Interim Financial Operations Improvement Lead

Have you successfully stabilised underperforming finance operations? Can you bring pace, structure and accountability into large AP/AR teams? Do you know how to turn short-term fixes into sustainable, long-term improvement?

A large London-based not-for-profit organisation is seeking an Interim Financial Operations Improvement Lead on a 12-month fixed-term contract to stabilise and transform its high-volume transactional finance function.

This is a senior, hands-on role operating at scale. The organisation runs a substantial AP and AR operation handling diverse income and expenditure streams, where historic performance issues, weak leadership and low confidence have impacted delivery. The brief is clear: restore control, embed discipline, and leave behind a function that works. Over the course of the contract, you’ll lead a structured improvement programme with clear milestones, while working closely with senior finance leaders to ensure operational finance supports the wider organisation effectively.

Key responsibilities include:

• Stabilising the transactional finance operation, clearing backlogs, unreconciled items and unallocated cash, and restoring control at pace.
• Diagnosing root causes of poor performance and embedding sustainable controls to prevent issues recurring.
• Defining and standardising AP/AR processes, producing clear SOPs, control frameworks and ownership across the function.
• Building capability within the team, delivering targeted training, coaching and practical guidance to uplift performance.
• Aligning transactional activity to month-end, ensuring robust cut-off, reconciliations and disciplined period-end routines.
• Acting as the senior operational link between the transactional hub and the wider finance leadership, providing clear insight on risks, progress and performance.

This is a rare chance to take ownership of a large-scale finance operations improvement programme and see it through end to end. You’ll have the mandate to address long-standing issues, the visibility to influence senior stakeholders, and the time to ensure improvements genuinely stick. Success will be measured not by presentations, but by clean ledgers, disciplined processes and a more confident, capable team. The role will be worked on a hybrid pattern of two days in the office per week.

To be considered, please meet these criteria:

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Significant experience leading AP/AR or financial operations at scale.
• Proven track record in stabilising underperforming teams and clearing backlogs.
• Strong expertise in reconciliations, root-cause analysis and process remediation.
• Advanced process mapping and documentation capability.
• Confident, credible leader able to challenge, influence and bring people with you.

This is a 12-month fixed-term opportunity offering hybrid working. Interviews will take place on a rolling basis, and early applications are encouraged.