Head of Finance

Cooper Parry Finance Recruitment are thrilled to be retained by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, in recruiting a new Head of Finance to be based at their Edinburgh HQ.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is Scotland’s largest health charity dedicated to supporting people living with chest, heart & stroke conditions, and Long Covid. Established in 1900, the organisation works across every community in Scotland, helping individuals and their families recover, adapt and live well following diagnosis, treatment or a significant health event.

Position Overview:

As the Head of the Finance Department, you are responsible for; the co-ordination of accurate and timely management accounts and in year forecasts, production of year-end financial statements, management of the external audit process, leading the annual budgeting processes, treasury and cash flow management. Underpinning this, you will oversee the work of the Finance Department in respect of financial control processes including payroll, sales ledger, purchase ledger, assets, liabilities, statutory returns, coding accuracy and reconciliations.

The role is critical in ensuring the delivery of an excellent finance service to colleagues, ensuring continuous improvement and driving value for money. A key part of the role is developing effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders including budget holders, the Executive Team and CEO, Trustee members of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, auditors and bankers.

The role is part of the CHSS Leadership Team, who provide the charity with coordinated and collective senior management oversight in the development and delivery of annual plans, ensuring the delivery of the strategy.

Key Role Responsibilities:

Financial Reporting & Financial Statements

  • Overall responsibility for the collation and co-ordination of monthly and quarterly management accounts and associated reports
  • Ensure accurate and timely forecasts are undertaken during the year, at least at the six months and quarter three points
  • Oversee business partnering approach, ensuring monthly and quarterly meetings are undertaken with budget holders, attending as necessary
  • Oversight of year end processes including creation of accurate, fully reconciled schedules, ready for audit
  • Creation of draft financial statements for the Group and Trading subsidiary
  • Ensure effective, timely and accurate reporting to funders​​​​​​​

Financial Policies, Processes and Internal Controls

  • Ownership and oversight of finance and accounting policies, processes and procedures, ensuring they are up to date, compliant and followed
  • Oversight of technical accounting requirements and changes, ensuring accurate entries in the ledger and compliance with applicable accounting standards
  • Overall responsibility for day-to-day financial processing operations, with a strong focus on robust controls, accuracy, and efficiency
  • Ensure that all month-end processing is completed appropriately and in accordance with agreed timelines
  • Oversight monthly payroll processing, working alongside colleagues in the HR team and external payroll provider to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing
  • Ensure all ledgers are accurately controlled, with the timely and robust reconciliation of all control accounts
  • Ensure statutory returns (VAT, payroll, gift aid) are completed, reviewed and submitted in line with relevant deadlines
  • Maintain fixed asset register, including acquisitions, disposals, capitalisation and depreciation processes
  • Maintain accurate cash flow forecasts, ensuring the effective management of cash balances between current and treasury accounts
  • Support in procurement and contract management processes

Budgeting and Forecasting

  • Lead on the annual budget setting process, ensuring it aligns with timelines for internal review and Committee and Board meeting dates, as well as the timescales for annual operational planning
  • Provide oversight and support to budget holders in preparing and reviewing their draft departmental budgets
  • Working with colleagues in HR to ensure the accurate costing of salaries budgets
  • Working with colleagues in Income Generation, ensure the accurate creation of retail and fundraising income budgets
  • Support the Director of Finance and Corporate Services in the development and maintenance of long-term financial plans
  • Develop and maintain annual budget for the finance department
  • Ensure processes and procedures are in place for objectively reviewing and assessing new budget requests that may come in during the year

Team Leadership

  • Ensure the team structure, roles and responsibilities meet the needs of the charity
  • Lead the team, providing clear direction and guidance to ensure successful delivery of department outcomes through setting expectations and standards
  • Undertake all people management responsibilities including recruitment, annual leave management, health & wellbeing and performance management
  • Set and maintain standards of Health and Safety and Safeguarding
  • Support staff training and development, including the monitoring of mandatory training and establishing training needs for personal and professional development

Organisational Leadership

  • Contribute to the development of CHSS operational plans to support delivery of the NLHL#2 strategy
  • Monitor the achievement of objectives outlined in the operational plan and related performance targets
  • Anticipate and identify problems and develop effective solutions
  • Continuously keeping up to date and abreast of key trends and developments, mitigating risk to the charity through compliance with regulations and governance practices
  • Producing meaningful reports to the Executive Team, as required, to inform future organisational decisions

Key Person Criteria & Background:

  • Member of a chartered UK accountancy or equivalent professional body
  • Excellent analytical skills with the ability to organize and analyse complex data and information and present this clearly and concisely
  • Experience in managing a finance department covering financial operations teams and finance business partnering teams
  • Production of management accounts, budgets, forecasts and statutory accounts
  • Excellent Microsoft Excel skills, IT Literacy and M365
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence and constructively challenge at all levels
  • The ability to work collaboratively across organisational boundaries with a focus on achieving the desired outcomes
  • Knowledge of Charity Accounting - SORP (Desirable)
  • Understanding of charity VAT, including partial exemption calculations (Desirable)
  • Understanding of gift aid rules and regulations (Desirable)
  • Experience of the voluntary sector (Desirable)

Remuneration & Benefits:

  • Starting salary - £56,500 per annum
  • 32.5 hours working week
  • Flexible & Hybrid working
  • 36 days annual leave (rising 1 day per year up to 42 days)
  • Group Personal Pension Plan – 5% employer contribution
  • Life Assurance Policy
  • UNUM Help@Hand App
  • MediCash

How to Apply:

This search is being conducted in confidence on behalf of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. Any direct or 3rd party applications will be referred to Cooper Parry Finance Recruitment for review & consideration.

If you’re experienced within a similar role or are ready for that next step and seeking an opportunity where you can make a real impact — we’d love to hear from you.

Please click apply or reach out directly with your CV & Covering Letter at craig.sinclair@cooperparry.com for a confidential conversation.