Advisory accountant jobs

Stewardship serves Christian donors, workers, charities and churches in the UK and beyond called to faithfully steward their personal, professional or ministry resources for God's glory. We are now recruiting for the Head of Accounts Examination Services. This is an opportunity to lead a growing team, working to support churches and Christian charities through finance and play a significant part in driving forward our mission.

Our aim is to improve governance in the Church and Christian charity sector. You will have the opportunity to shape and develop an already highly regarded and growing service.  You will lead a dedicated team to deliver high-quality accounting and examination services, ensuring our ministry partners receive mission-aligned professional support.

This role offers an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic and strategic leader who is motivated by serving the organisation’s Christian mission and committed to delivering excellence. As Head of Accounts Examination Services, you will provide both operational and strategic leadership to a committed team, ensuring the effective delivery of high-quality accounting and examination services.

Occupational Requirement (OR)

As a result of our Christian ethos, this post is covered by an Occupational Requirement (OR) under Part 1 of Schedule 9 to the Equality Act 2010. The successful applicant will be expected to be a practising Christian and to clearly demonstrate a personal commitment to the mission, principles, values and practices contained in our Ethos Statement, by:

· Active membership of local church congregation.

An understanding of the faith aspects of the work of Christian charities, including the preparedness to pray with colleagues, where appropriate.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE 

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Client Services Team which operates within Helen Bamber Foundation’s vibrant, multi-disciplinary team. The duties of a Client Services Administrator are two-fold 1) is to host our busy reception area and friendly waiting room; welcome clients and visiting professionals to the Helen Bamber Foundation and attend to any needs they might have and 2) to assist with overseeing the booking of appointments between clients and staff/volunteers across the organisation; liaising with third parties and clinicians in relation to Initial Assessments; booking and managing doctor’s diaries for our Medical Advisory Services and the booking of interpreters across the organisation.

The role will work closely with the Office Manager and Appointments Lead as part of the Client Services Team. It includes support and cover to the Appointments Lead and any other operations tasks set by the Office Manager and Director of People. You will be at the heart of an exciting team of experts, working as the face of Helen Bamber Foundation and the first point of contact for both external and internal queries.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

RECEPTION FUNCTION

· Greet clients and visitors and fielding a wide range of queries (in-person, on the telephone, via e-mail and WhatsApp) in a timely manner;

· Ensure all site visitors and staff sign in/out using our Visitor Management System

· Handle the charity’s post ensuring that the appropriate persons receive it daily

· Deal with Walk ins in line with the charity’s policy

· Triage queries that come to reception internally to the multidisciplinary team;

· Provide accurate and detailed signposting advice as well as occasional casework for clients that might arise from fielding queries;

· Create and maintain signposting resources as needed

· Open and close reception at the specified times (typically 8.30am and 5pm);

· Order office supplies, refreshments and any other purchases authorise as necessary.

· Handle and accounting for petty cash, including client travel and staff/volunteer expenses;

· Record petty cash transactions on the appropriate spreadsheet and inline with internal policies

· Report discrepancies with Finance and investigating this in line with internal guidelines

· Lead, training, and supervising reception volunteers as well as providing ad hoc training to other members of the team as needed

· Provide administrative support and ongoing tasks as required, including database management, calendar and diary management and file-keeping

· Assist with monitoring and evaluation (client surveys, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) etc.)

· Undertake any task that may be requested from time to time that may be consistent with the nature and scope of this post

SELECTION PROCESS

We will invite candidates to an initial 15-minute online screening meeting week on Friday 27th February  followed by shortlisted candidates attending in-person interview on Tuesday 10th March or Wednesday 11th March. We will also ask you to complete a short exercise on the day.

At Helen Bamber Foundation Group we want to be transparent about what kind of qualities we are looking for and build trust from the very beginning of your journey with us. The first step is your interview, and we mean ‘your’ interview so we will provide you with your interview questions ahead of the interview. This will allow you time to prepare, and ensure you have your best examples in mind.

We offer a guaranteed initial interview for refugees, stateless people and others with lived experience of forced migration, provided that they provide some evidence of relevant experience or skills in relation to the essential criteria.

ELIGIBILITY

Please note that the successful candidate must have the right to work in the UK (as a small charity we do not have the capacity to sponsor work visas).

Successful candidates will also be subject to a standard DBS check. If appointed, you will also be required to give your consent to the charity to receive regular updates on your criminal records status throughout your employment and to disclose any relevant convictions incurred during your time with us.

ADJUSTMENTS

We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process and we’ll always endeavour to be as accommodating as possible. If you require a different format of the application form, such as large print or Word format, or if you would like to discuss any specific requirements, please get in touch with us.

Grade: 3

Hours: Full Time, 37.5 hours per week (Flexible hours considered)

Position type: Fixed term for 18 months

Responsible to: International Programmes Finance Manager

Direct reports: None

Location: Truro, Cornwall (hybrid) or remote (UK only) with quarterly travel to Truro

This role may occasionally be required to deploy as part of a ShelterBox project delivery team, working alongside our programme partners. These deployments are unlikely to exceed 2 weeks in duration.

ROLE PURPOSE:

To support programme-level financial accounting, grant stewardship, reporting and oversight-ensuring accurate reconciliations, cost recovery, budgeting, forecasting, donor reporting, and risk management, while acting as a proactive business partner to drive informed decision-making and value for money. This role will also support the Financial Reporting & Systems Manager in delivering accurate internal reporting and ensuring finance systems meet organisational needs.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

The successful candidate must have experience of supporting financial process related to donor reporting and project accounting across a diverse portfolio of projects and possess the confidence and collaborative skills to work effectively with senior management.

The successful candidate must be able to combine technical expertise with strong business partnering skills to support decisions that improve organisation efficiency, protect organisational sustainability, and build confidence in colleagues across the organisation.

The candidate must also have experience of project accounting and charitable donor reporting. Knowledge and experience of inventory accounting would be highly regarded, as would exposure to the management or implementation of a project accounting finance system.

MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strengthening financial knowledge and confidence with budget holders through coaching, training programmes and partnership-based support.

• Working collaboratively across the Finance team to design intuitive reports and analysis that meet the needs of colleagues across the organisation.

• Contributing to stronger processes and tools, providing clarity around performance, and acting as a trusted advisor to both finance and non-finance colleagues.

• Support the shaping of financial information guidelines for programme delivery, which informs board-level decisions, and supports organisational strategy.

• Collaborating with the Financial Reporting & Systems Manager to improve reporting tools and ensure finance systems support programme and organisational requirements.

Programme Finance Partnership & Advisory

• Support programme managers by providing financial insight and challenge to improve decision-making.

• Assist with monthly project portfolio reporting and forecasting, ensuring accuracy and actionable analysis.

• Interpret donor requirements and help ensure compliance across assigned projects and grants.

• Advise programme teams on best practice donor reporting and project accounting protocols.

Budgeting, Reporting & Compliance

• Assist in development and maintenance of reports and systems that enable effective financial management of projects.

• Support donor financial reporting, ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and compliance.

• Contribute to the development and usage of project budgeting templates; provide guidance to programme teams.

• Collaborate with finance systems and other colleagues to ensure systems meet programme finance needs, especially for project accounting and donor reporting.

• Support Fundraising department on income projection and integration in project funding gap.

• Assist the Financial Reporting & Systems Manager with preparation and review of departmental budgets, forecasts, and input relevant information for the monthly management accounts.

• Support administration and optimisation of finance systems to meet reporting needs.

Grant & Partner Management

• Assist programme teams with partner due diligence assessments related to project delivery.

• Attend programme coordination meetings providing adequate intelligence on project financial status.

• Support financial management of partner grants, including payment facilitation and compliance checks.

• Review partner financial reports and ensure alignment with donor requirements.

Controls & Oversight

• Monitor project-level financial performance, highlighting risks and variances.

• Monthly reconciliation of funding forecast, ensuring that income received are recognised when due.

• Maintain accurate records and documentation for audits and donor compliance.

• Review departmental budgets with relevant budget holders.

Other responsibilities

• Participate in cross-functional projects as required.

• Any other duties as required which are deemed appropriate to the level and grade of the post