Finance Director

Company Description:
Climate 2025 is a not for profit social enterprise founded at the start of this decisive decade. Our mission is to catalyse the urgent response to the climate and ecological crisis by enhancing the effectiveness and reach of community-led climate action worldwide. We provide infrastructure and capacity-building support to emerging movements working for urgent systemic change. We accelerate and amplify the efforts and outputs of causes we believe in, offering start-up support, strategic development, and fundraising services. Our unique experience with social movements allows us to foster great people and projects, providing structure and guidance to turn ideas into action.

Job Description:
The Finance Director leads the Finance Team, overseeing Climate 2025’s financial management, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures. They also sit within the Fiscal Hosting team and support delivery of the Fiscal Hosting platform to Climate 2025’s partners. They work with the Fiscal Hosting Director to ensure accurate financial management for hosted clients. They are a member of the Climate 2025 Leadership Team and are responsible for the line management of their colleagues within payments and finance, currently two members of staff. The Finance Director reports to the Fiscal Hosting Director. The Finance Director role is considered to be a full-time position.

Salary: £60,000-£70,000 per annum, with 40 days holiday, working remotely, though with at least two weeks per year in person in the UK, and ideally one additional day per month in person in the UK.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Oversee Climate 2025’s financial management, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.
2. Develop and monitor budgets for both Climate 2025 operations and hosted projects.
3. Provide regular financial reporting to the leadership team and board.
4. Lead efforts to improve financial systems and streamline workflows.
5. Work with the Fiscal Hosting Director to ensure robust financial oversight of hosted projects and Climate 2025’s internal systems.
6. Perform as an integral member of the leadership team bringing financial insights to their colleagues.
7. Manage cashflow strategy.
8. Delivery of the monthly management accounts.
9. Develop and report on profitability across the variety of offerings at Climate 2025.
10. Support the strategic direction of Climate 2025 by working with the Executive Director on KPIs and Organisation dashboards.
11. Ensure effective, timely and efficient delivery of the following by the finance function:
1. Records of income and expenditure are maintained: grants, donations, receivables, and consultancy receipts, invoices.
2. Transparent and accurate financial data in Xero and other interconnected databases.
3. Regular weekly reconciliation of transactions in Xero, including oversight of bills to pay, bank statements, and payment service providers for Climate 2025.
4. Month-end reporting process by preparing management reports and accounts, such as income/expenditure statements, balance sheets, cash flow statements, and KPIs.
5. Restricted donor financial reports, ensuring alignment with accounting records and donor compliance.
6. Payroll service for Climate 2025 and hosted projects.
7. Accounting reports for new services.
8. Managing VAT preparation and submission.

Person Specification:

Knowledge and Experience:

1. Proven experience as an SME Finance Leader with 10+ years post qualification experience.
2. Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
3. Implementation of financial controls and processes.
4. Multi currency cashflow and treasury management experience.
5. Setting of budgets and forecast.
6. Internal audit experience.
7. Ability to work under pressure and deliver projects to tight deadlines.
8. Minimum 5 years people management experience.
9. Excellent knowledge of cloud based working.
10. Knowledge and experience of relevant software applications (e.g. MS Excel & Teams, Xero, Google Docs & Sheets).
11. ESG / Sustainable finance experience.
12. Software implementation experience.

Key Competencies:

1. Strategic thinking.
2. Strong verbal and written communication skills.
3. Attention to detail.
4. Planning and organising.
5. Time management.
6. Interpersonal skills.
7. Initiative.
8. Confidentiality.
9. Reliability.
10. Leadership of staff.

Essential Abilities:

1. Ability to confidently discuss financial narratives with senior leaders and members of the board.
2. Ability to prioritise and organise own workload/time to meet priorities and deadlines as required.
3. Ability to determine problems and produce solutions to work-related issues.
4. Able to communicate confidently and effectively with a wide range of people, including handling queries in a tactful and confidential manner.
5. Strong stakeholder management skills and business partnering with non-finance colleagues.
6. Good organisation and administrative skills.
7. Able to work effectively as part of a team.
8. Ability to undertake a range of financial functions.

Experience: Required
Employment: Full-time
Salary: £60,000 – £70,000 yearly

About Climate 2025:
Climate 2025 is a not for profit social enterprise founded at the start of this decisive decade.