The Ashdown Group has been commissioned by The Royal Foundation and The Earthshot Prize to assist in their search for an accomplished Finance Director to join their executive team on an initial 3 month fixed-term contract. This is an urgent requirement so please only apply if you are able to start on or before Monday, 31st January.
The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge unites people to tackle some of today’s biggest challenges. They recognise that when people come together, they can achieve great things and they use their passion and unique influence to make a lasting difference on the issues that matter most to society. The Earthshot Prize is a not-for-profit start-up which currently sits within The Royal Foundation but will spin out to become an affiliated independent organisation in 2022.
The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious global environment prize in history, designed to incentivise change and help repair our planet over the next ten years. The Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by highlighting the ability of human ingenuity to bring about change and inspire collective action.
In order to achieve this audacious vision, The Earthshot Prize is seeking an entrepreneurial Finance Director with experience of building and maturing governance systems to join its senior leadership team. As a truly global and inclusive organisation, applications are welcome from candidates based overseas as long as they are able to relocate to the UK.
As a key partner to the Board, you will help to shape the strategic direction of the organisation and will exemplify its core values of transparency, collaboration, inclusion, curiosity and kindness. The charity is committed to building a diverse international team that is representative of all sections of society. They recognise that by encouraging innovative and creative ways of thinking and fostering an inclusive culture they will collaborate more effectively and achieve better outcomes. As the Finance Director you will play a pivotal role in building a welcoming culture that encourages diversity, authenticity and belonging.
Reporting directly to the COO you will have full responsibility for developing and implementing the finance strategy of the charity. You will be a person of the utmost integrity and will provide inspirational leadership to a small finance team. Demonstrable experience of developing robust and transparent financial governance processes and procedures is a prerequisite, while a knowledge of the UK Charites sector is preferred.
You will create the annual financial plan and have overall responsibility for budgets and forecasts. You will also engage with key funding partners and deliver accurate, transparent and comprehensive financial reports for the organisation. As the Company’s regulatory officer, you will ensure all Company secretarial, statutory and legal obligations are met on behalf of the Board. Your regulatory responsibilities will include producing a Trustees’ annual report, developing the Company’s statutory accounts, and ensuring full compliance with Charity Company regulators including Companies House and the Charity Commission.
In order to be suitable for this role of significant responsibility you must be a fully qualified accountant with proven experience working at board level in the not-for-profit sector. You will be a meticulous professional with a keen eye for detail and a passion for building the processes and governance constructs that ensure institutional transparency, trust and integrity. In addition to this, you will have experience in venture capital and charitable funding, while a track record of enabling start-ups to rapidly mature would be highly advantageous to your application.
This is an exceptional opportunity for a Finance Director to make a profound impact to the growth and development of a truly inspiring charity with a transformative global vision.