Job Description

The Role

As a growing charity, we are looking for a practical, hands-on Finance Manager who is happy rolling up their sleeves and taking ownership of the day-to-day finances.

This role is ideal for someone who:

Wants meaningful, purpose-driven work rather than a corporate ladder climb May be newly qualified, part-qualified, or returning to work after a break Enjoys being "the go-to person" for all things finance in a small, friendly team
Initially reporting to the Executive Director, and working closely with the external accountants, you will:

Own the monthly finance cycle (from Xero postings through to management reports and analysis) Prepare project-level reports and reconcile them back to Xero Support quarterly reporting to Finance Trustees Help manage multi-year, multi-currency programme grants Support the development and improvement of Neotree's financial processes and controls
You'll be comfortable moving between detail and big picture: one moment reconciling a project in Xero, the next explaining the numbers clearly to non-finance colleagues.

Key Duties & Responsibilities1. Management Reporting & Analysis

Prepare monthly management reports directly from Xero (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and key variances). Prepare monthly project finance reports, reconciling project budgets and spend back to Xero. Produce quarterly reports for Finance Trustees and the Board, clearly explaining variances and key points. Support the ED with multi-year budgets and rolling forecasts (charity-wide and by grant). Deliver ad hoc reports and analysis for the charity and specific grants (e.g. scenario analysis, fundraising applications, costings). Work with the ED to highlight risks and opportunities in the numbers and suggest practical actions.

2. Budgeting, Forecasting & Grant Finance

Coordinate and maintain multiple budgets (organisation-wide and grant-specific). Support budget holders to understand and own their budgets, including regular budget Vs actual reviews. Support budget holders to prepare forecast updates, including variance analysis and commentary. Support grant budgeting and reporting, including restricted and multi-year programme budgets. Ensure project records are accurate, up to date and consistent between Xero, internal spreadsheets and donor reports.

3. Financial Operations (Hands-On)

Ensure the charity's day-to-day financial operations run smoothly, including: Purchase invoices, expenses and approvals Supplier set-up and payment runs Income recognition and restricted funds tracking Help set up and then manage payroll processes (working with external providers where appropriate). Support multi-currency (GBP/USD/EUR) operations and basic treasury management (FX transfers, balances, cash flow visibility). Maintain clean, accurate records in Xero and well-organised supporting documentation for audit.

4. Controls, Compliance & External Relationships

Ensure compliance with grant contracts and donor reporting requirements. Help embed Neotree's Finance Manual in day-to-day practice and suggest improvements over time. Manage non-statutory quarterly spot checks on financial transactions on downstream partners in Malawi and Zimbabwe to ensure compliance with Neotree finance policies. Ensure finance policies, internal controls and procedures are followed, practical, and proportionate for a small charity. Liaise with accountants and auditors, supporting preparation of statutory accounts, audit schedules and responses to queries. Support the external accountants with returns to HMRC, Companies House and the Charity Commission.

5. Supporting the Team

In this role you'll support the team by providing clear, friendly guidance to colleagues on finance processes such as expenses, budgets, reports and deadlines, making sure everyone feels confident and supported. You'll also help to improve templates, processes and simple tools (for example Google Sheets trackers and reporting packs) so that finance is easier and more intuitive for everyone to use. Throughout, you'll balance being a collaborative team player with the ability to work independently, managing your own workload and taking ownership of your responsibilities.

Experience & Knowledge (Essential)

We are open to strong candidates from a range of backgrounds and stages (including job returners and those newly qualified). You don't need to have done everything below, but you should recognise yourself in most of it:

Accountancy: Qualified, part-qualified (e.g. ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, AAT) or qualified by experience in a similar role. Financial analysis & reporting: Advanced financial analysis skills; confident working with P&L, balance sheet and cash flow. Experience preparing management accounts and variance analysis. Experience in finance planning and reporting for an organisation or business unit. Budgets & forecasts: Experience of budget planning, monitoring and variance analysis. Experience of forecast planning, updating and explaining forecast changes. Project / grant finance: Experience in project-based finance (charity, not-for-profit or similar environments). Understanding of restricted funds, grant budgets and reporting (on-the-job experience is fine). Accounting concepts: Good understanding of accruals, prepayments and other key accounting concepts. Comfortable working to month-end timelines and ensuring completeness and accuracy. Multi-currency: Experience working with GBP/USD/EUR or other multi-currency environments.
Experience in the charity sector and with international donors is helpful but not strictly essential if you bring strong core finance skills and are keen to learn.

Skills & Tools

Advanced Xero user - confident with postings, reconciliations, tracking categories, and management reports. Advanced Excel and/or Google Sheets (lookups, pivot tables, basic modelling, tidy data structures). Good PowerPoint or Google Slides skills for preparing clear, simple finance packs and trustee reports. Strong problem-solving skills - able to dig into messy numbers and make sense of them. A mindset of process improvement - happy to ask "is there a simpler way to do this?" and suggest changes. Ability to work to and enforce deadlines, especially around month-end and quarterly reporting cycles with downstream partners in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

Personal Characteristics

Hands-on, practical, and comfortable "doing the work", not just reviewing it. Organised and reliable, able to juggle multiple small tasks while keeping an eye on key deadlines. Excellent attention to detail, with a calm and methodical approach. Strong communicator, able to explain finance clearly to non-finance colleagues and colleagues in other countries, using everyday language. A genuine team player who also works well independently and can take initiative. High levels of integrity, professionalism and respect for confidentiality. Open, friendly and willing to learn, adapt and give/receive feedback. Motivated by Neotree's mission to improve the quality of newborn care and save newborn lives in low-income countries.

Desirable

Experience in the charity or international development sector, including working in international multidisciplinary teams. Prior involvement in setting up or improving finance processes, including payroll and policies. Experience supporting audits and managing relationships with external accountants or auditors. Experience with risk management and mitigation, particularly in a charity context.

Equal Opportunities

Neotree values diversity and is committed to equal opportunities. All applicants for employment will receive equal treatment without discrimination on grounds of gender, race, ethnic or national origins, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation, or any other grounds.

Job Types: Part-time, Permanent

Pay: 40,000.00-50,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 20 per week

Benefits:

Flexitime Work from home
Work Location: Remote