Head of financial accounting jobs in middlesbrough, stockton on tees
Unifrog’s mission
We’re on a mission to level the playing field when it comes to young people finding and applying for their next step after school. We're achieving this by bringing all the available information into one single, impartial, user-friendly platform that helps students to make the best choices, and submit the strongest applications. We also empower teachers and counsellors to manage the progression process effectively.
Our outlook is global - we work with schools and universities all over the world, from the US to New Zealand, and from Italy to Hong Kong. We want to make it so that young people can compare every opportunity taught in English, wherever it is in the world, and have all the support they need to make successful applications.
We have a clear social purpose, and we’re hugely ambitious. We already work with over half of UK secondary schools, and hundreds of international schools. We are growing rapidly in terms of the number of our customers, in terms of how much they use our platform, and in terms of the breadth of products we offer.
Our team is at the heart of our business and is integral to our success. We work hard to foster a culture of openness, happiness and innovation, and we commit to helping every individual learn and grow so that they can reach their full potential. We want to hire talented people, whatever their background. If you are excited by our mission and are ready to work hard, please don’t hesitate to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!
We believe in the power of diversity. If you are from an ethnic minority background, we would like to strongly encourage you to apply. In advance of applying if you have any questions about working at Unifrog, please contact Mhairi (details on our jobs page).
What you’ll do
As Finance Executive, you’ll play a key role in keeping our day-to-day finance operations running smoothly; from processing transactions and performing reconciliations, to ensuring our partners are billed correctly and pay on time. You'll be a key point of contact for finance queries across the business, and your work will be essential to maintaining accurate records and enabling wider decision-making. You'll also play an important role in driving process improvements, and support the team by analysing data and producing insightful reports that inform decision making.
This is a varied role where you’ll get exposure to lots of different areas within the finance function of a SaaS company. It’s perfect if you’re keen to explore your interests and gain a solid grounding across multiple aspects of finance.
- Record, process and reconcile transactions for the company using platforms like Spendesk and Xero, and ensure transactions are accurately recorded and categorised.
- Manage our finance email inbox, responding to queries from schools, universities and employers.
- Manage our accounts receivable processes, keeping track of overdue invoices, chasing partners for payment and recording received payments.
- Support our sales teams with general finance related queries and keeping their partner records up to date on Salesforce (our CRM system).
- Improve, streamline and automate processes within the finance function.
- Get involved with projects such as:
- Setting up a simple way to keep track of the subscriptions we pay for, and make sure we’re getting good value from them.
- Finding solutions to increase the number of invoices paid on time.
- Creating useful reports and dashboards on Salesforce to aid decision making.
- Support the Finance Lead to:
- Prepare the payroll for our accountants (including commission calculations) and manage associated schemes (e.g. pension contributions).
- Manage our accounts payable processes, making and recording payments.
- Work on forecasting and variance analysis to support business planning.
- Check through our quarterly VAT return.
- Manage the banking for our much smaller Hong Kong and US companies.
- Support the Head of Finance (your line manager) to:
- Create the annual budget.
- Support on ad-hoc projects and data analysis requests.
Who we’re looking for
You’ve got some experience in a finance or operations role, or you can demonstrate that you’ve built the relevant skills in another setting and are ready to learn more.
- You’re organised and methodical, with strong attention to detail that helps keep things running smoothly and accurately.
- You enjoy solving problems and thinking critically about how things can be improved, streamlined or automated.
- You’re quick to learn new systems and tools, you might not have used platforms like Xero or Salesforce before, but you’re keen to get stuck in.
- You take ownership of your work, following through on tasks and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
- You’re proactive and hands-on, excited to go beyond your core responsibilities to improve how we work and help make it a success.
- Being a proficient user of Microsoft Excel (formulas, pivot table, x-lookup) is a bonus.
- Having an educational background in Finance, Accounting or a Business related discipline is desirable, but not essential.
Working together
We’re a small but mighty team of 3 within Finance (this role included). You’ll be line managed by the Head of Finance and will be working very closely with our Finance Lead too. You’ll also have regular contact with most people across the Unifrog, especially our partner-facing teams and the People team. You’ll also be liaising with our external accountants who take lead with the financial accounting and payroll side of things.
Key benefits
Head to our jobs page for a full list of the excellent benefits we offer our team.
- Join one of ‘the best organisations to escape to’ and help transform careers and destinations in schools.
- Become part of a committed, dynamic, and growing company. We want to build our team for the long term: if you do well, we will do our best to make sure you want to stay at the company for a long time.
- Professional development is important at Unifrog. You will define your own 6-month objectives and will be supported by your line manager and the rest of the team to achieve them. You will have an annual training allowance to spend on what you need to grow and progress.
- Influence the company’s direction: we love to promote great ideas, wherever they come from.
Key details
- £33,000 - £36,000 per year, depending on experience (Grade B).
- This position is advertised as Finance Executive, though internally it will be referred to as Finance Coordinator to better align with Unifrog job titles.
- Work remotely, or flexibly in our London or Edinburgh office.
- 28 days paid holiday per year (plus bank holidays).
- Working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and 9am to 4:30pm on Friday.
- Start date: as soon as possible, though we will be flexible for the right candidates.
- If you require reasonable adjustments, or want to discuss any details about the role before applying, please contact Mhairi (details on our website).
- We can only consider candidates who have the right to work in the UK.
Application process
Deadline: 10:00am (BST) on Monday 1st September 2025.
Stage 1: Application form (~1 hour)
Visit our website to upload your CV and complete the questions and tasks below. Please note that we do not review CVs at this stage of the application process so please be as specific as possible about your experience.
- i. With reference to examples of your recent experience, what would make you an excellent candidate for this role? (250 words)
- ii. Describe a time when you identified an opportunity to improve something in your team or organisation. What steps did you take, and what was the outcome? (250 words)
- iii. Our Finance team is looking to reduce the number of late payments from our partner schools. What kind of information would you want to understand the issue, and what steps might you suggest to help improve the situation? (250 words)
Stage 2: Phone interview (15 minutes)
- The next stage of the application process will be a short phone interview.
Stage 3: Video call interview and task (1 hour 20 mins)
- In-tray exercise (20 minutes)
- Standard Q&A from a panel of three, including questions about your experiences and how these relate to the role, and scenario questions based on common situations you might face (plus time for your questions) (60 mins).
Phone interviews will be held throughout the application window. Video call interviews will be held w/c 15th September 2025.
Your answers are an opportunity to let us know more about your motivations and experience. While we understand that candidates might want to use AI to improve parts of their application, we strongly encourage you to write your answers independently.
Please note, we compare all answers to an AI generated answer. Where we suspect AI has been used to write the majority of the answer, this will be taken into consideration when scoring.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Organisation
We're recruiting on behalf of a prominent UK charity in the health and social care sector, with an annual income exceeding £100 million. Funded through a mix of voluntary donations and grants, as well as NHS and local authority contracts, the organisation delivers nationwide services, campaigns for change, and invests in research to improve lives and drive long-term impact.
The Finance & Assurance directorate is entering a transformative phase - redefining its structure, culture, and leadership expectations. Finance is evolving into a strategic corporate function, focused on insight, process excellence, and enabling impact through effective resource planning and control.
The Role
This is a pivotal leadership role, reporting to the Associate Director of Finance and managing the Financial Accounting Team. As part of the Finance & Assurance Leadership Team, you'll play a central role in shaping the organisation's financial control, compliance, and reporting strategy.
You'll lead the development of a robust financial control environment, ensure the delivery of high-quality statutory accounts, and build strong relationships across the organisation and with external partners. This role is about defining what financial accounting means in a modern, impact-driven charity - establishing clear standards, tools, and expectations that underpin trust, transparency, and performance.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the preparation of statutory accounts and annual reporting in line with regulatory requirements.
- Ensuring a single point of credible, reliable, data-driven financial truth across the organisation.
- Developing and maintaining effective internal controls and risk mitigation strategies.
- Building strategic relationships with auditors, tax advisors, and banks.
- Driving continuous improvement in financial systems, processes, and reporting tools.
- Leading a team through change with clarity, compassion, and ambition.
The Person
We're looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, ACMA or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience at a senior level. You'll bring:
- Proven leadership of high-performing teams through change.
- Deep experience in financial control, statutory reporting, and compliance.
- A track record of building collaborative relationships across finance and wider organisational boundaries.
- Strong communication, influencing, and engagement skills - including with senior executives and board members.
- Experience working with ERP systems (Unit4 ERPx or similar).
- A passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
- The ability to foster a high support, high challenge culture.
You'll be a finance expert - but first and foremost, a leader. Someone who can drive consistency, clarity, and excellence in financial accounting across a diverse organisation.
What's in it for you?
This role offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and work-life balance, including:
- Double-matching pension scheme (up to 8%)
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to 30)
- Flexible working options, including condensed hours and a 9-day fortnight
- Health and wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
- Employee recognition and discounts platform
If you're ready to lead a strategic finance function through transformation - and help shape the future of a high-impact organisation - we'd love to hear from you.
Apply now to be part of a team that's making a real difference.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk
Thank you!
Using Anonymous Recruitment
This organisation is using Anonymous Recruitment to reduce bias in the first stages of the hiring process. Submit your application as normal and our system will anonymise it for you. Your personal information will be hidden until the recruiter contacts you.
About Chapter One
Chapter One is a dynamic, growing charity with a vision of a world in which all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive. Our mission is to close the reading gap by providing children with one-to-one support at the time they need it most.
Our unique Online Reading Volunteer programme currently supports over 3,200 children a year. It pairs disadvantaged, struggling five to eight-year old (KS1) readers with reading support volunteers who come from over 160 local and national businesses. The volunteer ask is very focused: readers commit 30 minutes a week to read with a child using a bespoke digital platform for an entire academic year. The results are transformative, boosting children's reading confidence and ability.
For more information about our programmes please visit our website. Please also take some time to visit our social media channels and watch our videos.
About the Role
The Finance Assistant has responsibility for a variety of finance functions including the purchase and sales ledger, making payments to suppliers, invoicing Corporate Partners and Schools and reconciling bank accounts. They support the day to day running of the Finance Team ensuring that tasks such as posting invoices, reconciling customer accounts, supporting credit control and chasing non-payments are carried out in a timely and accurate fashion.
The Finance Assistant reports to and works closely with the Head of Finance and plays a critical role in resolving finance queries from Chapter One colleagues, maintaining accurate financial records, supporting internal processes and contributing to the effective financial management of Chapter One.
This role is ideal for someone who has experience in a similar position within a finance team and has good working knowledge of accounting principles and a basic understanding of income for charities. They will work remotely and will need to have access to a reliable internet connection. This role is subject to an Enhanced DBS check, and the post-holder must be permanently based in the UK at the time of applying and for the duration of their employment.
All Chapter One employees are required to attend quarterly in-person staff meetings held in various locations across the UK (all expenses covered) as well as monthly all staff virtual meetings which are held on the first Wednesday of each month from 12:00 - 13:00; participation is mandatory.
How to Apply
Please read the full job description for details of the responsibilities of the role, and our employee recruitment pack to learn more about Chapter One. Application instructions included below.
Interview Dates
First Round Interviews: w/c Monday 1st September
Second Round Interviews: w/c Monday 8th September
Chapter One is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value and celebrate diversity in backgrounds and experience and are deliberate about the kind of teams we are building. Literacy is a universal concern, and we need people from all backgrounds to maximise our innovation, creativity and impact. We especially welcome applications from individuals who have experienced disadvantage and/or from those who are of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities who are currently underrepresented in the organisation
Please send your CV (maximum 2 A4 sides) and a covering letter via CharityJob. Your covering letter (maximum 1 side of A4) should include:
1) A summary of your relevant experience, including clear examples
2) Tell us about a time when you identified an opportunity to improve a financial process or system
3) Tell us about your journey of continuing professional development
4) Tell us about how our organisational mission is in line with your values
Applications that fail to meet these criteria will automatically be discounted. We want you to have every opportunity to shine and to show us your talents - please let us know if there is anything we can do to make sure the assessment process works for you.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
At Chapter One, we want to create a world where all children have the literacy skills needed to thrive.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
The Organisation
We're recruiting on behalf of a prominent UK charity in the health and social care sector, with an annual income exceeding £100 million. Funded through a mix of voluntary donations, grants, and commercial partnerships, the organisation delivers nationwide services, campaigns for change, and invests in research to improve lives and drive long-term impact. The Finance & Assurance directorate is entering a transformative phase - redefining its structure, culture, and leadership expectations. Finance is evolving into a strategic corporate function, focused on insight, process excellence, and enabling impact through effective resource planning.
The Role
This is a pivotal leadership role, reporting to the Associate Director of Finance and managing the Financial Partnering, Planning & Analysis Team. As part of the Finance & Assurance Leadership Team, you'll be instrumental in leading cultural change, embedding collective leadership, and shaping the future of financial partnering across the organisation. You'll define and deliver a consistent, high-quality approach to financial planning and analysis - balancing strong relationships with analytical rigour. This role is about codifying what FP&A means in practice: not just being "all things to all people," but establishing clear standards, tools, and expectations across directorates.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading financial planning policy and engaging senior stakeholders.
- Driving process excellence in budgeting, forecasting, and modelling.
- Building strong relationships while maintaining analytical depth.
- Equipping the organisation with the tools and capability for sophisticated financial planning.
- Leading a team through change with clarity, compassion, and ambition.
The Person
We're looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) with significant post-qualification experience at a senior level. You'll bring:
Proven leadership of high-performing teams through change.
Deep experience in strategic financial planning and analysis.
A track record of effective business partnering with senior leaders.
Strong communication, influencing, and engagement skills.
A passion for continuous improvement and innovation.
You'll be a finance expert - but first and foremost, a leader.
Someone who can drive consistency, clarity, and excellence in financial partnering across a diverse organisation.
What's in it for you?
This role offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and work-life balance, including:
- Double-matching pension scheme (up to 8%)
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays (rising to 30)
- Flexible working options, including condensed hours and a 9-day fortnight
- Health and wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
- Employee recognition and discounts platform
If you're ready to lead a strategic finance function through transformation - and help shape the future of a high-impact organisation - we'd love to hear from you.
Apply now to be part of a team that's making a real difference.
Hays Specialist Recruitment Limited acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and employment business for the supply of temporary workers. By applying for this job you accept the T&C's, Privacy Policy and Disclaimers which can be found at hays.co.uk
Thank you!
About the Choir with No Name
The Choir with No Name has been running choirs involving people impacted by homelessness and marginalisation since 2008, and we currently have choirs in Birmingham, Liverpool, London, Cardiff, Coventry, Sheffield and Brighton. We were founded on the premise that singing makes you feel good; it distracts you from all the nonsense in life and helps you to build confidence, skills and genuine, long-lasting friendships. Each choir gets together to rehearse every week and share a meal together at the end of rehearsal. Our values are family, fun, inclusion and integrity.
Job Purpose
We are looking for maternity cover for our part-time Finance and Data Administrator role. As Finance and Data Administrator, you should have a proactive mindset and a positive attitude. You should have some previous administrative experience and a meticulous attention to detail. You will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the Choir with No Name’s finances and impact data. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working independently with a helpful and can-do attitude, a quick learner with a calm disposition when under pressure and able to work accurately and to deadlines.
We particularly welcome applicants from people with lived experience of homelessness.
- Reports to: Head of Development
- Hours: avg. 12 hours a week, flexible across the month to account for busier times/finance deadlines
- Location: Work from home (home working allowance given)
- Salary: £24,722 (pro rata)
- Annual leave: 25 days per year, pro rata, increasing 1 day per year pro rata with each year of service (to a maximum of 30 days)
- Employee benefits: Employee assistance programme, flexible working
- Contract: Fixed term 11-month contract
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: 9am Monday 15th September 2025
JOB DESCRIPTION
Invoices and expenses
- Inputting all expense invoices, staff expenses & petty cash transactions into accounting software (Xero), ensuring everything is coded to the right budget line
- Issuing invoices for suppliers, ensuring payments are received in a timely manner and recording them in Xero.
- Sending a monthly reminder to freelancers and choir managers to submit invoices & completed petty cash books in time for month end deadline
- Saving invoices into SharePoint and ensuring these records are complete and up to date every month
- Cross checking bank statements with income and expenses, ensuring all transactions are accounted for, identifying missing invoices/receipts and chasing the relevant staff
- Updating our contact and invoicing details with suppliers and freelancers
Donation administration
- Recording all donations & donor info in our donor CRM database (eTapestry)
- Producing income queries and reports when required
Impact data
- Inputting member survey data as well as other impact data as needed
- Producing reports on impact data as needed
Finance reporting
- Input cash basis income and expenditure into a monthly cash flow spreadsheet and create summaries for Choir Managers
- Consolidating income data from multiple online donation platforms and in varied formats into a single monthly report
- Producing month end platform and database income reports for our bookkeeper
- Support the Head of Development with month and quarter end reporting for the board of trustees.
General administration
- Minuting quarterly board and committee meetings
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Alignment with our values of family, fun, integrity and collaboration
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Self-motivated and able to work independently
- Confident with numbers/maths
- Good time management
- Good communication skills
- Excellent knowledge of Excel and use of formulae
- Ability to work to hard deadlines
- Plenty of common sense
- Ability to learn quickly and use initiative to get the job done
- Trustworthy and honest when handling confidential information
Desirable
- Knowledge of basic bookkeeping
- Experience using of online accounting software ie: Xero
- Experience of using donor databases/CRM systems such as eTapestry/Raisers Edge
- Experience using Microsoft 365 programme suite incl. Teams, Outlook, Excel
.png){kind=logo}
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.