Chief Financial & Operations Officer

Organisation: Youth Sport Trust
Salary: £75,000 - £85,000 per annum
Location: SportPark, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3QF
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 30 June 2025
Interview date: 14 July 2025
Job Description: Are you driven by working with young people and sport? Then this might be the role for you! Harris Hill are thrilled to be partnering up with The Youth Sport Trust in their search for a new Chief Financial and Operations Officer.

The Youth Sport Trust equips educators and empowers young people with the vision of creating a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport. Sport gives young people a platform to have their voice heard and a place to feel they belong. The Youth Sport Trust harness this extraordinary power to change young lives today and help them build a brighter tomorrow.

Job title: Chief Financial and Operations Officer
Location: This role is a blend of working 3 days a week from our Loughborough office on the Loughborough University campus and working from home.
Grade and salary: £75,000 - £85,000 per annum.
Hours: Full time
Contract type: Permanent

Overall Role:
As a member of the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams, the Chief Operating Officer is responsible for ensuring the charity’s internal functions run smoothly and effectively, with a particular emphasis financial strategy. The role focuses on making the best use of people, systems and resources across Finance, IT, Data & Technology, Compliance & Governance, HR & Safeguarding, and Business Support to maximise impact for children and young people.

Accountable for:
• Providing strategic financial leadership while working with senior leaders to optimise financial performance and governance.
• Building, nurturing and growing the charity’s delivery network of and registered delivery partners for Youth Sport Trust products and services
• Simple, streamlined and joined up internal systems and processes to ensure the charity is easy to work in, for, and with
• The performance of all internal support functions through line management of senior leaders.
• Operational delivery against the strategy and budget
• The development and use of performance metrics to drive operational performance,
• Providing tools and processes to help senior leaders monitor strategic progress.
• Strengthening the charity’s reputation for high quality, impactful services.
• Championing a culture, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Maximising the use of data, digital technology, AI, and cybersecurity to increase impact, efficiencies and resilience.
• Ensuring strong governance, regulatory compliance and risk management..

Qualifications
• CCAB qualified accountant

Experience
• Extensive proven operational leadership experience
• Experience of developing and strengthening systems and processes which support delivery and implementation of products and services.
• Experience in delivering strategic and operational financial leadership in a complex organisation
• Experience of leading the development of digital and business systems which have improved business performance.
• Experience at working as a member of a senior leadership team
• Experience of successfully managing a multi-functional team within an organisation of comparable size and complexity
• Strong governance experience of working within charity environments and establishing governance frameworks
• Experience in communication, influencing and advocacy both internally up to board level and with external stakeholders or partners
• Experience of leading and delivering effective business change
• Experience of successfully leading and inspiring a high performing team
• A previous track record of understanding the latest technology trends

If you would like to have a chat to learn more about this role and to receive a full job description, please contact Simon Bascombe at Harris Hill on simon.bascombe@harrishill.co.uk or call him on 020 7820 7311.

Please apply immediately. The role closes at 12pm on Monday 30th June. Please reach out to learn more.

Harris Hill Charity Recruitment Specialists operates an equal opportunity policy and commits to treating all of our candidates and jobseekers fairly. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.
How to apply: To apply please send an up to date CV plus a Supporting Statement (no more than 1 x A4 pages) highlighting your suitability for the position and why you are interested, to simon.bascombe@harrishill.co.uk by 12pm on Monday 30 June 2025