Named in honour of Alan Turing, the Institute is a place for inspiring, exciting work and we need passionate, sharp, and innovative people who want to use their skills to contribute to our mission to make great leaps in data science and AI research to change the world for the better.

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The Director of Finance and Corporate Services is a senior role at The Alan Turing Institute and is part of the Executive Leadership Team. The role reports to the CEO and is responsible for four key areas of the Institute’s management: Finance, IT and Information Security, The Office of the General Counsel and Facilities. The postholder plays a critical role in ensuring the financial and operational integrity of the Institute, helping to ensure the Institute meets its key strategic missions. In the past 12 months or so the Institute published a new strategy, reformed its governance and been validated by rigorous external review which found that our work has been high-quality, wide-reaching and impactful. The panel’s recommendation to commit a multi-year funding settlement to The Turing was accepted by EPSRC and we were recently awarded £100m for the next 5 years of our evolution. The next three years will be a critical and exciting next phase for the Institute as we complete a transformation programme to reorient the organisation to deliver its new more focussed mission to push the boundaries of data science and AI for the public good. The Director of Finance will play a key role in ensuring a successful transition.

ROLE PURPOSE

As Director of Finance and Corporate Services you will be a key member of the Executive Leadership team, responsible for the leadership of the Institute’s corporate activity in relation to finance, legal, governance, IT and facilities. Given the recent addition of legal, governance and IT teams to the directorate it will be important to bed in these changes and create synergies and efficient working both within your directorate and with teams across the Institute. You will be responsible for embedding robust cross-Institute operating systems and processes in these areas to support the smooth running of the Institute and meet our charitable objectives. You will take the lead on strategic financial planning and monitoring for the institute, regularly reporting to the Audit and Risk Committee and Board of Trustees. You will be responsible for leading and prioritising your teams across all existing and new strands of work to help drive and deliver the Institute’s strategic aims in this area. You will be able to set a culture of collaborative relationships between your directorate and teams across the institute which combines appropriate challenge and rigour with positive partnership and a strong commitment to enabling the organisation to take action to achieve its goals. There is also space for candidates with the relevant skills and interest to contribute to our innovation ambitions, developing and finding routes to market for new technology or applications.

DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Provide leadership to the Deputy Director of Finance, Director of IT and Information Security, General Counsel and Operations Manager and their associated teams, promoting a supportive working environment.
• Provide oversight of the above areas of the business.
• Build and develop robust, but collegiate, internal relationships with colleagues and stakeholders across the organisation, influencing where needed, and enabling a culture of agility and innovation, partnering with the business as the Institute drives towards its next phase of growth and success.
• Ownership of external financial reporting, reporting regularly to senior committees such as ELT and the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board.
• Take ownership of Institute costings, pricing, budgeting and reporting along with longer term investment and procurement strategies.
• Continue to drive the improvement of processes, controls, discipline and awareness of financial and operational discipline across the Institute.
• Ownership in the delivery of a new ERP financial solution (project already underway) and subsequent optimization of the tool to drive further organizational efficiencies.
• Effective liaison with relevant external stakeholders such as auditors, bankers, funders, landlord etc.
• Demonstrate a flexible attitude to change to support the organisation to meet existing and future needs.

Please see the job description for a full breakdown of the role.

• You will hold a recognised professional financial qualification.
• You must have a graduate degree in business or equivalent together with a professional accounting qualification e.g. ACCA, CPA.
• Proven track record of success as a Finance Director or in a similar senior finance role.
• You will have experience of providing finance and operations leadership in complex organisations.
• Knowledge of corporate legal, risk and commercial matters.
• Experience of leading an organisation’s IT and facilities function.
• You will be comfortable working at pace in an organisation undergoing significant change.
• Experience of leading a diverse range of operational teams.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click the apply button below. You will need to register on the applicant portal and complete the application form including your CV and covering letter. If you have questions about the role or would like to apply using a different format, please contact us on 020 3970 2148 or 0203 862 3340, or email [email protected].

If you are applying for more than one role at the Turing, please note that only one Cover Letter can be visible on your profile at one time. If you wish to apply for multiple roles and do not want to overwrite your existing Cover Letter, please apply for the role using the button below and forward your additional cover letter directly to [email protected] quoting the job title.

If you are an internal applicant and wish to apply, please send your CV and Cover Letter directly to [email protected] and your application will be considered.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Sunday 16 June 2024 as 23:59 (London, UK BST)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early or to interview suitable candidates before the closing date if enough applications are received.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

This full-time post is offered on a permanent basis with an annual salary starting from £120,000 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, https://www.turing.ac.uk/work-turing/why-work-turing/employee-benefits.

The Alan Turing Institute is based at the British Library, in the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter. We expect staff to come to our office at least 4 days per month. Some roles may require more days in the office; the hiring manager will be able to confirm this during the interview.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Alan Turing Institute is committed to creating an environment where diversity is valued and everyone is treated fairly. In accordance with the Equality Act, we welcome applications from anyone who meets the specific criteria of the post regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to building a diverse community and would like our leadership team to reflect this. We therefore welcome applications from the broadest spectrum of backgrounds.

Reasonable adjustments to the interview process will be made for any candidates with a disability.

Please note all offers of employment are subject to obtaining and retaining the right to work in the UK and satisfactory pre-employment security screening which includes a DBS Check.

Full details on the pre-employment screening process can be requested from [email protected].