Join SSJ as Treasurer and provide financial oversight to a complex, multi-service charity tackling homelessness across Hampshire.
The Society of St James is a long-established homelessness charity operating at scale across Hampshire, delivering a diverse range of housing, recovery and well-being services.
As we enter the next phase of our strategy, with a clear focus on financial sustainability and long-term resilience, we are seeking a Treasurer to join our Board and provide critical financial oversight and insight.
For over 50 years, we’ve supported people whose lives have been shaped by hardship, trauma and systems that haven’t worked for them. Today, we work across Southampton, Portsmouth and the wider region, delivering services that help people regain stability and hope.
Who we are
The Society of St James is a Southampton-based homelessness charity supporting people across Hampshire to move towards safety, independence and well-being.
We work with individuals experiencing homelessness, problematic alcohol or substance use, mental-health challenges and long-term disadvantage.
Our services span supported accommodation, housing, recovery and community-based provision. This breadth brings both impact and complexity, requiring strong operational delivery alongside careful financial stewardship.
Today, SSJ is a sizeable and complex organisation, with an annual income approaching £23m and a workforce of over 400 staff. A significant proportion of our income is derived from government contracts and commissioned services, requiring careful oversight of financial risk, performance and compliance.
We believe everyone deserves somewhere safe to live and the opportunity to build a more stable future. As we look ahead, our focus is on strengthening our resilience to meet growing demand.
As Treasurer, you will play a central role in supporting the Board to oversee the financial health, sustainability and risk profile of the Society of St James.
This includes oversight of a substantial and complex income base, where financial decisions directly impact service delivery, risk exposure and long-term organisational sustainability.
This is a strategic governance role, not an operational one. Working closely with the Chief Executive, senior team and fellow Trustees, you will ensure the Board has clear, meaningful financial information to support effective decision-making across a complex organisation.
You will:
- Provide oversight of financial performance, budgets, forecasts and long-term planning.
- Chair the Audit and Finance Committee, ensuring rigorous scrutiny and clear reporting to the Board.
- Support the Board in understanding financial risk, reserves and sustainability.
- Advise on the financial implications of strategic decisions, including service delivery, contracts and growth.
- Oversee statutory reporting and engagement with auditors or independent examiners.
With increasing demand for services and ongoing pressure on public funding, your role will be to bring clarity, challenge and forward-looking financial insight.
Who we are looking for
We are looking for a Treasurer who brings strong financial expertise alongside sound judgement and a collaborative approach to governance.
You will be joining a Board committed to strong governance, constructive challenge and supporting the organisation through its next phase of development.
You will bring:
- A recognised financial qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) or equivalent senior-level experience
- Strong financial literacy, with the ability to interpret, challenge and clearly communicate financial information
- Experience operating at a senior level, ideally within a complex, multi-income organisation
- An understanding of financial risk, sustainability and long-term planning, particularly in environments with contracted or commissioned income
- Integrity, independence of thought and a commitment to effective governance
Previous Trustee experience is not essential, although experience of working with Boards or Committees would be helpful.
You will be motivated to apply your expertise where financial stewardship directly enables services that support people through homelessness and complex disadvantage.
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the candidate pack.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
Clare Chesworth | clarec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07904 158737
Welcome from the Chief Executive
Thank you for your interest in joining the Society of St James as Treasurer.
Our charity exists to end homelessness in Hampshire, person by person. Many of the people we support have experienced trauma, poverty and significant barriers to stability. Our role is to stand alongside them, offering consistent, respectful support that helps them move forward.
We operate in a complex and demanding environment, delivering a wide range of services across Hampshire, supported by a large workforce and a diverse funding base, including significant government contracts.
Ensuring that we are financially sustainable, well-governed and able to respond to increasing demand is critical to our success.
As Treasurer, you will play an important role in helping us achieve this. You will support the Board in maintaining strong financial oversight, ensuring we manage resources effectively and make informed, strategic decisions.
You will work closely with me, the Chair and the wider Board, providing both assurance and constructive challenge. Your contribution will help ensure that we remain a stable, resilient organisation, able to continue delivering vital support to the people who rely on us.
We are looking for someone who shares our commitment to dignity, fairness and long-term impact and who wants to apply their expertise in a way that makes a meaningful difference.
If this resonates with you, we look forward to hearing from you.
Tania Marsh
Chief Executive, Society of St James
About the Society of St James
The Society of St James — Supporting people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness:
- We believe it’s a moral human right to have a safe place to live and to be treated with dignity.
- We believe that people can change their lives for the better with the right help.
- We believe that everyone deserves not just a second or third chance, but as many as it takes to change their lives for the better.
In 1972, the Society of St James was a group of volunteers from a collection of churches who opened a church hall to accommodate 11 homeless men. Many of the men we worked with in those early days were struggling with heavy drinking, and the team realised very quickly that offering shelter was just the first step in helping people get back on their feet.
Although our organisation and the services we provide have changed in the last 50 years, our ethos remains the same. We are still working alongside people to help them navigate the sometimes broken system. We are here to prevent, relieve and ultimately end homelessness. We still believe that everyone deserves not just a second or third chance, but as many as it takes to change their lives for the better.
Today, SSJ is a complex, multi-service organisation delivering housing, recovery and wellbeing services to people experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantages. With an annual income approaching £23m and a significant portfolio of commissioned services, the organisation operates at scale within a challenging and evolving funding landscape.
Our work is rooted in dignity, opportunity and a commitment to supporting people through complex and often non-linear journeys.
As we look to the future, our new organisational strategy focuses on three key priorities:
- Ending homelessness across Hampshire
- Developing our people and culture
- Ensuring financial stability
The Treasurer will play a key role in this next phase, helping to ensure that strong financial governance underpins our ambition and enables us to deliver sustainable, high-quality support.
SSJ values
At the Society of St James, our values guide everything we do. We are committed to empowering people experiencing homelessness through person-centred support, safe accommodation, and pathways to lasting independence. Working together to create meaningful, long-term change for those experiencing homelessness.
Respect
We value and respect individuals, communities and colleagues.
Response
We respond proactively and positively to change, opportunities, risk and challenges.
Recognition
We recognise every individual is unique and do all that we can to help them reach their full potential.
Society of St James Annual Accounts 2024Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: Society of St James — Treasurer” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
Clare Chesworth | clarec@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07904 158737
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Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Wednesday 27th May 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Monday 1st June 2026
Interviews (in person): Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th June 2026
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
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