Group Finance Director
Location: London
Salary: Competitive
Contract: Permanent, Full-time
Shape the financial future of a world-leading institution in dramatic arts.
RADA is seeking a visionary Group Finance Director to join our Executive team and play a pivotal role in shaping organisational strategy, driving growth, and ensuring long-term sustainability across our charitable and commercial activities.
The Role
As Group Finance Director, you will do more than oversee finance. You will influence the direction of the organisation. Reporting to the Principal & CEO, you will act as a strategic partner to the Board and senior leaders, ensuring that financial insight drives decision-making and innovation.
Key strategic accountabilities include:
- Shape and deliver a forward-looking financial strategy that underpins RADA’s long-term vision and growth ambitions.
- Lead capital investment and funding strategies to support estate development, digital transformation, and future-proofing initiatives.
- Act as a commercial partner to the Managing Director of RADA Business, aligning profitability with mission and exploring new revenue streams.
- Develop robust risk frameworks and scenario modelling to inform strategic choices and safeguard sustainability.
- Represent RADA externally with financial institutions, sector bodies, and potential partners, positioning us as a leader in arts education finance.
- Inspire and empower a high-performing finance team, embedding a culture of insight-driven decision-making across the organisation.
About You
We are looking for a qualified finance leader who brings:
- Degree-level education and a recognised financial qualification.
- Significant experience in strategic finance leadership across commercial and not-for-profit sectors, ideally within arts, education, or charity.
- Strong commercial acumen and understanding of charity accounting and reporting.
- Exceptional communication skills and the ability to influence at Board level.
- Proven ability to lead transformation and deliver sustainable growth.
- A collaborative, diplomatic approach and commitment to RADA’s mission.
An interest in the arts and arts education is desirable.
About us
Founded in 1904, RADA has an unparalleled record of success in training some of the world’s most renowned actors and technical specialists. Ours is an impressive history on which we are building an innovative future. RADA training is not only informed by the industry but also produces graduates who take their place at the vanguard of their profession working at the cutting edge of the dramatic arts. We have an ambitious strategy to encourage students from all circumstances and backgrounds to come to RADA.
We aim to be fair and equitable and enable dialogue in a world of rapidly changing demographics and evolving definitions of identity. Through our approach to teaching, learning and wider social engagement we foreground equitable and sustainable practice in a way that sets high standards and feeds expectations for fair and considerate behaviour both in RADA and beyond. Our access and participation programme aims to remove any barriers that students from underrepresented groups may encounter so they are able to access and succeed on our courses, and progress into the industry.
This is an exciting time to join us. We are developing a new vision and strategy for RADA, building on its existing successes to redefine training in the dramatic arts for the 21st century, focusing on key themes of training and student experience, growth, industry, and international dialogue and engagement.
In addition to our aims for our vocational training, we are working from our foundational strengths to grow our income streams through life-changing work, aligned with our core pedagogy and ethos. We aim to co-create with industry and other stakeholders to build on our reputation as a centre of excellence and innovation in our field.
Equity, diversity and inclusion
We are very interested in hearing from Black, Asian, and Global Majority candidates as well as candidates who identify as D/deaf or disabled, who are under-represented at this level at RADA.
We are taking positive action by guaranteeing progress directly to the first interview stage of the process, to any applicant who self-identifies as being from a Black, Asian or Global Majority background, and/or who self-identifies as D/deaf or disabled, and has professional experience in a senior finance leadership role, either at a Conservatoire or in Higher Education.
If you require any support to be able to take part in the interview process, please let us know when you apply, and we will ensure our interview process is accessible for you.
How to Apply
Download job description and candidate pack
Please send your applications to hrapplications@rada.ac.uk
- Complete our equal opportunities monitoring form.
- Send your CV (no more than 2 pages)
- Plus a supporting statement (no more than 3 pages) outlining:
- your motivation to join RADA as Group Finance Director
- a major finance strategy or transformation you have led that shaped organisational direction or enabled sustainable growth including: how you partnered with senior stakeholders to align financial strategy with organisational priorities; how you introduced new approaches to strengthen resilience and long-term sustainability; quantified before and after results
- one or two strategic priorities you would focus on in your first 12 months.