Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full-time (open to 4 days per week).

Location: London/Hybrid. This is a UK-based role; you must have the right to work in the UK to be considered. You are expected to be in our London, Victoria office 2 days a week.

Salary: £75,000 FTE per annum plus an additional office allowance of £2,000 per annum pro-rated.

Benefits: 30 days annual leave, flexible working environment, enhanced sick pay, 5% employer / 3% employee pension contribution, bike to work scheme.

Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

Please note: Owing to the nature of this role, any offer of employment with Bite Back will be subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.

Want to work in a vibrant, dynamic and youth driven organisation that is protecting children’s health by transforming the food system?

Be part of the creative, agile and growing team empowering Bite Back’s exceptional teenage activists. Apply to join us as our Director of Finance and Operations and make a real difference to our mission to help make the food system healthier and fairer.

At Bite Back, we are committed to ensuring our staff is representative of the diverse world around us and therefore we encourage candidates with a range of lived and professional experiences to apply. We particularly welcome applications from people of colour, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people. We will use positive action under the Equality Act 2010 to appoint from these underrepresented groups if two candidates are equally qualified.

About Bite Back

We’re surrounded by junk food. From the moment we're born, every second of every day, children are being targeted. Giant companies manipulate them with colourful, cuddly, clever marketing, deceive them with packaging claims and pump products at them that are full of junk. It's become the cultural wallpaper. Now, it risks destroying the health of a generation.

Over a third of 10/11-year-olds leave primary school with an increased risk of developing food-related conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease in their future.

The good news is, it's totally preventable. And we're biting back.

Bite Back is a youth activist movement challenging a food system that's been set up to fool us all.

We do this by:

1. Calling out the manipulation of the junk food giants.
2. Demanding higher standards from food marketing and from everyday food itself.
3. Mobilising and equipping young people in the fight for better food.

We do all this so we can bite back against a global epidemic of food-related ill health.

Role Description

This role exists to make sure our people, systems and resources work seamlessly together in pursuit of our mission. The Director of Finance & Operations provides the leadership and structure that allow the organisation to thrive, ensuring financial sustainability, a positive and inclusive culture, and efficient, values-driven operations. They help turn strategic vision into practical action, enabling colleagues to focus their energy where it matters most: creating impact for young people.

As a key member of the Leadership Team, the Director of Finance & Operations provides strategic and operational leadership across finance, people, digital, operations and governance. They ensure the charity is financially sustainable, well-run, compliant and values-driven, so that our resources, systems and culture are aligned with our mission.

Responsibilities

They will be accountable for the following areas:

Strategic leadership & organisational development

• Act as a strategic partner to the CEO and Leadership Team, shaping organisational strategy and translating it into robust financial, people and operational plans.
• Lead the annual organisational planning cycle, ensuring objectives, budgets and KPIs are aligned to the strategy and are realistic, affordable and measurable.
• Champion a culture of accountability, inclusion, learning and collaboration across the charity, role-modelling our values in leadership and decision making.
• Provide clear, insight-driven analysis and recommendations to support major strategic decisions (e.g. growth, new programmes, partnerships, investments, cost management).
• Lead and develop the Finance & Operations team (Finance, Fundraising, HR, IT/systems, operations) building a high-performing, service-oriented function that supports colleagues to deliver impact.

Financial strategy, planning & stewardship

• Develop and keep under review the charity’s financial strategy, ensuring long-term sustainability, appropriate reserves and effective use of resources.
• Lead and coordinate the annual budget and medium-term financial planning process, working closely with budget holders to create robust, activity-based budgets.
• With the support of the Senior Finance Manager, provide timely, accurate and insightful financial reporting to the CEO, Leadership Team and Board, including management accounts, restricted funds reporting, cashflow and forecasts.
• Maintain robust financial controls, policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, accounting standards and Charity Commission / Companies House requirements.
• Lead the relationship with external auditors and oversee the annual audit process, ensuring high-quality statutory accounts and a culture of continuous improvement in financial controls.
• Oversee financial aspects of funding bids, contracts and grant reporting, including costing models, financial due diligence and project / restricted fund monitoring.

People, culture & HR

• Champion Bite Back’s values - Fresh, Resilient, Respectful, Energetic, and Real — in all your work.
• Provide strategic oversight of HR, working closely with the HR & People Manager on people strategy, workforce planning, recruitment, employee relations and HR operations.
• Champion a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe workplace culture. Lead on embedding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the organisation, shaping recruitment, policies, culture and practices so that staff from all backgrounds feel welcomed, represented, supported and able to flourish.
• Lead the organisation-wide objective-setting and performance management framework, ensuring clear expectations, regular feedback and fair, constructive review processes.
• Oversee learning and development approaches so that staff and managers have the skills, tools and support to perform at their best and develop their careers.
• Ensure all people-related policies and procedures (including safeguarding where appropriate), are up-to-date, legally compliant, values-aligned and consistently implemented.
• Oversee pensions, insurance, payroll and benefits ensuring these are well-managed, compliant and provide value for money.

Digital, data, IT & systems

• Work alongside the Digicomms team to support the organisation’s digital and technology strategy, ensuring systems and tools are fit for purpose and future-focused.
• Ensure the charity’s CRM (Salesforce) is effectively governed, embedded and used across the organisation, with clear ownership, training and data standards.
• Oversee data protection and information security, ensuring GDPR compliance, robust data governance and adherence to frameworks such as Cyber Essentials where relevant.
• Manage relationships with IT and systems suppliers, ensuring contracts are well-specified, performance is monitored and services deliver value for money.
• Lead the design and continuous improvement of cross-organisational systems and processes to reduce duplication, improve user experience and increase efficiency.

Operations, facilities & supplier management

• Oversee the effective management of the charity’s co-working space in Fivefields and any hybrid / remote working arrangements, ensuring they are safe, inclusive and support collaborative working.
• Plan for future workspace needs in line with organisational growth, culture and budget.
• Lead procurement and supplier management, together with the Operations & Contracts Manager, for key operational services, ensuring contracts are well-managed and aligned with our ethical, environmental and sustainability commitments.
• Ensure robust health and safety arrangements are in place and implemented across all activities, including appropriate policies, risk assessments and training.
• Oversee business continuity planning and disaster recovery arrangements so that critical operations can continue in the event of disruption.

Governance, risk & compliance

• Act as Company Secretary and secretary to the Board, ensuring effective governance processes and high-quality information flows between the executive and trustees.
• Ensure timely and accurate compliance with Charity Commission, Companies House and any other regulatory or funder requirements, including statutory filings and returns.
• Lead the development, maintenance and regular review of the organisational risk register, ensuring an appropriate appetite for risk and clear mitigation actions.
• Provide assurance to the Board and its committees on the effectiveness of internal controls and compliance frameworks across finance, HR, data protection, health & safety and other key areas.
• Coordinate the review, approval, communication and implementation of organisational policies, ensuring staff are inducted, trained and clear on their responsibilities.
• Support the Chair and CEO in planning Board and committee agendas, ensuring trustees are well-supported to discharge their duties and have appropriate information to make decisions.

Skills and Experience

The ideal candidate would have the following:

Essential

Strategic leadership

• Significant senior leadership experience across finance, operations and people.
• Proven ability to turn strategy into clear financial and operational plans.
• Skilled at working with Boards and senior teams, providing confident, evidence-based advice.
• Experience leading organisational change and building strong, high-performing teams.

Finance, governance & commercial acumen

• Strong financial management skills, with experience overseeing budgeting, forecasting and financial strategy. The role is supported by a Senior Finance Manager who leads on the accounting and technical finance functions.
• Ability to interpret complex financial information, challenge assumptions and communicate insights clearly.
• Understanding of charity finance, regulation and governance requirements.
• Experience leading audits, managing restricted funds and contributing to funding bids or grant reporting.

People, culture & organisational development

• Broad HR knowledge, ideally supported by or working toward a CIPD qualification (Level 5+).
• Track record of building positive, inclusive workplace cultures and embedding EDI principles.
• Experienced in developing and supporting individuals and teams to perform at their best.

Digital, data & operations

• Confident overseeing IT, digital and data systems, including CRM and collaboration platforms.
• Skilled in improving processes and implementing systems that drive efficiency and value.
• Understanding of GDPR, cyber security and data governance.

Personal qualities

• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Clear, engaging communicator who builds trusted relationships.
• Resilient, adaptable and solutions-focused, balancing strategy with hands-on delivery.
• Creative, open-minded and positive, with a sense of humour and a passion for our mission.

Desirable

• Experience as Company Secretary or supporting charity governance.
• Experience working with or alongside young people.
• Direct involvement in digital or systems transformation projects.

To Apply

Please apply with a CV and a covering statement telling us why you’re a good fit for this role.

Within the covering statement please also answer the following questions:

1. Tell us about a time when you presented financial information or analysis to a Leadership Team or Board. What challenges did you face in helping non-financial colleagues understand the key issues, and how did you ensure your insights informed effective decisions? (400 words max)
2. Describe how you have helped build and maintain a positive, inclusive organisational culture when teams were working remotely or in a hybrid model. What practical steps did you take to keep people connected, motivated and aligned with the organisation’s values? (250 words max)
3. Give an example of how you developed or reshaped an operations function to support an organisation’s growth - for instance, moving from a start-up phase to a more mature, scalable structure. What were the biggest challenges and how did you address them? (250 words max)
4. Tell us about a time when you improved governance, risk management or operational systems in your organisation. What prompted the change, what actions did you take, and what difference did it make? (250 words max)

Timeline

• Applications close at 9pm on Sunday 4th January 2026
• If you have any questions about the role or the application process, do contact us on recruitment@biteback2030.com and we’ll be happy to help. We will only accept applications submitted via the charityjob website. This is because charityjobs automatically anonymises all applications to reduce bias in the shortlisting process.
• Applications will be handled in line with our Recruitment Privacy Policy.

If you are in receipt of means tested benefits and cost is a barrier to attending a London based interview, please let us know and we can help with booking your travel.

We are testing an approach of sharing one interview question in advance as part of our commitment to being more inclusive. Please let us know if you require any additional support or reasonable adjustments for the application or interview. We really want our process to feel accessible.