Finance Lead

Company: Tyrogen Limited (16884876)
Function: Financial oversight, affordability monitoring, and learner-protection-related finance governance
Reports to: Governing Body
Accountable to: Governing Body
Role type: Finance / governance oversight role
Engagement model: Retained internal ownership plus external adviser or accounting support where required
Remuneration basis: Monthly oversight retainer / retained finance basis, as set out centrally in Role Profiles section 4.4
Review cycle: At least annual, and on any material financial, governance, or scope change

Role purpose

The Finance Lead ensures that financial monitoring, affordability planning, and learner-protection-oriented finance oversight remain visible, proportionate, and governable. The role supports the Board's understanding of cash position, forecast performance, reserves awareness, financial risk, and the affordability of mandatory regulated controls and roles.

Role scope

The Finance Lead has responsibility for financial oversight within Tyrogen's regulated awarding model. The role covers:

• forecast and cash-position monitoring,
• financial risk visibility,
• affordability and cost control,
• learner-protection-related financial awareness,
• support for finance governance and reporting,
• and coordination with external accounting or specialist finance support where required.

Key responsibilities

The Finance Lead will:

• monitor forecast versus actual financial performance,
• maintain visibility of cash position, runway, and financial pressure points,
• support affordability planning for regulated roles, controls, and readiness requirements,
• identify and escalate material financial risks, funding gaps, or sustainability concerns,
• support governance review of reserves awareness and learner-protection-related financial considerations,
• ensure that finance oversight remains visible in governance discussions and records,
• coordinate with external accountant or accounting support where statutory, tax, bookkeeping-review, or specialist support is required,
• support the preparation of financial summaries, assumptions, and oversight information for governance use,
• help ensure that growth, go-live, or operating decisions are considered against a realistic affordability position,
• support the visibility of non-routine spend, cost commitments, and finance-related approvals,
• and promote financial discipline without undermining the integrity of standards, compliance, or independent decision routes.

Decision-making and authority

The Finance Lead has authority to:

• provide financial oversight input into governance decisions,
• escalate material affordability, cashflow, or funding concerns,
• require visibility of significant cost commitments and budget implications,
• recommend financial caution, control measures, or delayed commitments where affordability is unclear,
• require visibility of whether mandatory regulated roles, support routes, and learner-protection-critical dependencies are credibly funded,
• and coordinate with external accounting support on financial-control and reporting matters.

The role does not replace Board accountability and must not allow financial convenience to override required standards, independence, learner-protection, or compliance controls.

Regulatory and control context

The Finance Lead sits within Tyrogen's regulated control framework as the role responsible for visibility of affordability, financial sustainability, and finance-linked learner-protection risk. In particular, the role supports:

• the financial-resources and facilities expectations under Ofqual Criteria C.1(b),
• the requirement that Tyrogen's regulated operating model, mandatory appointments, and critical controls are not treated as unfunded assumptions,
• governance visibility of forecast performance, cash runway, reserves awareness, and funded readiness dependencies through Financial Controls and Monitoring,
• escalation of affordability issues that may weaken continuity, learner protection, safe no-go-live gating, or the credibility of Tyrogen's regulated model,
• and the distinction between prudent financial oversight and any attempt to dilute standards, independence-critical routes, or compliance controls for cost reasons.

Where affordability, funding timing, or financial pressure creates a risk to mandatory controls, critical appointments, or learner-protective continuity, the Finance Lead must escalate the issue through governance rather than allowing financial constraint to remain an implicit or unmanaged risk.

Working relationships

The Finance Lead works closely with:

• the Governing Body,
• the Responsible Officer,
• the Compliance Lead,
• the Operations Lead,
• the Security / Technology Lead where supplier, risk, or continuity costs arise,
• the DPO / Data Protection Lead where privacy-related risk or cost exposure is relevant,
• the Head of Assessment & Standards where standards or delivery design has cost implications,
• and external accountant or accounting support providers.

Person specification

The role-holder is expected to demonstrate:

Essential

• ability to monitor forecast, cash position, runway, and key financial risks,
• understanding of affordability and sustainability in a lean, scaling operating model,
• ability to interpret financial information for governance decision-making,
• sound judgement on financial risk, cash discipline, and funding constraints,
• ability to support Board-level visibility over finance matters,
• attention to accuracy and proportionality,
• and ability to coordinate effectively with external accounting or finance support.

Desirable

• experience in finance oversight, budgeting, management accounts, cashflow monitoring, or financial governance,
• experience supporting early-stage, lean, or contractor-led organisations,
• and familiarity with regulated or public-confidence-sensitive environments.

Independence and conflicts requirements

• The role-holder must declare actual, potential, and perceived conflicts of interest.
• Financial oversight must not be presented as a substitute for independent judgement in standards, appeals, malpractice, or technical review routes.
• Any remuneration, supplier, or cost arrangement that could distort regulated decision-making must be declared and managed.
• Financial pressure must not be used to dilute required governance, control, or learner-protection arrangements.

Measures of success / KPIs

The effectiveness of the Finance Lead may be evidenced through:

• forecast and cash-position reporting maintained and updated appropriately,
• material financial risks surfaced to governance in a timely way,
• affordability of mandatory regulated roles and controls kept visible,
• non-routine spend and significant commitments reviewed through the correct route,
• financial governance records remaining clear and retrievable,
• reduction in avoidable untracked financial commitments or surprises,
• timely coordination with external accountant or specialist support,
• and financial information supporting sound governance and readiness decisions.

Outputs and records

The role is expected to contribute to or oversee:

• forecast and cash-position summaries,
• financial monitoring records,
• governance finance packs or finance summaries,
• affordability or funding notes,
• records relating to material spend or financial escalation,
• and liaison records with external accountant or accounting support.

Appointment, induction, and review

Appointment to the role should be supported by:

• clear finance-oversight role definition,
• access to current finance records, forecasts, and governance reporting,
• conflicts declarations,
• induction to Tyrogen's finance-control, approval, and readiness framework,
• and periodic review of capability, capacity, and external support sufficiency.

Linked documents

• Role Profiles
• Finance README
• Financial Controls and Monitoring
• Delegation of Authority
• Resourcing Plan for Regulated Awarding
• Regulated Go-Live Readiness Checklist
• Business Plan