Finance Director

Background

Technological innovation is speeding up, but scientific discovery is not keeping pace. The London Institute for Mathematical Sciences was founded to fix this. It offers a new model for how to make more ambitious discoveries faster. The Institute is funded by a mix of research grants, major gifts, corporate investment and an endowment. The last few years have seen us move into the Royal Institution, attract government recognition as an alternative to university research, and launch the world’s biggest programme to absorb Russian and Ukrainian brain drain.

Job

Now we are looking for an outstanding finance director to carve out a new role, which will take our financial health and capacity for growth to the next level. This will involve working with the director and development director to grow our research grants and philanthropy, rethinking the incentive structures for a knowledge creation organisation, and spurring our scientists and staff to hit peak performance. The position is full-time and offers a competitive salary. Candidates are expected to work in the building five days a week—we do not work from home.

Candidate

Candidates should be qualified accountants and have a passion for science and technology. Even though we're a non-profit organisation, we operate with the speed and ambition of 21st-century tech firms—so candidates should be open to risk and suspicious of complexity. Raw talent is more important than extensive experience, and we are open to outstanding applicants seeking their first leadership role. Candidate values include ambition, communication, enthusiasm, fearlessness, mastery, originality, perfectionism, persistence, resilience and simplicity.

Activities

Work regularly with the director on strategy and growth. ❧ Provide management accounts and financial forecasts. ❧ Work with our development director on income targets. ❧ Manage large gifts and help launch our endowment. ❧ Manage our bookkeeping, payroll and annual audit. ❧ Advise on R&D tax breaks, investments and pensions. ❧ Allocate, track and report on grant expenditure. ❧ Manage our employees’ attendance and professional standards. ❧ Manage the accounts of LIMS Ventures and any startups. ❧ Socialise with our team at our weekly drinks and regular events.

Applying

To apply, send a CV and a covering letter to at@lims.ac.uk. Short-listed candidates will be invited to visit the director and, if that goes well, the rest of the team. While there is no deadline, we are looking for someone to start as soon as possible.

London Institute

The London Institute for Mathematical Sciences is a new kind of research organisation that is dedicated to speeding up discovery. Our focus on peak performance, full-time commitment to research and the level of support we offer our scientists empower them to make the biggest breakthroughs. ❧ The Institute is based inside the Royal Institution in Mayfair, which lays claim to 15 Nobel prizes and the discovery of 10 chemical elements and the principles of electromagnetism. ❧ You can learn more about the London Institute at our About, Values and Opinions pages.