Director of Finance & Performance
YHA
Home based, but with the ability to travel periodically to our HQ in Matlock (min 1/month); to London and to our network across England and Wales.
c.£93,000
YHA is an organisation with a proud history and a powerful purpose. For over 90 years, we have believed in the transformative power of travel and adventure – particularly for young people and others who face barriers to accessing nature, the outdoors and shared cultural experiences. Today, through a network of around 120 hostels across England and Wales, we continue to welcome more than a million people each year and to play a distinctive role as a charity, social enterprise and national infrastructure organisation.
Like many mission-driven organisations, recent years have fundamentally tested our operating model. The pandemic, combined with sustained inflation and structural shifts in the market, has created significant financial challenges that require comprehensive transformation. We face these challenges with clarity and determination: we have a focused transformation strategy, executive leadership committed to change, and Board backing for the bold decisions needed to secure YHA’s long-term future. This is a decisive period of renewal that will define YHA for the next generation.
THE ROLE
We are now seeking an exceptional finance leader to join us. The Director of Finance & Performance role is central to YHA’s recovery and transformation. This is not a traditional finance leadership post. We are looking for someone who combines rigorous financial stewardship with a strong performance and analytical mindset – someone who can bring clarity, insight and confidence at a time when decisions matter and pace is important. This role will require you ensure confident banking relationships and covenant compliance through significant change and help us make evidence-based decisions about our network and operating model while maintaining operational continuity. The financial stakes are real – but so is the opportunity. We are seeking someone who is energised rather than daunted by this complexity, who sees the chance to genuinely save and reshape an organisation that matters, and who wants their finance leadership to be measured not just in financial outcomes but in mission impact preserved and strengthened.
Working closely with the Executive Team and the Board, you will play a critical role in strengthening YHA’s financial foundations while helping us mature as a data-led organisation. You will lead our finance, performance management and business intelligence capability, ensuring that high-quality analysis underpins strategic choices around investment, asset optimisation, service delivery and organisational change. You will help us move from fragmented information to integrated insight – connecting financial performance, operational outcomes and mission impact in a way that supports better decision-making at every level.
Just as importantly, this is a leadership role that requires judgement, resilience and strong relational skills. You will be operating in a complex, multi-site charity with a deep sense of purpose and a wide range of stakeholders. You will need to challenge constructively, support colleagues through change, and build confidence and capability within your teams and across the organisation. Turning YHA around is not about cost control alone; it is about creating a sustainable performance culture that enables us to thrive.
We are therefore keen to hear from experienced finance leaders who see transformation as an opportunity, not a burden. You may come from the charity, public or commercial sectors. What matters most is that you bring credibility at senior level, a proven track record of financial leadership through genuine transformation, and the resilience to maintain performance while building something new. You will be someone who can hold urgency and optimism together – clear-eyed about the challenges ahead, while genuinely excited by the opportunity to help secure YHA’s mission for decades to come.
INFORMATION
Download the candidate brief to find out about the role.
DOWNLOADHow to apply
To make an application, please click on the apply now button below, with the following prepared:
- Your CV (no more than three sides).
- A supporting statement (no more than two sides) that sets out why you think this role is the right move for you and how you meet the knowledge and experience criteria.
Closing date: Friday 20th February 2026
Preliminary interviews: w/c Monday 9th March 2026
Final Panel interviews: w/c Monday 6th April 2026
Apply