The Finance Assistant will play a key role in supporting KCLSU's finance operations, maintaining strong financial controls, and ensuring accurate financial reporting across the organisation.
Main Tasks
- Process and reconcile purchase invoices, sales invoices, and supplier payments, maintaining accurate ledgers.
- Reconcile daily income from multiple systems to banking records and update the finance system accordingly.
- Support month-end processes, including bank reconciliations, journal postings, and assisting with management accounts.
- Assist with reconciling Balance Sheet accounts, investigating and resolving discrepancies.
- Generate financial reports and data extracts from the finance system to support financial reporting.
- Support the maintenance of internal financial controls and ensure compliance with relevant financial procedures and regulations.
- Respond professionally to financial queries from staff, students, and suppliers, providing accurate and timely information.
- Other finance-related ad hoc tasks
General Responsibilities
• Support the efficient operation of the Finance Department, ensuring organisation and professionalism. Provide cover for colleagues where necessary, contributing to a cohesive team environment.
• Develop a strong understanding of Finance Business Partnering, providing financial advice and insights to internal budget holders, aiding informed decision-making and improved financial performance.
• Lead or contribute to projects supporting the implementation of KCLSU’s Finance Strategy, driving process improvements and strategic initiatives.
• Maintain compliance with KCLSU’s financial regulations, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of financial operations.
• Deliver excellent customer service to both internal and external stakeholders, addressing finance-related queries and providing accurate, timely information.
• Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of financial systems, ensuring sound financial controls and best practices are in place.
• Represent KCLSU professionally, supporting its objectives and upholding its positive reputation.
• Adapt flexibly to evolving responsibilities, assisting with tasks that support the wider needs of the organisation.
• Collaborate across departments, adopting a team-oriented approach to support the overall functioning of KCLSU.
Other Responsibilities
• Assist in the delivery of finance systems and procedures training for over 400 student groups, ensuring they have the necessary tools and knowledge to manage their finances effectively.
Working Hours
• The role requires 35 hours per week. On occasion, working hours may exceed this, including evening or weekend work to meet deadlines. These additional hours are included in the role's grading and contract.
Additional Information
• This job description is accurate as of 28th April 2025 and outlines the core responsibilities of the role. It is intended to assist both the post holder and KCLSU in understanding the position’s primary duties.
• The description is not exhaustive, and duties may evolve over time. The post holder may be required to work at various King’s College London sites.
• KCLSU operates a hybrid working policy, requiring employees to work in the office at least once a week and five days per month.
• KCLSU reserves the right to vary the duties and responsibilities after consultation with the post holder.
• Please note that the starting salary for this role is £31,041 with annual increases.
Candidate Specification
Qualifications
• A finance-related qualification (such as part-qualified Chartered Accountant or equivalent) is highly desirable, with at least two years of relevant finance experience, ideally within a student union or higher education environment, though other sectors will be considered.
• Alternatively, candidates with strong hands-on financial experience in a similar setting, or who are working towards a finance qualification, are also encouraged to apply.
Experience
• Proven, hands-on experience working with integrated accounting systems.
• Demonstrable experience managing all aspects of financial operations, including accounts payable, receivable, reconciliation, and financial reporting.
• Experience in finance business partnering or providing financial advice and support to non-finance staff is highly desirable.
• Experience in presenting financial information clearly and effectively to senior management is desirable.
• Any experience in treasurer or fund investment management is an additional advantage but not essential.
Knowledge
• Solid understanding of accounting concepts, financial reporting, and VAT regulations, ensuring compliance and accurate financial operations.
• A working knowledge of data protection requirements, particularly in the context of a membership organisation, is beneficial.
Skills
• Excellent multitasking ability and a keen eye for detail, with the capacity to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced IT skills, including proficiency with Excel (intermediate to advanced), and strong Office 365 competency to produce reports and manage data efficiently.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to interact diplomatically with staff, students, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently under pressure, demonstrating initiative and a solution-oriented approach to problem-solving.
The list above is not exhaustive. We recommend that you read through the Job Pack to understand the scope of what the role entails.
Application Process
To apply, please visit our website, download and complete the application form and the equal opportunities monitoring form below and email your completed application directly to our HR email address.
Once shortlisting is completed, we will contact you and inform you of your progress.
At KCLSU Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are at the heart of everything we do and we endeavour to ensure equal treatment of all candidates. We welcome a diverse range of applicants and are open to discussing flexibility with the right candidate. Reasonable adjustments will be made for candidates with disabilities at all stages of the recruitment and selection process, and to ensure that a successful candidate with a disability can undertake the post.
As you will also see on our Job Pack that we are an equal opportunities employer and live by our 4 main values: Inclusive, Collaborative, Open and Brave. KCLSU is a fun, social and flexible work environment which offers opportunities for development as well as great staff benefits.
Benefits of Working for KCLSU include:
- Hybrid Working Policy
- Pension Contribution
- Interest Free Season Ticket Loan & Computer Loan
- Cycle to work Scheme
- Enhanced Sick Pay
- Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay
- Eye Tests & single focal glasses allowance
- 25 days holiday entitlement & bank holidays & discretionary closure days per annum
- Discounts on KCLSU venues
- Employee Assistance Programme
- "No meeting Friday" ethos
- KEATS Learning Platform & LinkedIn Learning subscription
- Death in Service
- Access to Kings Libraries
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for this role you must:
- Be eligible to work in the UK, and provide proof of this (i.e. a passport/visa) prior to your start date. Please note that KCLSU is unable to provide a visa sponsorship.
- Not be a trustee of King’s College London Students’ Union
- Have a National Insurance number, or be in the process of applying for one
Thank you for applying with us. We look forward to bringing your talent onboard and working with you!
Registered Charity
101 - 500
KCLSU is an independent charitable organisation that works to further the interests of approximately 36000 students at King's College London. Join us!
Thank you!
Actively Interviewing
This organisation is scheduling interviews as applications come in. They're ready to hire as soon as they find the right person. Don't miss your opportunity, apply now!
Full time (flexible working options available)
Hybrid - Farringdon, London/Home-based
Ref 6960
Closing Date: 12 May 2025
Save the Children UK has an exciting opportunity for a creative and tech savvy individual with extensive communications and social media experience to join us as our Scaling Up Nutrition Civil Society Network (SUN CSN) Communications Adviser where you will work with the team to lead storytelling and communications for a vibrant global network committed to improving nutrition and health outcomes worldwide.
Please note: This is a 12-month maternity cover contract.
About Us
Save the Children UK believes every child deserves a future. In the UK and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children's unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.
The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (SUN) is a network of Governments, Donors, Businesses, UN agencies and civil society organisations - coming together with the collective aim of ending malnutrition. The SUN Civil Society Network (CSN) Secretariat, a global team of 10 members of staff hosted at Save the Children UK and Save the Children International, plays a crucial role in supporting, coordinating and amplifying the work of over 5,000 civil society organisations and young people across 67 countries. This support is delivered through capacity-building, knowledge management, cross-country learning, advocacy and communications – from local to global level - to for improved nutrition outcomes.
About the role
As Communications Adviser, you will shape and lead SUN CSN's communications and member engagement strategy — from amplifying community voices to showcasing change-makers across the nutrition sector. You will produce innovative multimedia content, manage digital channels, oversee newsletters and social media, and maintain our website as a go-to hub for news and resources.
In this pivotal role, you'll also collaborate with global partners from within and outside the SUN Movement, manage communications projects, and support the launch of our new SUN CSN Strategy 4.0 (2026–2030). Some international travel may be required to capture stories firsthand. You will also be working with people from different backgrounds who speak other languages so mastering French and Spanish, as well as AI-generated translation tools, would be important in this role.
In this role, you will:
• Lead the SUN CSN website strategy and work closely with web developers.
• Manage and grow social media presence to engage network members and key global health audiences.
• Create inspiring, high-quality content — including community stories, newsletters (in English, French, and Spanish), campaign materials, and more.
• Lead and coordinate the annual SUN CSN Excellence Awards.
• Develop and facilitate communications training sessions with materials tailored to Network members' needs.
• Support advocacy efforts through creative communications.
• Collaborate across team members to align messaging and maximize impact.
About you
To be successful, it is important that you have:
• Degree or equivalent experience in communications, international development, public health, nutrition, or a related field.
• Strong writing, editing, and content creation skills.
• Experienced in managing websites (WordPress), social media (Hootsuite), newsletters (Mailchimp), and graphic design tools (Canva, Adobe, Premier Pro).
• Skills in using AI tools to enhance communications efficiency.
• Language skills in French and/or Spanish are highly desirable (or experience working with AI translation tools).
• Commitment to Save the Children's vision, mission and values.
• A commitment to SUN CSN's mission and values, with an interest in nutrition, food security, and global health.
What we offer you:
Working for a charity provides one of the best benefits there is – a sense of purpose and reward for helping others. However, we understand the importance of giving back to our employees to ensure a happy and healthy working environment and work/life balance.
• We focus on flexibility, inclusion, collaboration, health and wellbeing both in and outside of work.
• We provide a wide range of benefits which will reward your hard work, motivate you, and inspire you to work to improve the lives of children every day.
Closing date: Monday 12th May (at midnight)
Please note: To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early if a high volume of applications are received. This is to ensure that we can manage application levels whilst maintaining a positive candidate experience. Unfortunately once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications.
Ways of Working:
The majority of our roles can be performed remotely in the UK, but there are likely to be times when you will be required to come to your contracted office (up to 2-4 days per month or 6-8 days per quarter). This will be agreed with your Line Manager and team and is intended to be time spent on collaborating with colleagues and relationship building.
Please note: travel costs to your contracted office will be at your own expense.
Flexible Working - We are happy to discuss flexible working options at interview.
Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
Save the Children UK believes in a world that is fair, inclusive and equitable where all children have the opportunity to change their world. We apply this to our workforce and we are committed to developing and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organisation where all employees have a sense of belonging and feel that they can be "Free to Be Me". We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas or challenge that disrupts the risk of group think.
We are especially interested in people whose childhood experiences - of life on a low income, of migration, of being in a racialised community, of the care system, of being LGBT+ or in an LGBT+ family or living with (or with someone with) a disability - help us to see things we might otherwise miss. Whatever your story is we want to hear it because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world. This is the reason why we are all here.
