About the organisation
The Hairoun Day Centre is a warm, inclusive community-based charity in High Wycombe, dedicated to enhancing the lives of older adults, especially those from Caribbean, African, South Asian, mixed heritage, and other underrepresented backgrounds, alongside the wider local community. Founded in 1995 with roots in the Caribbean community, we have grown into a genuinely multicultural space where elderly people from all cultures can come together for companionship, support, and wellbeing.
We exist because ageing can bring loneliness, reduced mobility, and health challenges and we believe no one should face that journey alone or stripped of the cultural identity that has shaped their life. Many of our clients are living with the early stages of dementia or have lost independence in other ways, and our work helps them stay active, connected, and valued.
We offer culturally sensitive care, nutritious familiar meals freshly prepared by our chef, gentle exercise, arts and crafts, outings, and accessible transport via our fully adapted minibus. We also provide advocacy services, liaising with medical professionals and government agencies on behalf of our clients.
Our dedicated team, many with lived experience of the communities we serve, work alongside volunteers, carers, and local partners to ensure our elders are not forgotten, but celebrated, respected, and cared for.
Rooted in culture. Powered by compassion. Open to all.
About the role
We are seeking a forward-thinking Trustee Treasurer to lead on financial governance, strengthen our long-term sustainability, and ensure proper accounting records are kept.
The charity has faced financial challenges, and we need someone who can bring both technical rigour and creative thinking to help secure our future. Time commitment is up to five hours per month, and we are looking for a two-year commitment.
Key Responsibilities
Monthly bookkeeping oversight
- Reconcile the bank account in QuickBooks (the manager clears the bank feed; the treasurer reviews to ensure accuracy)
- Post the monthly payroll journal
- Follow up with the manager on outstanding debts or missing bills
Bi-monthly reporting
- Produce management accounts covering the prior two months, highlighting any finance or cash flow issues for the board
Financial governance and compliance
- Oversee staffing budgets and annual pay reviews
- Ensure pension governance, current insurances (centre and minibus), payroll taxes, and any HMRC matters are up to date
- Set up and oversee Gift Aid to maximise eligible income
- Review expenditure above agreed internal limits and ensure operations stay within financial parameters
Strategic and grants
- Review & assist with grant applications and contribute to the financial elements of bids
- Help prepare annual budgets and grant-specific budgets, ensuring restricted grant expenditure is tracked correctly
- Suggest innovative ways to secure the centre's financial future
Annual responsibilities
- Prepare the annual accounts in accordance with Charity Commission requirements (reviewed and signed off by our independent examiner)
- Lead financial reporting at the AGM
Board commitment
- Attend four board meetings per year, including the AGM, working closely with the chair, committee, and centre manager
Support and Induction
A full induction and handover will be provided by the outgoing treasurer, and QuickBooks support and training is available to help you settle into the role. Reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.
Our ideal candidate
We are looking for someone who is forward-thinking, innovative, and ready to help shape the financial future of a charity that genuinely matters to its community.
You will be:
- Qualified - Minimum of AAT or ICB Level 4 qualified, or ICAEW/ACCA part-qualified, with practical bookkeeping or accounting experience. QuickBooks familiarity is a real plus.
- Confident with charity finance - comfortable preparing accounts to Charity Commission standards, or willing to learn with the support we provide.
- Strategic and creative - able to look beyond the day-to-day numbers, spot opportunities such as Gift Aid, and suggest practical, innovative ways to secure long-term financial sustainability.
- Strong on governance and compliance - confident overseeing pensions, insurances, payroll taxes, and HMRC matters, with sound judgement on financial risk.
- An excellent communicator - able to build trusted working relationships with the chair, the wider committee, the centre manager, and external partners. You explain financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues.
- Culturally aware and inclusive - comfortable working with people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, and respectful of the heritage that sits at the heart of our centre.
- Flexible and reliable - willing to commit to two years in the role, attend four board meetings a year, and respond to the rhythm of charity life as it ebbs and flows.
Above all, we are looking for someone who shares our values and wants to use their professional skills to make a real, lasting difference.
What’s in it for you
This is a chance to use your financial expertise where it genuinely changes lives.
The Hairoun is more than a day centre, it is a lifeline for older adults in High Wycombe, many of whom are facing isolation, reduced independence, or the early stages of dementia. Your work behind the scenes will directly enable the friendships, the freshly cooked meals, the minibus journeys that bring someone out of their front door, and the gentle exercise classes that keep bodies moving and minds engaged.
You will be helping to preserve something rare and precious: a place where elders from the Caribbean and wider Commonwealth diaspora, alongside neighbours from every background, can be cared for in ways that honour who they are and where they come from. For a generation who built their lives in this country and gave so much to it, the Hairoun is a place where their heritage is celebrated rather than overlooked. As treasurer, you will play a quiet but essential part in keeping that legacy alive.
You will also gain:
- Meaningful charity board experience - valuable for your CV and for any future trustee or non-executive ambitions, particularly if you are working towards full ICAEW or ACCA qualification.
- A chance to use your skills strategically - going beyond bookkeeping to help shape financial strategy, fundraising, and long-term sustainability.
- A welcoming, collaborative board - where your voice and ideas will genuinely be heard, and where you'll be supported by an outgoing treasurer and ongoing QuickBooks training.
- Connection to a vibrant community - the Hairoun is full of warmth, music, laughter, and shared meals, and trustees are always welcome to come and see the centre at work.
- The deep satisfaction of knowing that the older people you are helping to support, many of whom have lost some of their independence, can continue to live with dignity, connection, and joy because of the role you play.
Apply for the role
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