Person Specification – Chief Financial Officer

Essential Experience

  • Qualified CCAB accountant, with significant post-qualification experience gained across different sectors and disciplines.
  • Proven leadership of large multi-disciplinary teams of professional/specialist staff, notably finance and, ideally, technology.
  • Experience of dealing with and recognising the distinct needs of a charitable organisation and a political sensitivity to effectively manage this.
  • Committed to supporting and challenging the organisation’s other functions and holding them to account to achieve excellence, efficiency, focus on output, and effective management control.
  • Proven experience of being part of a leadership team.
  • Successful experience of strategy development and business planning.
  • Experience of leading change and project management.
  • Experience of developing and delivering a strategy to deliver a positive and inclusive work environment.
  • Proven track record of assessing business needs, recommending and implementing change.

Essential Skills / Knowledge / Qualifications

  • A strong interest of the challenges faced by the arts and heritage sector.
  • Courageous vision to balance charity objectives, cultural aspiration and financial probity.
  • Proven experience of having successfully managed substantial organisational change.
  • Proven experience of developing, communicating and leading a compelling vision for a diverse team.
  • Proven experience in leading high performing teams, of improving performance at all levels and of leading a high performance culture.
  • Evidence of high quality abilities in analysis, synthesis and evaluation to inform strategic direction and to contribute to the corporate responsibilities of a senior leadership team and Trustee Board.
  • Has energy and drive.
  • Can see the big picture but also dive into the detail as necessary.
  • Able to communicate complex concepts to others.
  • Emotional intelligence and the ability to build strong and effective relationships across hierarchies.
  • Ability to communicate persuasively, verbally and in writing, with a range of partners within and outside the organisation.
  • Ability to build trust and communicate with staff at all levels, with SMT colleagues, and Trustees in a manner which instills confidence, both verbally and in writing.
  • Able to build credibility quickly and effectively through demonstrating sound knowledge, experience and judgement.
  • Strong influencing and negotiating skills, including an ability to think quickly and mediate in challenging circumstances.
  • Knowledge of charity and government corporate governance and financial management.
  • Ability to delegate to and support a diverse team of professional reports in areas that are not necessarily personal expertise.

Essential Behaviours

  • Ability to be challenging, pragmatic, robust and resilient.
  • Proven role model of behaviours.
  • Proven evidence of collegiate behaviour to include working with conflicting priorities and agendas.
  • Actively supports the roles and contributions of other professions, departments and individuals.
  • Is aware of own personal impact on others and demonstrates self-awareness.
  • Actively communicates in an open and transparent way.
  • Makes timely and clear decisions.
  • Collaborative team player who supports corporate decisions made despite personal views.