Trust Finance & Operations Manager

At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group.

Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent.

Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders, and society.

We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.

Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:

• interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save, and invest in the way that works for them.
• Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
• Our Investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.

About The Department

At Aberdeen Group Charitable Trust we recognise that people need help at life’s key milestones, whether they’re entering the workforce, coping with money worries or navigating key transition stages later in life. Our funding model aims to deliver practical support to people across the UK, supporting their financial wellbeing and education.

The emphasis of our funding is on getting support directly to those who need it through creating partnerships with local organisations, offering hands-on programmes that tackle barriers relating to employment, and building financial resilience. In addition, we will support some key areas of research aligned to this.

By supporting both research and programme delivery, the Trust aims to empower people to build resilience, gain meaningful employment, and take control of their financial future.

About The Role

This is a permanent, part-time role of 21 hours over three or four days per week, blended between home and office working, based in Edinburgh. This position plays a vital role in managing the Trust’s financial and investment strategies, policies and activities, and holds responsibility for the Trust’s internal operations.

Working closely with the Head of Social Impact Strategy and the Board of Trustees, you will ensure the charity has appropriate and effective financial management procedures and be responsible for the financial integrity and efficiency of the Trust.

The Trust holds an investment portfolio of approximately £100m from which our charitable work is funded, and a pivotal part of the role will involve liaising with and overseeing the appointed investment manager including monitoring and reporting on portfolio performance.

Being part of a small team, you will also complete the day-to-day detail of the Trust’s financial activity, from paying out grants to creating management accounts. The post holder will work closely with colleagues both within the Trust as well as more widely across the Aberdeen Group – the charity’s sole member is Aberdeen plc and the postholder will report into the group team to consolidate the Trust into the plc accounts.

Key Responsibilities

Finances

• Oversee and administer the Trust’s finances, including overall responsibility for the Trust’s accounts.
• Maintain and improve strategies, systems and policies for finance, investment and administration.
• Overall responsibility of the Trust’s investment portfolio of approximately £100m including liaising with the Trust’s appointed investment manager and custodian. 
• Report into the Aberdeen plc group finance team to consolidate the Trust’s position.
• Manage and action the Trust’s day-to-day financial activity relating to cashflow, charitable giving, investments and other transactions.
• Develop and monitor the budget, including producing regular management accounts and analysis, and other financial reports as required by the trustees.
• Produce clear papers and report as required into the Board of Trustees.
• Prepare the Trust’s annual report and accounts and manage the external audit, and input into the plc accounts and audit as required.
• Ensure legislation and recommended best practice for charitable companies is understood and implemented.

Operations

• Review and create strategies and policies in relation to operations, including agreements with charity partners and external suppliers (in partnership with Aberdeen Group’s legal and procurement teams).
• Provide updates on and ensure adherence to best charity governance practices.
• Ensure annual returns are filed with company and charity regulators.
• Co-ordinate the Trust’s risk management framework and maintain the charity risk register. Ensure all identified mitigations, e.g. insurances, are in place.
• Line manage the Operations Officer who will support with financial and operational administration.

About The Candidate

The ideal candidate will possess the following:

• A qualified chartered accountant with significant and senior experience in financial management, including monitoring and reporting on investment portfolios, and communicating the Trust’s financial position to trustees.
• You’ll be comfortable working both strategically and hands-on, with a strong grasp of charity governance, financial reporting, and compliance.
• You’ll have excellent communication skills, the ability to build effective relationships with both trustees and colleagues, and a proactive approach to improving systems and processes.
• Experience of working within a corporate foundation and/or a passion for working within the charitable sector, would be highly desirable.  

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

Our Benefits

There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported.

When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal. You can read more about our benefits here.

Our Business

Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.

An inclusive way of working

Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you.

At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business.

An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do. If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.