JOIN OUR TEAM: Head of Operations and Governance!
- Beckie Shuker
- May 8
- 3 min read
PINF is hiring! Can you help us strengthen our foundations on our mission to build a movement for local news in the UK?
The Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) seeks a Head of Operations and Governance to strengthen our foundations by leading on operational planning, governance and HR, with oversight of financial management.
PINF is the UK’s first and only charity helping indie news thrive. Big tech greed, corporate takeovers and declining advertising mean that indie news providers are still having to fight to keep local news alive. We believe that no news is bad news, so we are building a movement of journalists, civil society organisations, researchers, policymakers and funders to regenerate local news across the UK.
We exist at the cutting edge of charity law and need an experienced charity professional to make sure we do things properly. We are a very lean organisation and we're now recruiting one very special person to oversee the back-office operations of the charity.
The new Head of Operations and Governance will be a key point of contact for the team and support the Executive Director to ensure smooth, efficient and compliant operations.
The successful candidate will be a senior team member, responsible for ensuring that PINF operates within its legal and regulatory framework, including in relation to charity, corporate, tax, employment and data protection regulations.
The role involves liaising with the Chair, Board of Trustees, Executive Director, legal advisors and regulators to support best practice in financial management, governance, risk management and compliance.
The specifics:
This is a remote, permanent part-time contract at 2 days per week, with an in-person team meeting at least once a month.
May be based anywhere in the UK.
Salary: £20,000, pro rata from £50,000 (FTE).
Application closing date: 14 May 2025 at 17:00.
Reports to: Executive Director.
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.
Flexible working arrangements available.
About the organisation:
At PINF, we want everyone in the UK to benefit from public interest news that speaks to them, for them and with them. We work with print and digital news providers of all shapes and sizes, focusing in particular on independent providers with turnover below £2m. These innovative social enterprises are developing new models of journalism, but they face great challenges.
Since we started work in March 2020, we have worked with over 100 indie news providers in the UK, facilitated more than £700,000 in new revenue for the sector and secured policy wins, while ensuring that indie providers and the communities they serve are represented in high-level legislative and philanthropic discussions.
We are a small, dedicated team with big ambitions. We work remotely from home or in co-working spaces, with get-togethers at least once a month. We all contribute to PINF’s evolving strategy, and we support and stretch each other to do our best work.
We are committed to building a diverse team who can bring their experiences from work and home into this role. Therefore, we actively encourage applications from Black, Asian or minoritised groups, LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities. We particularly encourage applications from people whose backgrounds are under-represented in the news media.
Who you are:
The successful candidate will have most of the following skills and attributes:
Experience of managing charity finances and budgets (Essential). A related finance or accountancy qualification would be desirable.
Experience of managing operations in a comparable charity or business, with both strategic and day-to-day operational responsibilities.
Developing HR processes and policies and taking the lead in implementing these across an organisation.
Developing processes and procedures and making improvements for efficiency and impact.
Experience of working closely with trustees, non-executives or senior leadership teams.
Strong oral and written communications skills, including having the confidence to use your expertise to provide feedback and constructive challenge to senior leaders.
Excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work remotely and independently and to collaborate with others.
Enjoy being the key point of contact and support in a small, remote team.
Ability to stay on top of your workload by using relevant software (including Microsoft Office and finance software such as Xero), keeping accurate and up-to-date records, and prioritising between competing tasks.
If you have a solid background in the UK charity sector and firmly believe in our mission, please apply below!
Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from PINF.