Assistant Finance Director Jobs in Godalming, Surrey
- Director of Finance for prestigious Surrey independent private school
- ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified accountant - All sectors considered
About Our Client
The Director of Finance is responsible for the financial management of St George's Weybridge, a £30m business with over 500 staff. The post holder will fulfil a wide range of responsibilities and roles in connection with the financial strategy, accounting and general financial management of the School. The post is the most senior finance professional on the staff and reports directly to the Bursar, who is effectively the CFO/COO. As such, the Director of Finance has frequent direct contact with Governors and the Heads and attends the Governors' Finance and Risk Committee meetings.
The Director of Finance is a member of the Business Senior Management Team and leads a team of 8 staff, comprising the Management Accountant, Payroll and People Accountant, Fees Controller, Interim Project Accountant, Purchase Ledger Assistant and two Finance Assistants. A new role of Financial Accountant has been established and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence this role and appointment.
Job Description
- Formulate the financial strategy of the School alongside Governors and the Executive Leadership Team (consisting of the two Heads and the Bursar).
- Attend meetings of the Finance and Risk Committee of the Board of Governors, preparing financial reports and papers and leading on financial items tabled for discussion or decision.
- Attend and contribute to ad-hoc Governor meetings and discussions as required.
- Alongside the Bursar and the Heads, implement the School's strategic financial plans.
- Work closely with ELT to formulate operational spending plans and priorities.
- Work closely with the Director of HR on people strategies.
- Exhibit the behaviours and standards befitting a senior leader of St George's Weybridge, demonstrating and promoting the School's ethos and values.
- Lead and manage the staff in the Finance Department.
- Bring financial risks and opportunities to the attention of the Bursar and Governors.
- Conduct modelling and feasibility studies as appropriate.
- Review and implement changes to the system of financial control and reporting.
- Oversee production of monthly management information and bring appropriate matters to the attention of the Bursar, Heads and budget holders.
- Prepare papers for, attend, and contribute to the dealings of the Finance and Risk Committee.
- Prepare financial appraisals and reviews of major projects.
- Prepare long term forecasts and sensitivity analysis.
- Undertake competitor analysis and benchmarking studies.
- Retain financial awareness of external changes and development and provide recommendations and advice to the Bursar, including a thorough knowledge of relevant accounting requirements, such as GAAPs, FRSs and the Charity Commission SORP.
- Proactively investigate and promote ways of improving value for money.
- All accounting functions including nominal, purchase and fee ledgers, fixed asset register and the payroll.
- Oversee the staff and systems delivering all aspects of payroll.
- The accurate and timely production of management and financial accounts.
- The internal control environment.
- Management and control of fee collection.
- Preparation of the consolidated statutory accounts for St George's Weybridge and subsidiary companies.
- Liaising with external auditors on all matters connected with the annual audit of the School's accounts and other external accountancy advice.
- Preparing annual budgets and termly forecasts, including cash flow projections for the current and future years.
- Maintain, review and ensure compliance with the School's Financial Procedures Manual.
- Preparation of internal financial management reports, accounts and briefing papers, including monthly management accounting information to include cash flow statements and forecasts.
- Control of the treasury management function in order to ensure the most efficient and secure deployment of cash.
- Ensuring compliance with external regulators, including HMRC, the Charity Commission and Companies House.
- Being responsible for accurate and timely tax returns and tax reclaims, with professional advice where necessary, preparing recommendations for mitigating potential VAT and any other tax liabilities.
The Successful Applicant
- Formal Accounting qualification and experience of working in the commercial, educational or charity sectors.
- Experience of compliance with legislation and regulations relevant to the position
- Experience of contract negotiation
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.
- Ability to analyse and manipulate financial data.
- Competent in the use of IT, notably MS Office applications and the ability to use modern financial software tools.
- Proven experience of managing a team within a complex organisation
- Empathy with the ethos and values of St George's Weybridge.
- Personal warmth, tenacity and a transparent collaboration style.
- A 'can-do' attitude with a sense of humour and proportion.
- A flexible approach to work, both in terms of responding to changing or unforeseen circumstances and being willing to work outside of regular hours as the need arises
What's on Offer
Hybrid working opportunity
Flexible working
Generous pension scheme
School fee child remission of 50%
Life & personal accident insurance
Free meals and parking
Employee loans
Medial support and employee assistance programme
Local retailer discounts
Where specific UK qualifications are required we will take into account overseas equivalents. All third party applications will be forwarded to Michael Page.
Based from home in the UK with regular travel around the UK as necessary.
This role is responsible for providing high-level support, managing complex projects and engaging with a wide variety of people on behalf of the Chief Network Officer. This role acts as a key point of communication with internal/external contacts, coordinates cross-organisational processes and projects, and manages the office, including liaising closely with senior members of the Operations and Network Programmes directorates.
Role responsibilities
· Managing and supporting a regular cycle of team and project meetings and events, including preparing project plans, management reports, ensuring the completion of actions, and supporting the strategy planning cycle.
· Liaising with key external contacts (food banks, partner organisations etc) on behalf of the Chief Network Officer, including maintaining regular correspondence, managing diary requests, and organising events and business travel.
· Conserving the Chief Network Officer’s time by reading, researching and routing correspondence, drafting letters and documents, collecting and analysing information and initiating communications.
· Acting as a project manager / stakeholder on behalf of the Chief Network Officer to ensure outcomes are achieved and information is communicated.
· Creating supporting materials for presentations, talks, conferences and planning meetings, including sourcing and preparing collateral, and formatting presentation slides etc.
· Curating and updating relevant information systems on behalf of the Chief Network Officer, including HR systems, finance systems, impact / performance systems and file storage.
Person Specification
Technical skills and minimum knowledge:
· Clear understanding of the need to maintain confidentiality
· Ability to work autonomously, with excellent time management and communication skills along with excellent decision-making ability
· Excellent knowledge of MS Office applications, including Office 365 (including Sharepoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Creative Suite
· Highly numerate, with the ability to present and analyse data
· Excellent attention to detail and communication skills (both written and verbal)
· Ability to work through challenges in positive and effective ways
Behaviours and competencies:
· Ability to effectively represent the organisation and promote core brand messages
· Develop a culture of innovation, resourcefulness, and best practice to make the best use of time and skills.
· Is able to work through challenges in positive and effective ways
· Demonstrate a commitment to the values of the Trussell Trust
· Demonstrates empathy for people from disadvantaged, marginalised or socially- excluded backgrounds
· Role models inclusive behaviours and values
Key Stakeholders
· Chief Officers
· Senior Leadership Group
· Director of Operations
· Director of Network Programmes & Innovation
· Operations Leadership Team
· EA/PA team members
· Staff, Volunteers, external partners, contacts from food banks
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Salary: £50,935.07 per annum
Location: Homeworking with expectation to travel to our London Office as required
Contract: Permanent
Hours : 37.5 per week
Closing date: Thursday 2nd May at 11:30pm
Are you a qualified CCAB, CIMA or overseas equivalent, or in the final stages of qualification? Do you have proven experience of assessing financial risk and producing insightful financial analysis, plus a real desire to further develop? Then join Shelter as a Finance Business Partner and you could soon be playing a key role within our Financial Planning and Analysis team.
About Shelter
A home is a fundamental human need, as essential as education or healthcare. Yet millions of people across Britain struggle on a daily basis with homelessness, bad housing conditions, soaring rents, discrimination and the threat of eviction. So, we are striving for change, with individuals, in communities, across society, and leading the way to a safe home. We need ambitious, best-in-class individuals who are passionate about our cause to join us at this exciting time. This is your chance to play a part in the fundamental change we are striving to achieve.
At Shelter we are united by our purpose to defend the right to a safe home. Our enemy is the social injustice at the core of the escalating housing emergency. We believe that to win that fight, we must be representative of the people we are here to help and those who support our movement for change. In all our people decisions, we take pride in being inclusive, fair, equitable and transparent.
We have committed to combat racism both within and outside Shelter and welcome you on our journey to becoming a truly anti-racist organisation.
About the team
Our Finance Department works as a team of experts to safeguard resources and support decision making across Shelter. We strive to ensure Shelter is financially sustainable in order to achieve our vision of a home for everyone. This particular role sits within the Financial Planning and Analysis team. We support the charity through financial reporting, analysis, and expert advice, and enable collaboration to support managers in making effective business decisions.
About the role
Joining a finance team that collaborates and communicates effectively to help us deliver our mission and vision, making vital business decisions that are driven by expert knowledge and financial acumen will be key to your success here. As part of the role, you’ll engage regularly with our Assistant Directors and their leadership teams to ensure that financial results and key messages are shared and you’ll support stakeholders in engaging with fully available financial insight and reporting. When it comes to our stakeholders, you’ll support and lead finance education and training to equip them with the skills required to execute their own financial responsibilities.
Among your many challenges will be the need to align financial plans to operational and strategic plans and make sure they’re clearly understood by Business Units. Seeing that each Unit is provided with a channel of effective, two-way communication with Finance will be important too. You’ll also work with colleagues in Project Governance and HR Business Partnering to support Directorate planning and business cases, as well as supporting and leading on the delivery of cross-team projects.
We are happy to talk about flexible working, personal growth, and to promote a workplace where you can be yourself and achieve success based only on your merit.
About you
As well as being suitably qualified (or in the final stages of qualification), you’ll need to be used to working effectively with non-finance stakeholders and varying your communication style to suit the audience you’re addressing. You’ll be experienced in assessing financial risk, and able to produce insightful financial analysis. You’ll also need excellent organisational and time management skills, including the ability to work to deadlines and reprioritise tasks when necessary.
Excellent analytical skills, impeccable attention to detail, a high level of numeracy and intermediate Excel skills are all ‘must haves’ too, as is proficiency in the main Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook and Word. Additionally, it would be an advantage if you have experience working in a Charity and have associated experience of managing restricted funds and fundraising.
How to apply
Please click ‘Apply for Job’ below. You are required to submit a CV and a supporting statement. The supporting statement should address and cover the ‘About You’ points in the job description. Please provide specific examples following the STAR format and ensure you demonstrate how you address the behaviours below throughout your responses.
- We prioritise diversity and have an inclusive and open mindset
- We work together to achieve our shared purpose
Any applications submitted without a supporting statement will not be considered.
Benefits
We offer a wide range of benefits, including 30 days of annual leave, enhanced family friendly policies, pension and interest free travel loans. Our employees also have access to a tenancy deposit loan, payroll giving, cycle to work scheme and an employee assistance programme.
Shelter helps millions of people every year struggling with bad housing or homelessness through our advice, support and legal services. And we campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will have to turn to us for help. We’re here so no one has to fight bad housing or homelessness on their own.
To find out more about the role and the benefits of working for Shelter please visit our website. Apply to be part of our team and be the change you want to see in society.
Safeguarding is everyone's business. Shelter is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing and human rights of those we support, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. All our staff will be expected to observe professional standards of behaviour and conduct their work in line with our Safeguarding Policies.
Shelter does not accept unsolicited CVs from external recruitment agencies nor accept the fees associated with them.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.