely values close partnership

Next Steps please apply or get in touch asap as we would like someone who can start before the end of June