Head of Finance

Head of Finance

South England Hybrid Working Competitive Salary Higher Education Sector

Are you an experienced senior finance leader ready to drive strategic financial management in a thriving, creative environment?

A dynamic and forward-thinking specialist institution in the arts sector is seeking a Head of Finance to play a pivotal role in enabling its long-term sustainability and strategic growth. This role blends financial leadership, operational oversight, and digital transformation within a highly collaborative and creative academic setting.

The Role

As Head of Finance, you will:

• Lead strategic financial planning and reporting, managing complex budgets and forecasting cycles over a multi-year horizon.
• Oversee statutory compliance including annual accounts, VAT, and PAYE, and support financial submissions to external bodies.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders and heads of department to advise on financial direction, business planning, and project appraisal.
• Drive improvements in digital financial systems and lead implementations and upgrades to enhance service automation and efficiency.
• Lead a finance team dedicated to providing excellent customer service and ensure best practice across all finance operations.
• Influence institutional strategy through evidence-based analysis and high-level reporting.

What You'll Bring

• A recognised professional accounting qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA).
• Proven leadership experience in financial management within a complex organisation-ideally within higher education or the public sector.
• Strong technical knowledge of VAT (including partial exemption), UK GAAP and financial reporting standards.
• A sound understanding of sector funding (HE/FE), academic cost modelling, and digital finance transformation.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to translate complex data into strategic insight.
• Demonstrated success in managing teams, improving systems, and driving a customer-focused approach.

Why Join?

This is more than just a finance role. It's an opportunity to shape the financial future of a unique creative institution making an international impact through its world-class graduates. You'll work in a highly collaborative and flexible environment, contributing to meaningful change and innovation.