London, UK
Finance and operations manager
at Design South East
Design South East is hiring a finance and operations manager to join its team in London.
Details:
- salary: £38,000 FTE
- reporting to: director of operations
- contracted days: five days a week, 37 hours
- office attendance: minimum two days per week in the DSE studio
Who this role will suit
This role will suit someone who is highly organised, tech-savvy, and curious to learn and develop as an operations and financial professional. You don’t need to come in as a qualified finance manager, but you do need to be confident with systems, detail-oriented, and ready to take ownership of finance processes such as bookkeeping, payments, and invoicing (with support from our external accountants and Director of Operations).
You’ll also bring strong digital instincts: comfortable setting up and managing SharePoint structures, making better use of software tools, and exploring integrations (such as APIs) that help streamline our workflows. If you enjoy improving how systems fit together and spotting smarter ways of working, you’ll thrive here.
This role is varied and hands-on, one day reconciling Xero, the next helping shape a team away day, updating policies, or ensuring our IT and data security are robust. We’re looking for someone with strong attention to detail and who wants to grow their skills across finance, HR, governance, and operations in a charity studio environment.
Key responsibilities
Finance and Bookkeeping (50 per cent):
- manage day-to-day bookkeeping in Xero, ensuring accurate coding and reconciliation of transactions
- process invoices, expenses, and staff reimbursements
- oversee payments from the bank account, ensuring correct authorisation procedures are followed
- chase and ensure payments are both received and made on time
- support supplier set-up and ensure contractual requirements are met
Office, studio and IT management (20 per cent):
- oversee the smooth running of the office, including supplies, equipment, health and safety compliance, and access arrangements
- maintain and update organisational policies (e.g. Health and Safety, GDPR, IT)
- manage IT systems, including JAMF device management, software licences, and back-up/security arrangements
- support implementation of IT and cyber-security measures such as MFA, password protocols, and data protection processes
- act as first point of contact for day-to-day IT queries, escalating to external support where required
HR, people and culture (15 per cent):
- support recruitment processes, including advertising roles, managing applications, and coordinating interviews
- support induction and exit processes, ensuring a smooth employee experience
- maintain and update the staff handbook
- organise and provide logistics for trustee meetings, staff away days, and team events
- support scheduling and administration of regular team meetings
- contribute to a positive, collaborative studio culture
Governance and Legal (10 per cent):
- ensure operations adhere to insurance requirements.
- keep compliance registers up to date
- provide administrative support to governance processes and trustee reporting
The remaining five per cent is held for professional development and team culture and event attending.
Key attributes
Through the recruitment process, we will be assessing candidates against the following attributes:
- financial accuracy and ownership: ability to manage bookkeeping, payments, invoices, and reconciliations with precision and accountability
- technical and systems capability: confidence in setting up and managing digital systems (e.g. SharePoint, Xero, other software tools), improving workflows, and using integrations/automation to solve problems and increase efficiency
- compliance and governance awareness: understanding of organisational policies, legal requirements, and compliance areas relevant to a charity and company (e.g. GDPR, data security, health and safety, insurance). Able to apply these practically to ensure DSE remains compliant
- organisation and prioritisation: capacity to manage multiple tasks and deadlines across finance, HR, IT, and office management, while keeping work structured and on track
- communication and people skills: clear, approachable, and confident in explaining processes, supporting colleagues, and contributing to a positive team culture
- judgement and confidentiality: able to handle sensitive information (finance, HR, governance) with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgement
- role progression opportunities: this role is designed to grow with the organisation. In the first year, the focus will be on building strong foundations in finance, operations, and compliance
As the role becomes established, there is scope to take on greater responsibility and visibility, including:
- progression within the ‘manager’ salary band of £35-45k as responsibilities are delivered independently
- oversight of external suppliers and outsourced support (e.g. IT, HR, finance)
- professional development support (e.g. finance, HR, or IT/cyber security training)
- longer term, there may be opportunities to expand into a Head of Operations–level role if DSE grows, with direct involvement in governance and financial and people strategy
This is a varied, central role within a charity studio environment, offering scope to shape how the organisation operates and develops over time.
About Design South East
Design South East (DSE) is a leading charity working to improve the quality of places across the South East and beyond. We provide practical, expert-led support to local authorities, communities and developers through design review, training, strategy and engagement. Our mission is to ensure that everyone can live in well-designed, sustainable and inclusive places.
We do this by:
- convening nationally respected review panels tailored to local contexts
- running the Kent Design network, supporting officers and councillors with training and knowledge exchange
- supporting communities through charrettes, engagement panels and place-shaping workshops
- providing strategic planning and design advice on complex projects such as local plans, infrastructure and housing
- working across disciplines, drawing on our network of 300+ experts in planning, architecture, landscape, heritage, transport and sustainability
We are a small, mission-driven team who believe in working collaboratively, learning from each other, and supporting the public sector to meet today’s big challenges.
Working at Design South East
As part of our team, you can expect:
- hybrid working: a mix of studio and home-based working, with a minimum of two days per week in our office in Farringdon
- professional development: tailored support for training and growth, including finance, HR, or IT/cyber security pathways
- studio culture: we value curiosity, collaboration and care for each other, with regular team days, away days and learning opportunities
- benefits: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 30 days after 12 months’ continuous service, pension contributions, and enhanced sick leave policies
The hiring process
We select applicants purely based on their answers to the application questions. Each response is assessed against clear scoring guidelines, and answers are anonymised during shortlisting to ensure a fair and consistent process.
Stage one: submit your online application form, answering the written questions. All applications will be anonymised and reviewed against pre-set criteria.
Stage two: selected candidates will be invited to attend an online interview (approx. 30 minutes) on the Tuesday 21 October.
Stage three: final stage candidates will be invited to a short in-person interview at our studio in Farringdon on Tuesday 28 October, including a practical task related to the role.
We aim to keep candidates informed at each stage, and feedback will be provided wherever possible.
How to apply
Please complete and submit your application form by 2pm, Tuesday 14 October. We do not accept CVs; applications will only be considered through this online form.
Want to Know More?
If you would like to speak informally about the role before applying, you can book a 15-minute call with our director of operations via this link.