Finance & Governance Manager

What will you be doing?

eduSOIL is an award-winning international arts, wellbeing and education social enterprise delivering programmes across Northern Ireland, South Africa, Sudan and India.

We are seeking a Finance & Governance Manager to provide governance-level oversight, statutory compliance and financial leadership, while supporting a transition toward stronger in-house finance capacity.

This is a senior volunteer leadership role, designed for someone with the professional licence and experience to file in the UK, who is willing to act as Treasurer for eduSOIL CIC.

You will not be doing day-to-day bookkeeping.
Instead, you will:

• Oversee and supervise the finance function
• Review records prepared by the Assistant and Finance Officer
• Run payroll and statutory filings
• Ensure governance, risk and compliance standards are met

Finance operating model (how the role works)

eduSOIL operates a three-layer finance model:

• Finance & Governance Assistant
  Day-to-day invoicing, bookkeeping and programme tracking
• Finance Officer (contracted)
  Professional review, categorisation, continuity and support
• Finance & Governance Manager (this role)
  Governance, payroll, statutory filing and Treasurer responsibility

This model:

• Protects volunteers from risk
• Reduces workload on the Manager
• Ensures continuity even if roles change

Key responsibilities

Governance & statutory responsibility

• Act as Treasurer for eduSOIL CIC (UK)
• File statutory returns with HMRC and Companies House
• Oversee governance readiness and financial risk management

Payroll & compliance

• Run or oversee payroll for UK entities
• Ensure compliance with UK employment and tax requirements

Oversight & supervision

• Review financial records prepared by the Assistant and Finance Officer
• Approve records prior to statutory filing
• Supervise the Finance & Governance Assistant

International oversight

• Review financial records for South Africa prior to submission by licensed SA accountants
• Support consistency across UK and international entities

Strategic finance support

• Advise Founder & CEO on financial risk, sustainability and structure
• Support long-term reduction of external accounting costs
• Strengthen internal systems and documentation

Governance & Risk Support

• Supporting governance best practice through:
  • clear financial documentation,
  • transparent reporting,
  • risk identification and escalation
     
• Contributing to organisational readiness for:
  • future growth,
  • increased funding,
  • board-level oversight 

Leadership & Collaboration

• Working closely with:
  • the Founder & CEO,
  • Programme Directors,
  • the Fundraising & Grant Writing Manager
• Supporting shared understanding between fundraising, delivery and finance
• Contributing to learning and systems improvement across countries

This is a hands-on leadership role focused on rigour, stewardship and confidence, not transactional bookkeeping or compliance-only work.

The role builds on confirmed funding and established delivery programmes, with a focus on strengthening coordination, accountability and governance across countries. You will work as part of a peer leadership group alongside Programme Directors and other Managers, helping bridge strategy and delivery while protecting organisational integrity.

What are we looking for?

We are seeking a committed, values-led individual with professional experience in finance, governance, compliance or organisational operations, who is motivated by accountability, clarity and social impact.

You should have:

• At least 3–5 years’ professional experience in finance, governance, operations or a related field
• Experience supporting budgets, financial records, invoicing or reporting
• Confidence working with expenditure tracking and financial documentation
• Experience supporting grant-funded or project-based work
• Strong attention to detail alongside delivery-aware judgement
• Confidence working in a collaborative, values-led organisation
• An interest in education, youth leadership, wellbeing or social impact 

Experience in charities, CICs or social enterprises is highly valued but not essential.

You do not need prior experience with Design for Change. However, you should be open to learning and working within an established global methodology and comfortable operating in complex, multi-entity environments.

For this role specifically, it is helpful if you have experience in:

• Post-award grant management and reporting
• Financial coordination across multiple programmes or entities
• Working with accountants, auditors or governance bodies
• Supporting compliance without becoming risk-averse or bureaucratic 

We are particularly interested in applicants who:

• Are based in Northern Ireland (though this is not essential)
• Bring lived experience of migration, cultural transition or integration
• Have experience in arts, mindfulness, yoga or wellbeing practice alongside professional expertise
• Are motivated by equity, youth voice and ethical leadership

This role suits someone who enjoys bringing order, clarity and confidence to complex systems, who values stewardship as a form of leadership and who is excited by working at both local and international levels.

What difference will you make?

Your contribution will directly strengthen eduSOIL’s financial resilience, credibility and governance readiness across Northern Ireland, South Africa, Sudan, India and global partnerships.

By strengthening financial systems and post-award management, you will:

• Improve funder confidence and long-term relationships
• Reduce financial risk and ambiguity across programmes and entities
• Support accurate, timely reporting and compliance
• Enable Programme Directors to deliver confidently within clear financial boundaries
• Protect organisational reputation, trust and sustainability 

With a dedicated Finance & Governance Manager, eduSOIL can:

• Maintain full statutory compliance without over-reliance on external firms
• Manage complex, multi-country funding responsibly and support growth across multiple countries responsibly
• Strengthen audit- and funder-readiness
• Support future growth without overstretch or fragility
• Ensure governance structures are supported by clear financial evidence
• Sustain high-quality youth leadership and wellbeing programmes ethically
• Reduce financial risk and governance gaps

• Build sustainable in-house finance capacity

   

Your contribution enables ethical scale without compromising standards.

This role ensures that resources acquired through fundraising are used well, reported clearly and governed responsibly, enabling impact to be sustained rather than undermined.

Please download and review the handbooks and frameworks provided for further information about eduSOIL, this role and how you can invest your skills, time and attention in deepening and widening our social impact.

Additional information

You can download the following documents:

Before you apply

Please apply through Reach with a short message outlining:

• Your interest in youth wellbeing, leadership and education
• Relevant experience or transferable skills
• What you hope to gain from this role at our organisation

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 2 days of applying via Reach. They will be invited to complete an online application form, provide contact details for two referees and be invited to attend an online interview with the Founder/CEO within 5 days of our reply. 

The next stage involves background checks which will be carried out through Volunteer Now (for youth facing roles) and consent sought for us to contact referees. This stage can take 1 - 2 weeks.

Agreement to participate in Mindfulness and safeguarding training, which are mandatory for this role must be provided prior contractual confirmation.

We aim to finalise placements on a first come first served basis, based on our organisational needs.