Treasurer Designate

1. Guide & advise the Board in the approval of budgets, statutory management accounts, financial statements, & its financial duties & responsibilities.

2. Advise the Board on the financial implications of the charity's strategic plans & the key assumptions included in operational plan & annual budget.

3. Ensure that the financial systems & procedures, & the resources available are appropriate for the requirements of the charity.

4. Ensure systems are in place to fulfil all taxation & other related statutory requirements, including the timely submission of all statutory returns: Gift Aid & VAT

5. Advise on & review the annual forecast/budget, Management & Annual accounts liaising with the CEO, Financial Controller & accounting staff on the preparation of these.

6. Present the management accounts to the Board & report on variances with the annual budget.

7. Liaise with the Financial Controller to ensure cash forecasts are realistic & forecasts and actuals properly compiled to differentiate between restricted & unrestricted funds.

8. Ensure that systems for producing budgets for specific fundraising projects are sound & faithfully implemented.

10. Liaise with external accounts/auditors in connection with the annual accounts & reporting requirements, & with any significant issues affecting the financial status of the charity.

11. Present the accounts at the AGM & respond to queries.

As with other trustees the Treasurer should use any specific skills, knowledge or experience they have to help the Board reach sound decisions, including:

12. Giving direction to board policy-making

Due to relocation, our current Treasurer will be stepping down later in 2024, and we are therefore seeking a new Trustee to join the Board with a view to becoming Treasurer. The successful candidate will have relevant professional accountancy qualifications and ideally experience of financial auditing requirements.

With established statutory, grant and fundraised income streams, around £1m/annum, we recently successfully completed our first annual audit of accounts under the watchful eye of our extremely capable Financial Controller.

The Board is currently finalising the organisation's next 3-year strategy and has also reviewed its own governance practices in recent years. We regularly review the skills mix of the Board and bring new Trustees on as needed to ensure balance and a broad range of skills and knowledge are available to the Chief Executive who has led the organisation for most of its existence. We have recently agreed the lease on a new base in Guildford, which will be a significant opportunity to refresh how the organisation works and raise awareness of our offer, as well as a welcome departure from ongoing maintenance and flooding issues in our current premises.

We are an independent charity working with individuals who face mental health challenges, providing a range of training, employment support & wellbeing/social inclusion activities across Guildford, Waverley, Surrey Heath & surrounding areas. At the core of our approach is a person-centred Client Services model which helps individuals - who self-refer or are referred into us by local practitioners - to identify their own needs and aspirations and how these can be achieved.

We also deliver a garden maintenance service which works a social enterprise, thereby providing income, training & employment opportunities for our many clients.

Although we know that mental health problems are common & increasing, they still remain stigmatised & many of our clients are marginalised due to their conditions. If you are passionate about helping people with mental health problems feel socially included, helping them to achieve a better quality of life & sense of purpose we want to hear from you!

Oakleaf Enterprise is an inclusive organisation which aims to meet the mental health needs of any and all residents of Surrey. As a Board, we know there is more to do to ensure that Oakleaf's services reach and deliver for all communities in Surrey, and we are committed to creating a more diverse Board to support this. We would particularly welcome applications from women, those with lived experience of mental ill-health, and people from ethnically-minoritised communities, which are currently under-represented in our Board.