Candidate Pack - YoungMinds Director of Finance and Business Operations

Director of Finance and Business Operations
Candidate Pack | November 2020

YoungMinds
Candidate Pack – November 2020
Introduction from the Chief Executive Officer, Emma Thomas
At YoungMinds, Covid has shown us many things – that we have an agile, dedicated and creative team;
that remote working won’t stop us finding innovative ways to enable young people to continue shaping
our work; that our staff are brilliant at supporting each other through challenging and uncertain times;
and, critically, that our new strategy that has never been more relevant. I am also proud of the Senior
Leadership Team for remaining enterprise and values-led, and focused on creating impact for young
people, while guiding our organisation and talented team through these changes.
It certainly hasn’t all been smooth, and like many other charities we face ongoing challenges to generate
income to meet the demand for our support. Nonetheless, we are in a far stronger position than we
forecast at the start of the pandemic and this is a great opportunity to join in key role at a critical time.
We are looking for a Director of Finance and Business Operations to further build the financial,
cultural, planning and performance capability we need to deliver our mission. We have a brilliant
Internal Operations team that deserve a permanent leader. If you are steadfast about building a
collaborative and supportive culture, excellent on strategic finance, and adept at developing organisationwide
systems and processes that inform strategic decision-making, then we want to hear from you.
The role needs someone who is forward thinking and experienced working across finance and
corporate resources. They will lead and deliver the next stage of our business transformation, ensuring
effective use and integration of data, IT and finance. They will support investment into culture and the
wellbeing of our team. They will inspire and unlock the potential of their business operations colleagues
through sharp analysis, collaboration, clear planning and adaptability.
If what I’ve said intrigues you, I hope that you will explore the role with Tanya and the team at Society.
Finally, in my time at YoungMinds, I haven’t yet done enough to increase the diversity of our workforce,
and to create a working culture that is more representative of the young people we are here for. We
have clear ambitions, and an evolving plan, to become an actively anti-racist organisation, and one that
truly values and benefits from diversity of background and experience. Part of that plan includes making
greater efforts to ensure more racial diversity in our Board of Trustees and our Senior Leadership and
Senior Management Teams. I am therefore particularly keen to hear from people of colour through this
process.
Sincerely yours,
Emma Thomas

YoungMinds: Our Strategy for 2020-2023
Imagine being school-aged and wanting your life to end.
Imagine feeling this hopeless, this desperate, this lonely. Imagine the courage it takes to tell someone
and to ask for help. Imagine the devastation when, having reached out, the support you need just isn’t
there.
Thousands of young people living in the UK don’t need to imagine – this is their reality. We live in a
country where young people presenting at A&E with urgent mental health needs has tripled in the last
ten years, where a quarter of young women have a diagnosable mental health problem and where
suicide is the single biggest killer of boys and young men. And these figures do not yet factor in the
young lives that have been turned upside down because of the coronavirus pandemic and the tsunami of
mental health struggles we anticipate as a result.
The ‘crisis’ in young people’s mental health is well publicised. But behind each and every one of these
statistics is a real life – a young person who urgently needs help. Far, far too often, these young people
are simply not getting that help. And for many, it is already too late. Together, we can change this.
For over 25 years, YoungMinds has been leading the fight for better support for young people’s mental
health. Our new strategy has created a clear purpose of what young people need from us now. We
want to stop young people’s mental health reaching crisis point.
Every young person whose mental health ends up in crisis is a young person who has been failed. We
know that the earlier young people can access the right help, the more likely they can avoid these crises.
We will be unswerving in realising our new mission: To make sure all young people can get the mental
health support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
Our Strategic Programmes
We have organised our work into three programmes, allowing us to focus on where we can have the
greatest impact for young people.
Programme 1: Helping young people to look after their own mental health
We will provide young people with the reassurance and advice to make positive choices for their mental
health and what to do next if they are struggling.
Programme 2: Making sure young people have adults around them who can really help
Whenever a young person opens up about their mental health to an adult they trust, we want them to
find someone who really gets it and can respond positively.
Programme 3: Building a youth-led movement to make sure support is there for anyone who needs it
By building a movement for change, through which young people can create the societal changes they
want to see, we know that far more young people will get the support they need.

Our Values
Our new strategy does not just set out what we will do, but also how we will do it. Our values make it
clear exactly what matters to us and our expectations for how we will behave in pursuit of our goals.
We’re not afraid to speak up for what’s right.
We know what needs to change because young people tell us. If they raise their voices, so do we.
We’re optimistic.
Things get tough, but we never forget to celebrate progress and never stop looking for practical ways for
things to get better.
Kindness is our strength.
Everything we do, we do with love, care and compassion.
We celebrate what makes you you.
Whoever you are, we welcome you and we always encourage you to be true to yourself.
If you would like to find out more about YoungMinds please visit our website by clicking here.

Role Description
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Hours: Full-time, including a willingness to travel and work flexibly outside core hours, on occasion
Salary range: £70,000 - £74,000 FTE
Location: YoungMinds Central Office – London Bridge
Direct Reports: Financial Controller, Head of People & Culture, Head of PMO, Data & CRM Manager
YoungMinds seeks someone who enjoys working in a dynamic and fast-paced Senior Leadership Team
and can actively contribute to the corporate leadership and progress of the organisation. The postholder
must provide the outstanding strategic leadership, particularly in the areas of financial sustainability,
culture, systems development and support for staff to scale their programmes, impact and income.
The Director of Finance and Business Operations must use detail and process to unlock opportunity,
and needs to foster a culture of support and effective collaboration; all to underpin effective business
decisions that deliver organisational impact.
The role oversees finance, HR and culture, project management office, impact & evaluation,
safeguarding, data and IT. Its key responsibility to be leading the next stage of our business
transformation ensuring effective use and integration of data, IT and finance.
Responsibilities include, but may not be limited to:
Organisational Leadership
• driving strategic progress as part of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), jointly accountable for the
development and delivery of YoungMinds’ goals and strategy;
• nurturing collaboration and cohesion across the organisation, facilitating effective, robust decisionmaking
and impact;
• modelling organisational values and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; in particular,
build an anti-racist culture, where all staff, volunteers and young people are valued equally;
• providing inspirational leadership and effective line management that empowers and develops
individuals and enhances team capability;
• advising on and building infrastructure that captures cross-organisational learning and due diligence
for funders, partners, SLT and Board;
• championing the voice of young people and the value of their lived experiences to deliver change,
actively seeking to involve YoungMinds Youth Panellists more closely in the organisation and the
Internal Operations team.
Financial Leadership
• providing strategic financial leadership, ensuring YoungMinds has a sustainable business plan
including implementation of a flexible rolling budget approach;
• ensuring thorough but accessible financial analysis and recommendations on strategic decisions to
the Board, CEO and SLT;
• collaborating with the Director of Development and Financial Controller to prepare the annual
budget, robust forecasts and cash flow monitoring;

• supporting the Financial Controller to ensure the financial systems and accurate monthly and annual
accounts and reporting that give colleagues and relevant parties appropriate financial context for
decision-making;
• ensuring YoungMinds complies with statutory, legal and taxation requirements in relation to its
financial affairs;
• developing a value for money procurement approach;
• advising on appropriate costing for YoungMinds bids and contracts.
Governance
• providing governance support to the Board and its Committees, including working closely with Chair
of Audit & Risk Committee and Chair of People and Governance;
• ensuring that YoungMinds meets its statutory and other obligations as a registered charity and a
company limited by guarantee, and that good governance is at the heart of the charity.
Data Management
• ensuring a privacy-led approach to all business support data, including Data Protection Act and
GDPR compliance;
• leading our data driven approach through improved architecture and systems, integration and access,
as key to our strategy going forward;
• working with the Data and CRM Manager to evolve the cogency of YoungMinds data use across
evaluation, reporting and planning.
Systems, Planning and Reporting
• working with the CEO, SLT and Senior Management Team to develop robust planning and
performance systems and procedures that inform strategic planning;
• ensuring that YoungMinds finance, facilities management, HR and IT systems are fit for purpose to
deliver a high-quality service to all colleagues and meet business need;
• collaborating with the Evidence and Innovations Manager to better integrate business learning
systems to service design and evaluation, allowing YoungMinds to use insights and impact to adapt;
• oversee the risk register, ensuring that YoungMinds has clear sight of its risks and liabilities, and that
appropriate insurance, safeguarding, disaster recovery and contract management plans are in place;
• operationalise the new YoungMinds strategy, supported by the Programme Management Office and
ensuring effective project management, learning and impact for young people lies at the heart of
operational planning.
People and Culture
• supporting the Head of People & Culture to create a culture of care and wellbeing for staff and
young people, integrating our approaches across HR, safeguarding and facilities;
• working with the Director of Training and Services and Safeguarding Manager to build effective
safeguarding practices that put the safety of staff and young people first;

• ensuring that support for staff with lived experience sits at the heart of HR and organizational
development plans and practices;
• ensuring a high standard of HR operational effectiveness to support a high performing culture;
• ensuring that YoungMinds continues to develop and implement plans to increase its diversity
through its accountability group;
• overseeing the adoption of technology and facilities that enable staff to work efficiently and
effectively;
• ensuring that the SLT and Board work in accordance with YoungMinds vision, mission and values.

Person Specification
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, capabilities
and experience:
• leading finance and support functions; a clear track record of driving business impact through
developing and embedding organisational systems and processes;
• strategic financial planning and management, ideally including reporting and influencing at Board
level;
• supporting organisational change, particularly improvements in business planning through data
integration and architecture, and development of appropriate processes and systems;
• professionally qualified (ACA, ACCA or CIMA), with a strong understanding of financial
management related to charities;
• proven project and people manager, able to prioritise, strategize, empower and inspire colleagues to
flourish and deliver impact;
• collaborative leadership approach, able to find a constructive path through difference;
• resilient problem solver, able to analyse data, determine trends, and translate the planning and
performance implications of strategic decisions;
• clear written and verbal communicator;
• commitment and empathy to young people’s mental health and YoungMinds mission and values;
• awareness of charity governance and safeguarding practice.

Appointment Details and How to Apply
YoungMinds is being assisted in this appointment process by the executive search firm Society.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please get in touch with Ksenia Frolova on
ksenia.frolova@society-search.com.
The deadline for receipt of applications is midday (BST) on Thursday, 14 January 2021.
An appointment will be made subject to receipt of satisfactory references and a DBS check. The
appointed candidate will be offered a salary that is commensurate with their experience and the seniority
of their new role.
YoungMinds is fully committed to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality and diversity in its
workforce and employment practices, in the work they undertake, and in the provision of all of their
services. They therefore expect all of YoungMinds staff to be willing and able to make a positive
contribution to the promotion and implementation of YoungMinds’ Equality and Diversity policy.

Appendix 1 - Location
Address: 4th Floor India House, 45 Curlew St, London, SE1 2ND. YoungMinds is based close to
London Bridge in Central London, although as an organisation, we are active all over the UK.
They are well served by public transport links: - local mainline stations are London Bridge and
Waterloo. The nearest London Underground stations are London Bridge (Jubilee Line) and Borough
(Northern Line).
Appendix 2 – Working hours
Standard Office hours are 9.30am – 5.30pm, with a one hour unpaid lunch break. Some employees
work non-standard hours, there are a number of part-time staff, and some of the team work on a
sessional basis.
YoungMinds recognises the importance of helping its employees balance their work and home life and
so we have a Flexible Working Policy in place. Any employee can make a request for flexible working.
Whilst they cannot guarantee to accommodate a flexible working application, they do guarantee that
they will carefully consider any request made.
Appendix 3 – Safeguarding
YoungMinds is committed to the safeguarding of all young people and adults at risk, and expects
everyone who works with us to share this commitment. Appointments are subject to a satisfactory DBS
check, and all staff are required to undertake safeguarding training when they join.
Appendix 4 – Pre-employment checks
Due to the nature of the work YoungMinds undertakes, before starting with YoungMinds, the following
checks are carried out:
Reference Check: All job offers are conditional on the receipt of satisfactory references.
DBS Check: They employees to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (Criminal Records Bureau)
Check.
NB: A previous conviction will not necessarily prevent you from joining YoungMinds. YoungMinds is
committed to treating all applicants and employees fairly.
Identity check: YoungMinds are obliged to confirm your identity and obtain proof of your right to work
in the UK.
Appendix 5 – Joining
All new staff benefit from a full induction with both the HR department and their team, as well as their
core training programme, ongoing support and personal development.
Appendix 6 – Probationary Period
All our posts are subject to an initial probationary period. This varies according to the length and type of
the contract.