Head of Finance and Compliance

Application Deadline: 25 March 2025

Department: Operations

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Flexible

Reporting To: Director of Culture and Operations

Compensation: £65,477 - £68,864 / year

Description

Location: National, with regular travel to our London office expected.

Frontline has achieved significant growth and impact in our first 11 years, and we are looking for a qualified and experienced finance leader to head up Frontline’s finance and compliance function and ensure we are well positioned to continue to grow and drive change for children and families.

This is an exciting opportunity with a breadth of responsibility and will require collaborative working with the senior leadership team (SLT) and Board of Trustees. With a ~£25m budget and ~146 employees we need robust systems, clear financial strategy and expert financial leadership to support the organisation to achieve our mission. Reporting to the director of culture and operations, you will lead on ensuring Frontline has an outstanding and proactive finance and compliance function, with robust systems and high-performing people. 

Frontline is in a strong position. We have a clear strategy, stable finances and strong internal processes and we remain ambitious, so we look forward to welcoming our new Head of Finance and Compliance to help us to build us on this and have even greater impact.

You will lead the finance and compliance team, covering the areas of finance, legal, governance, IT and compliance (including data protection). The role provides an opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and key stakeholders to set and deliver on strategic goals, and you will be responsible for setting clear direction for the finance and compliance team. The finance and compliance team sits within the culture and operations directorate (see structure chart), which supports Frontline’s teams to achieve our mission by delivering operational efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. The head of finance and compliance is a senior position with a wide remit of responsibility, so we need a highly driven individual to provide critical support to the entire organisation.

Key Responsibilities

Finance

• Manage and support the Finance Manager to sustain a high-performing team culture
• Provide sound financial reports and advice to trustees and SLT
• Act as conduit between SLT and trustees (particularly the Finance Audit and Risk Committee (FARC) on financial and compliance matters
• Advise SLT and trustees on the financial consequences of various plans/activity
• Lead the organisation’s financial strategy, planning and budgeting processes
• Further develop a culture of resourcefulness, budget-ownership and accountability
• Provide the vision and processes to ensure Frontline’s long-term financial viability
• Review financial processes/controls, ensuring they are robust and understood by teams
• Work closely with the head of fundraising to track income, providing clear, sensible reporting mechanisms to ensure visibility of current/potential funding
• Work with teams to develop financial models for planning, bids and budgeting purposes
• Ensure Frontline complies with tax law/regulations, overseeing VAT, gift aid returns and corporation tax
• Negotiate and manage partnerships with key commercial providers, including banks
• Lead Frontline’s annual auditing process and relationship with auditors, with support from the Finance Manager
• Keep abreast of changes in charity/general finance regulations

Legal, governance, IT and compliance

• Manage/support the Legal and Compliance Manager to effectively respond to requests for advice
• Work with the CEO to ensure efficient planning and coordination of board/committee meetings
• Lead the relationship with the Chair of Frontline’s FARC, preparing agendas/papers and coordinating quarterly meetings
• Maintain oversight and adherence to regulatory, charity and company law guidance 
• Ensure a culture of compliance across teams, through training and monitoring of policies/systems
• Ensure appropriate risk management controls/mitigations are embedded at strategic and operational levels and manage and maintain Frontline's risk register
• Manage/support the IT and Facilities Officer to establish the systems and processes to meet regulatory requirements as well as effectively respond to requests for support/advice
• Ensure all legal and compliance milestones (e.g