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Executive Director of Finance, Governance & Strategy

Employer
RSPB
Location
Bedfordshire, flexible
Salary
c. £110k-£125k
Closing date
29 Jul 2022

Job Details

Executive Director of Finance, Governance & Strategy

c. £110k-£125k

We are in a nature and climate emergency. This decade will be vital for the future of our planet and RSPB’s contribution has never been needed more. Led by science, our work ranges from the transformation of land and sea, through to everyday actions that help protect and restore natural environments and save species. We inspire and empower millions of people; forging partnerships that change behaviour to build a world where nature thrives

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds works for the conservation of birds and nature, both locally in the UK and around the world. We exist to advance the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and the natural world, by protecting and restoring habitats and landscapes, saving species, helping end the nature and climate emergency and inspiring others to do the same.  Our vision is for a shared world where wildlife, wild places and all people thrive.  We believe that we’re leading the way for conservation practice across the world, and we need an outstanding Executive Director of Finance, Governance & Strategy to help us consolidate and further develop our strong financial position, lead our strategy development and delivery planning and ensure the resilience of our governance process.

Reporting directly to the CEO, and an important member of the leadership Management Board team, you’ll be accountable for the leadership and management of Finance, Strategy and Governance & Risk functions. This includes financial strategy, financial management, risk management, internal audit, legal support, innovative finance development, strategic planning and charity governance. Strong candidates will additionally have an active interest in conservation investment principles and exploring the potential for nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.

Candidates must be fully professionally qualified, with extensive senior experience in an organisation of comparable scale to the RSPB – our income is around £147m, and we have over 1m members, 12,000 volunteers and 2,000 employees. You must have held leadership responsibility in at least two of the three areas of this role, and will have a nuanced understanding of their interdependence. Experience in a charitable setting would be a distinct advantage, and you must demonstrate that you can fulfil all regulatory aspects of the role. A clear, inspiring communicator, analyst and strategist, you’ll have strong commercial instincts and will be able to provide meaningful insight to our Council (trustees), colleagues and external partners.

Like nature our survival depends on diversity. Nature has no borders, and neither do we. We recognise that everyone is individual and different and value what that difference brings to the RSPB. We want to support everyone to unlock their potential and better reflect the communities in which we work.

To find out more, visit www.rspb-finance.co.uk/ For an informal discussion, please contact Debs Thomas or Aino Betts at Cadence Partners on +44 20 7947 4960 or email rspb-finance@cadencepartners.co.uk If you require the candidate materials in an alternative format, please request it in your initial contact.

Closing date: 10 am, 29 July 2022.

Company

The RSPB (the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is a large, national charity dedicated to the conservation of birds and other wildlife and the environments on which they depend. Founded in 1889, the RSPB has more than a million members, over 2,000 employees and 13,500 volunteers. RSPB’s UK headquarters are in Bedfordshire and it has an annual income of nearly £133 million.

RSPB carries out conservation work in many different areas. It runs a network of 200 nature reserves covering almost 13,000 hectares, which are home to 80% of the UK’s rarest or most threatened bird species. It works with farmers to identify wildlife friendly farming methods, researches bird populations and partners with international conservation organisations.

RSPB is also an advocacy organisation, lobbying the government on diverse topics such as planning, wind farms and economics. It has a UK headquarters, three national offices and nine offices in the English regions. Its million-plus members, 200,000 of whom are youth members, make it the largest conservation organisation in the UK. RSPB also has 150 local groups and more than 80 youth groups. It has a volunteer to staff ratio of 6:1.

The charity was founded in Manchester in 1889 as the Plumage League (initially as a campaign against the killing of birds for the fashion industry). It received a Royal Charter in 1904, becoming the ‘Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’. RSPB moved to its present headquarters in Sandy, Bedfordshire, in 1961.

One of the RSPB’s most popular activities, carried out for children since 1979 and for adults since 2001, is the Big Garden Birdwatch. The Birdwatch is an annual data collection of bird populations that takes place every January. In 2016, 519,000 people were involved, counting over 8 million birds. The Birdwatch enables RSPB to build a picture of garden wildlife across the UK. It has shown, for instance, that the sparrow population has declined by 60% since 1979.

RSPB also urges supporters to ‘make a home for nature’ in their gardens. Activities include creating feeding stations and homes for hedgehogs, providing flowers and plants for moths, creating habitats for frogs and toads and forming safe corridors from one garden to the next.

RSPB, along with sister organisations, Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, is part of The Climate Coalition. It argues that the effect of climate change on wildlife and wild places can already been seen and that increased flooding and rain from climate change will spell disaster for birds and wildlife.

RSPB is also a member of BirdLife International, a global partnership of conservation organisations that share common objectives.

RSPB is a major fundraising charity and spends around 90% of its income on conservation, public education and advocacy.

Company info
Website
Telephone
01767 680 551
Location
The Lodge,
Potton Road,
Sandy,
Bedfordshire
SG19 2DL
GB

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