About Action for Conservation

We are at a critical moment in our earth’s history, and it’s never been more important to empower every young person to fight for their future and the future of the planet. Action for Conservation is an innovative young charity using pioneering approaches to inspire the next generation of environmental leaders. We work with young people from diverse backgrounds to build a youth movement committed to the earth.

Our commitment to diversity

Diversity is one of our core values as an organisation and we are committed to creating an inclusive working environment where diversity is valued and there is equality of opportunity. We also recognise that the climate and ecological crisis disproportionately impacts minority and/or marginalised communities – yet these voices are largely underrepresented in the sector. Currently, the environmental sector is the second least diverse of all UK workforces, with only 3.1% of people employed from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds (compared to 19.9% of the general workforce). If the environmental movement is to succeed in creating a greener future that supports our whole society, we need diverse voices at the heart of our work. We therefore encourage applicants from people currently underrepresented in the environmental movement to apply.

Why work with us?

You’ll be joining a young, mission-driven team who truly love what they do. Working with young people is always rewarding, sometimes challenging and never boring, and you’ll get to experience first-hand the positive impact that your work has. It goes without saying that we work hard, but we also maintain a positive work-life balance and spend lots of time outdoors. Some of the benefits of working at Action for Conservation include:

• 33 days annual leave including public holidays plus one additional day for each year served plus 4 paid annual volunteer days. 
• Quarterly team ‘action days’ & away weekends in the great outdoors.
• Access to flexible working. 
• A workplace pension. 
• A bespoke personal and professional development plan, co-developed with you and your line manager, to identify and progress your training, development and career aims. 
• The opportunity to grow into the role, learn and develop on the job, and hopefully progress within the team as opportunities arise. 
• A robust on the job training package tailored to your role. 
• Opportunities to share your voice and shape the direction of our work, ensuring that our content is relevant and reflective of your interests and the issues facing your community. 

About the role - Finance & HR Manager

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Finance & HR professional with expertise in managing charity finances to take responsibility for the charity’s financial controls and human resources processes. This position suits a motivated and experienced individual who is a team player, passionate about our mission, willing to take on responsibility quickly and who can work closely with the Chief Executive, Programmes and Fundraising teams, with the potential to manage junior staff in future, to ensure the charity operates smoothly through a period of significant growth. 

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management:

• Lead the ongoing development and delivery of all AFC’s financial procedures nationally and across priority regions.
• Provide management and support to any freelance or more junior staff, as and when necessary, ensuring they deliver on all of their role responsibilities through the development of a positive coaching relationship.
• Demonstrate best practice in financial management and control to the wider team to ensure adherence to the organisation’s financial procedures.
• Contribute to the overall strategic development of AFC’s programmes and ensure compliance with the aims and objectives of the organisation.

Financial Management:

• Monitor day-to-day financial operations, including expense claims, payments, invoices, direct debits and reconciling expenditure, carried out with the support of the Finance & Administration Coordinator.
• Manage financial administration for grant or donor funded projects and ensure reporting and audit requirements are met.
• Prepare annual budgets, monthly financial reports and management accounts for quarterly trustee meetings.
• Conduct and maintain longer-term financial forecasts in line with the charity’s Fundraising Strategy, with the support of the Chief Executive and Fundraising Manager.
• Establish, streamline and maintain financial policies and procedures.
• Maintain and manage relationships with our external accountants and support the Chief Executive with producing annual accounts and submitting returns to the Charity Commission.
• Support the Programme Team in the allocation and monitoring of programme budgets. 

HR:

• Support Senior Management to deliver on a successful hiring strategy and ensure the organisation is able to deliver on its objectives and grow sustainably.
• Administer all aspects of staff employment contracts, pension notices, and annual leave allocations using AFC’s financial software.
• Manage day-today HR processes and administration, including acting as first point of contact for staff making general HR or policy enquiries.
• Coordinate the full employee life cycle including the administration of recruitment, onboarding, performance management and exit interviews.
• Oversee the administration of employee records including checking of employee work references and DBS checks. Ensure that employee records are accurate, up-to-date, and managed within the requirements of the Data Protection Act.

Other:

• Administer all other contracts and renewals (eg. insurance, office contracts, business rates and software licences) and carry out such other duties as deemed appropriate and may be reasonably required by the Chief Executive.
• Support the Chief Executive to draft policies and procedures which create and maintain a consistent work culture, relating to staff, volunteers, trustees, beneficiaries and all members of the charity.

About you and your skills and experience

The successful candidate will have several years of financial management expertise, be confident and resilient with strong people management potential and an aptitude for supporting and developing others. They will be efficient, systems oriented and have strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Working style

• Ability to work and travel flexibly
• Positive, professional and pragmatic approach
• Self-motivated and self-disciplined, able to prioritise own workload and deliver to deadlines
• Good organisational skills and ability to work across a number of tasks and work areas
• A strategic thinker who is able to project forward and decide on a reasonable course of action to achieve a particular goal

Management Skills

• Ability to work under pressure and cope effectively and/or support others to cope effectively with difficult and stressful situations
• Enthusiastic 'can do’ attitude to provide positive, proactive and influential leadership to shape the organisational culture in a changing environment

Knowledge & Experience

• Financial management expertise, demonstrated through professional qualifications and/or several years experience in similar roles
• Experience using Xero or similar software
• Excellent IT skills and highly proficient in Office applications
• General office management skills and strong attention to detail

Other Key Competencies

• Good time management and organisational skills
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
• Confidence, enthusiasm and initiative
• A degree or equivalent work experience
• Willingness to learn and to take on lots of responsibility quickly
• Awareness of environmental issues and a commitment to the values of the charity

Applications

Please view the full Job Description here.

How to apply
Please send the following to [email protected] with the subject line, ‘Finance & HR Manager’: 

• A CV
• Completed application form
• [Optional] Equality & Diversity Form

Deadline for applications: midnight 12th June 2022
Interviews: 20th/21st/22nd June 2022