Head of Finance

Location: Norton, Stockton-on-Tees
Salary: £50,000 - £55,000 per annum
Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent

Daisy Chain is a values-led charity supporting autistic and neurodivergent people and their families. We are a growing and increasingly complex organisation, operating across a range of services alongside substantial retail activity and multiple income streams.

Our resources ultimately exist to support the people we serve. That means we need to make sure they are managed carefully, sustainably and in a way that delivers the greatest possible impact.

We are now looking for a Head of Finance to lead our Finance function and play a key role in helping Daisy Chain understand not only where we are financially, but where we could go next.

The Role

This is an exciting time to join Daisy Chain. We are continuing to grow and evolve, and this role offers a genuine opportunity to be part of that journey and help shape how Finance supports our future. You will have the opportunity to improve how we work, strengthen the Finance function and influence the decisions that will help shape the next stage of Daisy Chain's development.

You will work closely with the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, Directors and Trustees, providing the financial insight and challenge needed to support effective decision-making. You will lead budgeting, forecasting and a rolling three-year financial forecast, while ensuring strong financial controls, governance and reporting remain at the heart of the Finance function.

But this role is about much more than reporting financial performance.

We want someone who can look behind the numbers to understand what is driving performance, what is changing and what that means for the organisation. Where there is a financial pressure or opportunity, you will be expected to analyse the underlying drivers, model different scenarios, assess the options and risks, and provide clear financial advice and recommendations.

A key part of the role will be working with Directors to understand service performance and resource utilisation, including the relationship between staffing, participant demand, service capacity and cost. You will help the organisation understand whether resources are being used effectively and where there may be opportunities to improve performance or make better use of the resources invested.

Developing Finance for the Future

Daisy Chain is continuing to develop, and this provides an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to shape how Finance operates in the future.

You will lead the ongoing improvement of finance processes and workflows, making better use of existing technology and identifying opportunities for further system development and automation. This will include finding ways to make the Finance function faster, more efficient and more insightful without compromising financial control or robustness.

You will also lead and develop the Finance team, creating a supportive and accountable environment where people can build their skills, confidence and ownership.

About You

We are looking for an experienced senior finance professional who combines strong technical finance capability with curiosity, commercial thinking and excellent business partnering skills.

You will be someone who:

• Has strong experience across financial management, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, controls and governance.
• Can analyse financial and operational information and identify the drivers behind performance.
• Is confident modelling scenarios, evaluating options and explaining financial implications, risks and recommendations clearly to senior leaders and Trustees.
• Can build strong relationships with Directors and budget holders, providing constructive challenge and helping them understand the financial implications of their decisions.
• Is comfortable operating at both a strategic and operational level, including maintaining oversight of core transactional finance processes and controls.
• Has experience of leading, managing and developing a Finance team.
• Enjoys improving processes and systems and is curious about how technology can help Finance work more effectively.
• Can operate confidently in a growing and changing organisation, balancing competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and control.
• Shares our commitment to the effective stewardship of charitable resources and understands that strong financial management ultimately enables us to deliver more for the people we support.

This is an opportunity to join an organisation where Finance has a genuine opportunity to influence how the organisation develops.

You will have the opportunity to work closely with senior leaders and Directors, shape financial decision-making, develop the Finance function and help Daisy Chain make the best possible use of its resources.

We are looking for someone who does more than tell us where we have been financially. We want someone who helps us understand where we could go next, what the options are and what each one means.

Benefits atDaisy Chain?

When you join Daisy Chain, you'll become part of a supportive, values-led organisation where people genuinely care about one another.

Some of our benefits include:

• 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays, pro rata)
• Additional day for Birthday leave
• Flexible working (where possible)
• Flexi-time (eligible roles)
• Enhanced occupational sick pay
• 10% staff discount in Daisy Chain charity shops, and free delivery on furniture
• Access to Charity Worker Discounts – exclusive discounts at a wide range of online and in-store retailers.
• Company pension scheme
• Learning and development opportunities
• A welcoming and inclusive workplace

We're Proud to be Neurodiversity Affining

We know that everyone performs at their best in different ways.

We're committed to making our recruitment process welcoming, accessible and inclusive. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage, we'd be happy to discuss how we can support you.

As a Disability Confident employer, applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

Daisy Chain is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All appointments are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, including references, right to work checks and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels respected, valued and able to thrive. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage individuals with lived experience of neurodiversity to apply.