Head of Finance

The Design Museum is the world's leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form.
Through exhibitions, learning programmes, partnerships and research, we demonstrate how design shapes the world around us and enables people and communities to thrive. Since relocating to our landmark Kensington home in 2016, millions of visitors have engaged with our work, helping to make the museum a global hub for the transformative potential of design.

As we continue to evolve and innovate, we are seeking an experienced and commercially-minded finance leader to join our senior leadership team. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of the finance function, strengthen business partnering across the organisation and provide strategic financial leadership in support of the museum's ambitious plans.

This is a highly visible and influential role, offering the opportunity to work closely with senior stakeholders, the Board of Trustees and budget holders across a diverse organisation with multiple income streams.

About the Role
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Head of Finance will lead the Finance team and play a central role in supporting the museum's strategic and operational objectives. You will be responsible for financial planning, business partnering, reporting, governance and financial control, ensuring leaders across the organisation have access to timely, insightful information to support decision-making.

As the museum continues to embed and optimise its Microsoft Business Central platform, you will champion continuous improvement, automation and data-driven decision-making, helping to develop a modern, forward-looking finance function.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the Finance team, fostering a high-performing culture focused on analysis, business partnering and continuous improvement
Support the development and delivery of the museum's rolling five-year business plan

Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process across the organisation

Partner with departmental leaders across exhibitions, commercial, retail and development teams to deliver accurate and timely management and board reporting

Drive automation, reporting enhancements and data quality improvements
Lead financial appraisal and modelling for business cases, investment decisions and new initiatives

About You
We are looking for a professionally qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with significant leadership experience and a strong track record of partnering with senior stakeholders.

You will bring:

Prior experience of leading a finance function within a diverse organisation
Strong expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting and audit management
Proven business partnering skills and the ability to influence strategic decision-making
Advanced financial modelling and analytical capability
Experience of developing high-performing teams
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information clearly to non-finance audiences
A proactive, pragmatic approach with a passion for continuous improvement and organisational impact

Apply Now
The Design Museum is partnering exclusively with Allen Lane and Iain Slinn on the recruitment of this role.

For a confidential discussion and further information, please contact Iain directly.