Interim Head of Financial Operations

The Role:This is an interim Head of Finance Operations role for 12 months. The role sits within a finance team undergoing significant restructuring, including the integration of the fees function into Finance. It combines both leadership and hands-on responsibility, with a focus on managing multiple teams, improving finance systems, and driving efficiencies through automation and better ways of working. The role also requires strong change management capability, supporting a stable but reserved team through ongoing organisational change, while balancing technical finance delivery with effective people leadership. Main Duties

• Interim Head of Finance Operations role
• Line management of Income team (9), Finance Systems & HR team (3), and Accounts Payable team (3)
• Total responsibility for c.16 staff with 3 direct reports (Income Manager, AP Supervisor, Finance & HR Systems Manager)
• Focus on finance systems, process improvement, and merging of fee-related teams into Finance
• Driving efficiencies, automation, and improved ways of working (e.g. online expenses, reduced manual spreadsheets)
• Supporting FOI requests and ensuring systems are operating effectively
• Split role approximately 50% management / 50% hands-on delivery
• Working with wider finance leadership team to improve systems (e.g. Business World / Agresso)

The Successful Candidate

• Qualified accountant, ideally with experience in Higher Education (HE) or Further Education (FE) finance, particularly fees
• Strong change management experience, ideally hands-on within a finance function
• Experience of systems implementation or finance systems improvement (not necessarily technical build, but delivery/leadership side)
• Proven ability to lead teams through restructuring, change, and potentially difficult transitions
• Able to identify inefficiencies and drive automation and process improvement across systems

What's on Offer?

• Interim Head of Finance Operations role at £83,000 salary plus benefits
• Contract until July 2027
• 2% annual pay award applied in August for all staff (including probationers)
• Pension scheme, 28 days annual leave plus 6 closure days and bank holidays
• Hybrid working model (2 days in the office)
• Opportunity to work within a live reorganisation
• Chance to shape and modernise finance systems and processes across the organisation
• Supportive but change-heavy environment requiring strong leadership and engagement skills