Head of Finance (Temporary Maternity Cover)

Salary: £66,351 FTE (pending April 2026 pay award)
Hours: 37 hours per week (part time hours maybe considered for the right candidate, if applying for part-time working, please add this to your supporting statement)
Contract: Fixed-term maternity cover (anticipated 9 months, with possible extension)
Location: Hybrid - Based anywhere in the South West, with travel to local hospice sites as required. This is a hybrid role, with the flexibility to work from home and attend your nearest hospice-Charlton Farm (Bristol), Little Bridge House (Barnstaple), or Little Harbour (St Austell)-as needed.

Make a real difference every day

At Children's Hospice South West (CHSW), we provide vital, compassionate care for babies and children with life limiting conditions and their families. Our work is only possible thanks to our dedicated teams who share our passion, values and commitment to excellence.

We are looking for an experienced and inspirational Head of Finance to lead our finance function during a period of maternity leave. This is a key leadership position within CHSW, ensuring that our financial reporting, control environment and strategic planning continue to support outstanding care delivery.

If you are a senior finance professional who enjoys leading people, improving systems and delivering high quality financial information that informs organisational decision making, this is an exceptional opportunity to join a charity that truly changes lives.

About the Role

As Head of Finance, you will:

• Lead, motivate and develop the Finance team to deliver a professional, supportive and efficient service
• Oversee monthly and quarterly management accounts, KPIs and performance reporting
• Lead on budgeting, reforecasting, cashflow and short- to medium term cash management
• Produce annual statutory accounts for CHSW and its subsidiary, and work closely with external auditors
• Oversee payroll processing and statutory compliance (pensions, HMRC, P11Ds etc.)
• Ensure accurate VAT and tax accounting, working closely with specialist advisers
• Maintain effective financial controls, policies and system governance
• Act as the finance lead on cross functional projects and internal committees
• Work closely with senior leaders and operational colleagues, promoting strong financial stewardship across the organisation
• Support the Director of Finance & Retail, providing cover for SMT, committee and Board work where required

About You

To be successful, you will need the following:

• ACA qualified (or equivalent) and a member of a recognised accounting professional body (e.g., ICAEW)
• Significant finance leadership experience in a similar sized organisation
• Strong experience in:
o annual financial reporting and charity accounts
o budget preparation and financial modelling
o management accounts and KPI reporting
o financial processing functions
o internal controls and finance procedures
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial matters to non finance colleagues
• Experience leading and developing teams
• A proactive, solutions focused approach and the ability to manage multiple priorities
• A full UK driving licence

Ideally you will also have:

• Charity taxation experience, including VAT and partial exemption
• Experience with Xledger
• Experience working within a hospice, charity or large retail linked organisation
• Knowledge of statutory grant or charitable trust reporting

What we offer:

We value our staff and offer an excellent working environment with an enthusiastic and committed team, you will also benefit from:

• 33 days (plus bank holidays) holiday entitlement, which increases with service
• enhanced sick pay scheme rising up to 6 months full and 6 months half pay
• personal pension scheme with 7% employer contribution
• family friendly policies, with enhanced maternity/adoption pay
• occupational health, wellbeing and counselling services and employee assistance programme
• group life insurance scheme
• training and development opportunities
• environmental and green agenda
• a supportive and inclusive environment
• a chance to make a real difference

How to Apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a supporting statement outlining how your experience meets the role requirements. If you are looking to relocate prior to taking on this post or are interested in part time hours, please specify this in your supporting statement.

Closing date: 15/02/2026
Interview date: Anticipated initial telephone screening 19/02/2026 and face to face meetings at our Charlton Farm Hospice near Bristol on 26/02/2026

If you have any questions, please visit our website to find our more, or use our email to contact us and speak to one of our HR team today

Please note: We may close this vacancy early if sufficient suitable applications are received; therefore we recommend you apply early

CHSW Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

CHSW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and all employees must apply for an enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Charity Registration Number

You may have experience of the following: Finance Manager, Senior Finance Manager, Finance Lead, Head of Financial Operations, Financial Controller, Group Financial Controller, Financial Reporting Manager, Director of Finance (Deputy/Associate), Finance Business Partner (Senior/Lead).

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