Director of Finance and Corporate Services

Cranstoun is partnering with Robertson Bell on a retained basis to recruit a Director of Finance and Corporate Services on a permanent basis. This is an exciting opportunity to join an ambitious, national charity at a pivotal stage of its development, taking a leading role in strengthening financial sustainability, improving organisational effectiveness and helping shape Cranstoun’s next phase of growth.

This is more than a traditional Finance Director role. As a member of the Strategic Leadership Team, the successful candidate will operate as a corporate leader first and a functional leader second, contributing to organisation-wide strategy, performance, governance, risk management and decision-making. Alongside leading finance, the role has responsibility for governance, risk, property, IT, procurement and wider corporate services.

The role

• Partner with the CEO, Strategic Leadership Team and Board of Trustees to shape Cranstoun’s financial and strategic direction as the organisation prepares to launch its next strategy.
• Lead the organisation’s financial strategy and long-term sustainability planning, providing clear forecasting, scenario modelling and insight to support confident decision-making.
• Strengthen financial control, governance and stewardship, ensuring robust systems, processes and assurance mechanisms are in place.
• Lead budgeting, financial planning and management accounting, improving the quality and accessibility of financial information across the organisation.
• Develop contract-level profitability and contribution analysis, establish robust full-cost recovery methodologies and provide financial insight into new business and investment opportunities.
• Lead value for money and financial efficiency programmes, identifying opportunities to improve organisational effectiveness and ensure resources are being used to maximum effect.
• Lead the development of Cranstoun’s Risk Management Framework and strengthen governance and assurance reporting for the Executive Team and Board.
• Provide strategic oversight of procurement, commercial management, property, IT and digital infrastructure, health and safety, insurance and organisational resilience.

The organisation

Cranstoun is an ambitious, national charity with a clear goal: to help people in need to rebuild their lives. Founded in 1969, Cranstoun has almost 60 years of experience supporting people affected by drugs and alcohol and today provides services for adults and young people across alcohol and other drugs, domestic abuse, housing and criminal justice.

Cranstoun works with more than 45,000 people each year, helping them rebuild their lives and overcome social challenges. Its work is person-centred, with lived experience at its heart, and the organisation aims to inspire people to live healthier, safer lives, stand for social justice and ensure every person is treated with respect and compassion.

Following significant growth over the last five years, Cranstoun is now entering an important new phase. With a new strategy due to launch in April 2027, there is a clear opportunity to strengthen the infrastructure behind the organisation’s continued development and ensure finance, governance, risk, technology and corporate services are fit for purpose.

Essential criteria

• CCAB-qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent).
• Significant senior leadership experience extending beyond traditional finance responsibilities.
• Experience leading finance, governance or corporate services functions.
• Experience transforming finance functions and improving financial controls, processes and systems.
• Experience developing financial strategies and long-term sustainability plans.
• Experience establishing governance, assurance and risk management frameworks.
• Experience presenting complex financial information to Boards and Committees.
• Experience leading organisational transformation and change programmes.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with excellent analytical, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery and lead effectively through organisational change.
• Experience leading procurement, commercial or contract management improvements.
• Experience operating within a regulated environment.

Desirable criteria

• Experience within the charity or not-for-profit sector (this is highly desirable)
• Experience within health, social care, housing, criminal justice, domestic abuse, homelessness or other commissioned service environments.
• A company secretarial, governance or risk management qualification.
• Experience supporting organisations through rapid growth, restructuring or operating model redesign.

Apply now

This is a full-time, permanent position, based on a hybrid working model with an expectation of at least two days per week in Cranstoun’s Wimbledon office, alongside occasional travel to locations across the country.