Assistant Project Accountant Jobs in Manchester

Job Title: Financial Controller 

Contract: Fixed term - Maternity Cover - 12 months

Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 FTE

Hours per week: 28-35

Location: Home-based

Benefits: NCT membership with access to exclusive benefits, pension scheme, 30 days annual leave plus 8 Bank and Public holidays. 

About us at NCT 

Our vision is that everyone who becomes a parent feels confident, connected, and safe because we believe parents help build the foundations of the future. That's why NCT is the charity with a clear and singular mission – we support people as they become parents.

About the role

We are looking for a technically proficient Financial Controller with charity experience to play a crucial role in managing the financial transactions team, ensuring robust financial controls and accurate financial reporting that will support NCT’s ongoing financial sustainability and the successful delivery of its ‘For Every Parent’ strategy.

Some of your key responsibilities include:

• Motivating, empowering and developing three team members
• Managing the month end close and ensuring that transactions are accurately recorded and compliant with relevant legislation
• Year-end accounts preparation and external audit: managing the year end timetable and tasks and acting as the key liaison for our external auditors
• Cash flow forecasting and management: monitoring cash balances and preparing reports for inclusion in management information
• VAT, Payroll, Gift Aid and Direct Debit processing and submissions
• Routine user acceptance testing of finance systems and play a key role in any finance system development projects
• Partnering with specific budget holders to discuss budget variances and reforecast on a monthly basis

This is an exciting and rewarding opportunity for someone looking to make an impact in an established and successful charity going through a period of change and growth. 

Please see link to job description for further information as per website.

We are taking positive action to increase diversity throughout our organisation, at all levels, and to nurture a culture of inclusion for all our people and the parents and families that we support.

We are committed to zero discrimination both internally and externally regardless of visible or invisible difference such as sex, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, religion or belief, gender identity, economic class, marital/civil partnership, family status including single parents, socio-economic background and pregnancy and maternity.We provide reasonable adjustments and are committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. 

We welcome and actively encourage applications from all candidates including those from under-represented groups within NCT such as individuals from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQI+ people and people with a disability. 

The welfare and safety of individuals is at the heart of everything that we do. NCT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

Closing date - 25 September 2024

Interviews- W/C 30 September 2024

In this role you’ll be both strategic and hands-on, solely managing the financial controls for this small charity with a £350k annual turnover.  You will support the Director and senior management team through your management of financial processes, policy and planning.

This will include using accountancy software to process income and expenditure, producing management accounts for the senior management team and Board, and ensuring the charity reports to its key funders, including Arts Council England. 

You’ll process payroll for our small team of 6 employees, taking care of liaison with HMRC as well as handling external audit and company filing.

Who are we looking for? 

We’re looking for someone with focus, efficiency and precision to take responsibility of our company finances.

Unfazed by working mostly alone, you’ll be incredibly organised with your time and workload to ensure processes are handled in a timely and accurate fashion. Ideally, you’ll be passionate about the work that we do both as a professional arts organisation and also as a small charity based in Bedfordshire with altruistic values.

You’ll have experience of working with small organisations and charities, knowledgeable about the areas of financial control that you will be our expert on.

The role is an employee position for one day per week, however we are open to discuss flexibility of working hours and the possibility of freelance working with the successful candidate.

We actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds with different experiences, skills and stories to join us and influence our working practice. We are particularly keen to hear from people from backgrounds that are currently under-represented on our staff team including people from UK minority ethnic backgrounds and candidates who self-identify as disabled, male, non-binary or trans and/or LGBTQ+.

Application deadline: 9am, Mon 30th Sept 2024

Interviews: Thurs 3rd October 2024

Terms and Conditions   

Hours of Work: 7.5 hours per week (1 day).  These hours can be worked flexibly.      

Contract: This is a permanent employment contract with a 3 month probationary period.    

Salary: The full-time equivalent salary for this position is £40,000 – 45,000 per annum (pro rata to 7.5 hours per week).        

Location: Home-working.

Benefits:  

BCA offers 25 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays (pro rata for part-time employees).   

We offer a NEST pension scheme with a 3% employer contribution.   

Access to IT & equipment to enable efficient home-working can be provided.      

Proof of the right to work in the UK will be required before appointment.     

Type of role: Full time, permanent

Annual Salary:£28,000 to £31,000 (depending on location and relevant experience)

Holidays:25 days per year and  up to 5 discretionary  efficiency days

Location:                                         London, Victoria  or Manchester Ancoats

Working Hours & Pattern:             37,5 hours per week. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (flexible)

Start date: As soon as practicable

Welcome to Ada!

We are the National College for Digital Skills, established in 2016 as the first new Further Education College in England since 1993. Our mission is: to educate and empower the next generation of diverse digital talent, and our values of Rigour, Resilience, Creativity, Curiosity and Collaboration sit at the heart of what we do and how we go about our work. We seek to harness tech as a positive tool for social mobility and improve the gender and ethnic diversity of the tech workforce.

We are a small, specialist college with c.500 students and apprentices on roll at present but with plans now well underway to grow to 850+ learners by December 2025 across our two fantastic new city centre hub campuses in London (Pimlico) and Manchester (Ancoats).

We stand apart from other Colleges due to:

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment of computer science and related subjects
• Our fantastic progression outcomes for our learners
• The breadth and depth of our industry partnerships
• Our focus on outreach and learner diversity, especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds
• Our high support, high expectations culture for staff and learners

We received ‘Good’, with Outstanding features, in our first Ofsted inspection in October 2018 and again in March 2023.

Job Purpose

The post holder will work cross-functionally to provide front-line administrative and transactional systems support to the People team and the Finance team. Within the HR/People elements of the role, the focus will be on day-to-day systems and process queries, recruitment, HR system support to Ada’s staff, compliance and general HR administration. This will require the post holder to have strong communication skills, strong attention to detail, and have the ability to manage and prioritise their workload.

To be successful in the role the post holder will:

• Have excellent organisation skills with the ability to structure processes and set up efficient systems to support Ada’s continued growth;
• Be consistent and accurate and have a keen eye for detail;
• Have experience in and be committed to following careful procedures to protect the sensitive personal data involved in this role;
• Have excellent numerical skills and good knowledge of Excel;
• Learn quickly, be adaptable, flexible and able to work in the ever-changing context of a growing organisation;
• Be able to take the initiative and demonstrate a creative problem-solving approach;
• Have well-developed interpersonal skills, working well independently and as part of a small team, and collaborating well with colleagues in person and remotely.

Role Responsibilities:

Finance Support: 60%

Support the Assistant Finance Manager in updating the Purchase Ledger:

• Ensure that purchase requisitions are received and processed on the accounting system in a timely manner,
• Ensure that all expenditure is recorded against the relevant nominal code and cost account, and that the correct VAT code is used,
• Ensure all suppliers’ invoices are attached to purchase requisitions on ApprovalMax
• Prepare mid and end of the month BACS payment run and ensure that suppliers are paid within payment terms,
• Receive and check all statements from suppliers,
• Investigate and action any issues that arise with regards to creditors,
• Regular review and maintenance of the outstanding purchase order and goods received notes report,

Support the Assistant Finance Manager in updating the Sales ledger:

• Ensure that all income is recorded against the relevant nominal code and cost account and that the correct VAT code is used,
• Ensure that all requests for sales invoices are processed and sent to debtors promptly,
• Ensure that all requests for sales invoices are monitored and chased so that the prompt payment is received

Petty Cash:

• Ensure that the disbursement of the funds, keeping records of those disbursements and requesting replenishment of the fund is done accordingly to the Petty Cash Policy;
• Ensure that the reconciliation of the business petty cash transactions is done on the bi-weekly basis in the Xero finance system.

Other finance duties:

• Support Assistant Finance Manager in preparation of the pay runs;
• Monitoring finance account inbox and dealing with staff, students and supplier queries to ensure they are quickly and properly resolved;
• Support staff in following the financial policies and procedures, such as: filling out charge card tracker, purchase orders, setting up new supplier;
• Support the Finance team in setting up a Fixed Asset Register and making sure it is kept up to date on a regular basis;
• Support the Finance Team with any other queries that may arise.

HR Support:

Recruitment

• To work with the HR Manager to draft adverts for posts being advertised, ensuring that they are well-written and engaging.
• To obtain quotes for advertising on various job boards and recruitment media channels in a timely and accurate fashion ensuring the best possible exposure for vacancies
• To coordinate interview/selection logistics including room bookings, diary management, scheduling and preparation of relevant materials and sending invites to candidates
• To support the HR Manager with the administration processes around onboarding and offboarding of staff including consultants, mentors, volunteers and governors.

Inbox Management & Staff queries

• To manage the recruitment inbox, responding to candidate and hiring manager queries in a timely manner
• To work with the HR Manager to manage the HR inbox, responding to staff enquiries in a timely manner recognising that some correspondence will be highly confidential and/or sensitive in nature.

Systems & Compliance

• To be the main point of contact for all HR system queries and to action all first-level system transactions, escalating more complex transactions to the Head of People & Talent or the HR Manager.
• To send out reference requests for all shortlisted candidates, chasing responses and passing on to the relevant line manager
• To maintain spreadsheets and trackers to ensure all relevant HR information is collected and collated (eg vacancies, DBS and other pre-employment checks, probationary periods, performance management, exit interviews.)
• To create and maintain electronic copies of  personnel files
• To support with the updating of the Single Central Record for all staff, volunteers, consultants, agency workers and governors
• Under the direction of the Head of People, issue relevant letters to staff in relation to Employee Relations (ER) matters ensuring that timelines are strictly followed, meetings arranged, notes/minutes taken and all paperwork, including checklists, is fully completed.
• To support the People team with all HR policies, processes and projects as required.

General Administration

• To provide accurate data for Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in monthly data returns,
• Liaising with CIVICA support team to seek advice on better use of MIS (REMS),
• Acquire data from primary and secondary sources and update database system REMS,
• Keeping up to date with the latest ESFA funding rules and regulations.

Additional duties:

• Undertake confidential shredding and filling,
• Coordination Support for the Finance or People/HR elements of staff on-site events

Person Specification

• Previous Officer/Administrator experience and used to working with limited supervision ideally in a Human Resources field.
• Ability to undertake administrative tasks and development of effective office systems and procedures
• Ability to use information technology for,word processing, spreadsheets and databases and excellent typing skills
• Ability to pick up new applications and software quickly
• Ability to work under pressure in a constantly changing and demanding environment
• Excellent written communication skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• A good understanding of equal opportunities issues as they affect our stakeholders
• Strong stakeholder management, working with individuals across an organisation
• Aligned with the values of the College in their approach to their work.
• Perform duties with the highest level of confidentiality and have a strong sense of integrity

Other Requirements:

• Passion for working with young people and adults to help improve their life chances
• A commitment to on-going personal development
• A willingness to work flexibly and where necessary outside of normal working hours
• Suitable to work with young people and vulnerable adults in accordance with Government guidelines for safeguarding.

Variation to this Job Description

This is a description of the job as it is at present, and is current at date of issue. The duties and responsibilities described above are not exhaustive and additional assignments, duties or responsibilities may be required of this position. The job description will be reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure that appropriate revisions are incorporated, and that it relates to the job to be performed.

Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people and we expect all staff to share this commitment. Any job offer will be conditional on various, appropriate, pre-employment checks including a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check and Barred List Check, having the legal right to work in the UK and having satisfactory overseas criminal records checks, if deemed necessary, and supportive references.

Equal opportunities

Ada. National College for Digital Skills recognises that equality of opportunity and the recognition and promotion of diversity are integral to its strengths. The following principles apply in respect of the College’s commitment to equality and diversity:

• To provide and promote equality of opportunity in all areas of its work and activity;
• To recognise and develop the diversity of skills and talent within its current and potential community;
• To ensure that all employees and prospective employees of the College are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential without receiving any unjustified discrimination or unfavourable treatment on grounds such as age, disability, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, trans status, socio-economic status or any other irrelevant distinction;
• To provide and promote a positive working, learning, and social environment which is free from prejudice, discrimination and any forms of harassment, bullying or victimisation;
• To promote good relations between individuals from different groups.

Applicants with disabilities

Ada. National College for Digital Skills is keen to increase the number of disabled people it employs. We therefore encourage applications from individuals with a disability who are able to carry out the duties of the post. If you have special needs in relation to your application please write to us. 

How to apply for the role

Please submit your CV and a supporting cover letter outlining your interest in the role and the relevant experience you have in the subject field please write “Application  for Finance and HR Officer” followed by your name.

Closing date for applications:  Friday 20 September 2024 at 11.00