Non-Profit Finance Salary Guide

Salaries and Contract Rates for Accountancy and Finance permanent and interim roles

For all of our sectors – charities, universities, housing associations and membership bodies – the finance team remains integral to delivering value for money in a changing economic and political environment.

In this general election year which has seen a new government, a stubborn cost of living crisis and headline-grabbing issues, finance professionals in the non-profit sector have been faced with a raft of challenges. They continue to rise to those challenges, helping organisations to stabilise their financial foundations, increase resilience and provide solutions that build confidence for the future.

In the non-profit arena, salaries have remained very static year on year, with only slight increases. Some organisations have decided to make a one-off payment to employees to counter the rising cost of living, but this has not been carried through into salary or day rate increases.

Salary and Interim rate guide

We’ve collated salary and interim rate data to provide an overview of the hiring landscape over the course of the past 12 months.

Permanent Salaries

Job title	Charities	Universities	Housing Associations	Public Sector
Chief Financial Officer - CFO	£100k - £150k	£120k - £180k,	£120k - £160k	£100k - £150k
Finance Director	£90 - £130k	£100k - £150k	£100k - £140k	£90k - £130k
Deputy Director of Finance	£75k - £95k	£80k - £110k	£80k - £100k	£75k - £95k
Head of Finance	£65k - £85k	£70k - £95k	£70k - £90k	£65k - £85k
Head of Management Accounts	£60k - £80k	£65k - £90k	£65k - £85k	£60k - £80k
Head of Financial Accounts	£60k- £80k	£65k - £90k	£65k - £85k	£60k - £80k
Head of FP&A	£60k - £80k	£65k - £90k	£65k - £85k	£60k - £80k
Financial Manager/Controller	£50k - £70k	£55k - £75k	£55k - £75k	£50k - £70k
Qualified Accountant PQE	£55k - £65k	£55k - £65k	£55k - £75k	£55k - £65k
Newly-qualified Accountant	£45k - £55k	£50k - £60k	£48k - £60k	£45k - £55k
Part-qualified Accountant	£35k - £45k	£38k - £50k	£37k - £50k	£35k - £45k
Finance Officer	£25k - £35k	£28k - £38k	£27k - £37k	£25k - £35k
Research Finance Manager		£45k - £70k
Development Accountant			£50k - £75k
Capital Accountant			£50k - £60k
Rent & Service Charge Manager			£45k - 55k
Rent & Service Charge Accountant			£35k- £45k

Interim Day Rates

Job Title	Charities	Universities	Housing Associations	Public Sector
Chief Finance Officer - CFO	£800 plus	£900 plus	£900 plus	£800 plus
Finance Director	£700 - £900	£900 - £1000	£800 - £1000	£700 - £900
Deputy Director of Finance	£500 - £700	£550 - £750	£650 - £850	£500 - £700
Head of Finance	£400 - £600	£500 - £700	£500 - £800	£400 - £600
Head of Management Accounts	£400 - £500	£400 - £600	£400 - £600	£400 - £500
Head of Financial Accounts	£400 - £500	£400 - £600	£400 - £600	£400 - £500
Head of FP&A	£400 - £500	£400 - £600	£400 - £600	£400 - £500
Financial Manager/Controller	£250 - £350	£300 - £400	£300 - £400	£250 - £350
Qualified Accountant PQE	£250 - £350	£300 - £400	£300 - £400	£250 - £350
Newly-qualified Accountant	£200 - £270	£270 - £350	£270 - £350	£200 - £270
Part-qualified Accountant	£170 - £220	£170 - £270	£170 - £270	£170 - £220
Finance Officer	£120 - £170	£150 - £170	£150 - £200	£120 - £170
Research Finance Manager		£250 - £400
Development Accountant			£300 - £400
Capital Accountant			£270 - £350
Rent & Service Charge Manager			£200 - £270
Rent & Service Charge Accountant			£170 - £250

The widest range in salaries and job rates can be found with senior roles rather than the lower levels, where the market rate prevails. The size and maturity of an organisation can also have an impact on the range of salaries paid for each role.

London Weightings

Many of our clients are based in London and include a London weighting for accountancy and finance staff who work in the capital.

Here, we look at the average London weighting offered within our key sectors.

	Charities	Universities	Housing Associations	Public Sector
Average London weighting	£3,800	£3,200	£3,300	£3,800
Highest London weighting	£5,000	£5,000	£5,000	£5,000
Lowest London weighting	£3,000	£2,500	£2,800	3,000

Weightings for working in the capital can be found in the non-profit and public sector, whereas the private sector very rarely applies a weighting. However, according to the latest independent data published by the mayor's office, the amount paid falls short of the actual uptick of living costs, particularly for those living in central, rather than outer, London.

Looking ahead – salary and rate trends

In the main, we are expecting salaries and rates to remain static across the board, regardless of the seniority of the role or specific job type; there are no 'pockets' of job type that are showing signs of bucking this trend.

It's especially difficult to make predictions this year! The Labour government's first budget, to be revealed on Oct 30th, could have a significant impact on finance departments within non-profit organisations. Each of our client hubs - housing associations, universities and charities - are hoping for a change in direction and the lobbying has been fierce.

This new government has been talking a lot about housebuilding and the implementation of recommendations after the Grenfell Tower enquiry and Awaabs law – all of which have huge implications for housing associations and their ability to fund the purchase of new stock.

Universities are facing budget decisions over fees and funding, amid scrutiny over the value of some degrees. Many are implementing cost-saving initiatives.

And charities are still catching up after a drop in donations as a result of the ‘cost of giving crisis’ which has affected fundraising over the past couple of years.

The finance department is integral to navigating these issues. Having a robust and experienced team in place will determine how successful non-profits are in resolving them.

 

If you have a requirement for permanent or interim staff to boost capacity, bring in new skills or fill skill gaps, we can help. Reach out to Recruitment Manager Catherine Hegarty, our sector expert for the non-profit sector, for an initial, free consultation.

And, if you’re coming to the end of your interim contract, want to progress your career or move into non-profit work from another sector, she will be happy to advise.

 

Our data was compiled from December 2023 - December 2024 from research conducted with clients, candidates, interims, our database and external sources. It reflects salaries and rates in London and the South East within the non-profit sector. Rates will vary according to organisation, employers have unique renumeration strategies and other benefits have not been taken into account. The figures presented are intended as a guide. Other UK regions and the private sector will vary. For specific sectors or regions, please contact our team.

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