Education Jobs
- 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.
For more than 50 years, the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) has been the voice of people living with dyslexia. We aim to influence government and other institutions to promote a dyslexia friendly society that enables dyslexic people of all ages to reach their full potential. The BDA is established as the leading dyslexia charity in the UK.
Unfortunately, the need for our support and services is high. Although awareness of dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties has grown, there are ongoing and widening gaps in access to the identification of dyslexia and the provision of expert learning support. Our national Helpline is busier than ever, supporting almost 5,500 people each year, reminding us on a daily basis why we must keep fighting for the rights of our beneficiaries.
Against a challenging backdrop for so many organisations, last financial year we saw continued growth in income from fundraising and training. We invested in growing our team and identified five strategic objectives for the period 2023-2026, and activities are currently underway to deliver these priorities. Our next CEO will continue to oversee these whilst laying the foundations for our next strategy cycle which we intend to publish in 2026. As such, the timing of this appointment allows the successful candidate the opportunity to work with the Board and other key stakeholders to articulate the long-term vision for our charity, establishing a plan that enables us to expand our reach and deepen our programmes.
The role of CEO at the BDA is one of both challenge and immense reward, offering the chance to lead a passionate and skilled team dedicated to making a tangible difference in society. The ideal candidate will bring strategic thinking, leadership experience and a commitment to promoting inclusion for our beneficiaries in education, in work and in life. The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate their financial acumen and business development and delivery skills, as achieving our mission will depend on financial security and sustainability.
We are excited about the next stage in our development as a charity and the opportunity to support even more people with dyslexia to reach their full potential. If you would like to be part of that journey, then we would love to hear from you.
To download a full copy of the candidate brief and learn more about the role, please click the ‘Apply’ button, where you will be redirected to the website of our recruitment partner, Tall Roots. If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please email Mark Crowley or Natalie Sanders at Tall Roots.
As the most senior finance professional within the organisation, the Group Accountant has overall responsibility for the quality of the consolidated financial reporting, and for supporting the Business Director with managing financial risk, setting financial strategy, and ensuring that Trustees are appropriately informed of the financial position of the charity.
The Group Accountant is expected to coordinate the preparation of high quality consolidated financial reporting. He or she will set high standards for school finance teams, support them in their work, provide advice, develop constructive working relationships and facilitate the sharing of best practice.
MIST is proud of being one of the larger charities in the UK by turnover. Our ethos and values are at the heart of all that we do, and the Group Accountant is expected to reflect these in the quality and manner of his or her work.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Job Advertisement Title: Associate Director of Principal Giving, University of Birmingham
Salary: Grade 9 - Full time starting salary in the range £56,021 to £84,644
Location: Birmingham, UK (hybrid work - in the office 3 days a week)
Are you a senior fundraiser who wants to focus on Principal Gifts? Or perhaps you are a major gifts fundraiser who is ready for a leadership role?
We are recruiting our new Associate Director of Principal Giving to lead our Principal Gifts programme – a programme of ambition and almost endless potential.
As Associate Director of Principal Giving, you will work at the most senior levels with individuals, companies, and trusts and foundations in the UK and internationally. A vital member of the Senior Leadership Team, you will be a key source of strategic guidance and support for university leaders, academics, and fundraising colleagues across the University.
This is an opportunity to make your mark on one of the largest campaigns in the history of UK higher education, Birmingham In Action. Our £600m campaign aims to transform lives for our generation and the next, by tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges, today - challenges such as youth mental health, the climate crisis, AI, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A key member of the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to and working closely with the Director of Development and Alumni Relations, you will have the opportunity to work on transformational gifts – interesting, complex, exciting gifts that will have global impact.
Our team here is passionate, creative, ambitious, and made up of individuals who are dedicated to our work, as well as to supporting each other. We are determined to welcome a diverse group of colleagues into our team to represent the student body we support, the alumni constituency we engage with, and the city in which we thrive.
You will be a values-driven leader, entrepreneurially minded, and comfortable orchestrating a myriad of stakeholders. With a track record of securing gifts of 6 figures upwards, you will have a demonstrable record of building relationships and engaging with philanthropists and high net-worth individuals.
If you are attracted by the scale of the ambition here, the excellence of the campaign, and the fantastic opportunity that working for a large, civic University with over 400,000 alumni around the world offers, please get in touch. We hope to hear from you!
The University of Birmingham is partnering with Joanna Logan and Erin Hall-Westfall of Constellate Global Talent on this search.
Interested?
The candidate pack and details to contact us for a confidential discussion are attached.
To apply, please send your CV and cover letter via CharityJob or Institute of Fundraising no later than midnight on Sunday 12 May 2024.
Please do not apply via the University of Birmingham website. No agencies please.
London: £70,995 to £87,781 | National: £68,407 to £76,800
The College of Policing is the professional body for the police service in England and Wales who work to share knowledge and good practice, set standards, and support professional development for police officers and staff. Although we're a small organisation, our work has a big reach. We are uniquely placed to work both with national policing organisations and local forces to support frontline officers, staff and volunteers in their day-to-day roles. We offer a supportive and inclusive environment for people to thrive.
This post can be based remotely with occasion travel to the headquarters in Ryton-on-Dunsmore (CV8 3EN) or regional offices including London, for individuals based close to an COP office then the team are in a couple of days a week. They offer extensive flexible-working policy, employee wellbeing support, family friendly policies, employers’ network for equality and inclusion membership (ENEI silver award winners), and status as a disability confident leader means everyone can bring their whole self to work.
The Head of Finance and Procurement will report to and work closely with the Director of Enabling Services leading the Finance Team. This team is highly competent, reliable, and experienced in what they do. A Senior Leadership role supporting the Chief Executive and Directors to lead, plan and implement the College’s agreed strategic priorities, ensuring products are fit for purpose and have the greatest overall benefit for end-users in policing.
The key responsibilities of the Head of Finance and Procurement will be:
- Engage, build and influence relationships with internal and external stakeholders providing strategic vision, leadership and accountability. Evaluate the impact of College policy, products and services to understand stakeholder impact and contribution to the College’s agreed strategic priorities Champion the efficient use of College resources and budgets
- Develop transformational strategy, policy and proposals to deliver the organisation’s agreed strategic priorities, utilising research and best evidence to apply rigour and challenge.
- Lead financial and procurement strategies and planning for the organisation, making appropriate and timely recommendations to the Executive and College Board
- Lead the overall management of day-to-day internal financial controls and assets including the detection and monitoring of fraud, and financial risk management
- Identify, analyse and manage strategic risks proactively, reporting, escalating and putting in place mitigation as appropriate and ensuring all risk assessment is timely, proportionate and balanced with the operational realities and requirements of policing
- Develop, lead and performance manage individuals through line management and/or matrix management arrangements as required, ensuring adequate resourcing is planned to meet objectives and that project and programme management disciplines support the delivery of key initiatives
The successful Head of Finance and Procurement will have:
- You must be ACCA, CIMA or ACA fully qualified finance professional
- Strong ability to build effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels and work collaboratively to achieve objectives
- You will have led a team or teams during your career
- Strong ability to effectively challenge and influence others, including more senior colleagues and stakeholders, to ensure the right outcome is achieved
- You will have experience of managing budgets and forecasts, dealing with external stakeholders (such as internal and external audit), and have been involved in risk management and performance management
- Able to communicate with, engage and inspire others at all levels
Robertson Bell is exclusively partnering with the College of Policing to recruit a new Head of Finance & Procurement with the role based remotely or from one of the offices. The benefits package is generous including up to 31 days of personal annual leave and around 28% Employer contribution to pension.
Deputy Financial Controller | £75,000 - £85,000 + amazing benefits! | SE London | Hybrid
For a progressive, forward-thinking university in southeast London, we are recruiting a Deputy Financial Controller. This is a new role, reporting to the Financial Controller, which will lead a high-performing team of 4, and manage the statutory returns, external financial audits, financial reporting, and the balance sheet. The Deputy Financial Controller will produce high-quality financial, management, and regulatory reports, and insightful financial control analysis and information essential for strategic decision-making. This role will lead the ownership for the Oracle ERP platform and will deputise for the Financial Controller as needed.
What you'll be doing:
- Lead the timely and accurate production of year-end financial statements
- Own the relationship with the external auditors and be responsible for continuous audit process improvements
- Lead on taxation compliance, and lead on policy updates to Finance Regulations
- Lead on cashflow forecasting and treasury management
- Ensure effective financial controls are in place
- Lead on optimisation, and best practice of the Oracle ERP platform, championing system compliance across the Finance team and wider organisation
- Lead on continuous improvement initiatives
- Represent Finance on Committees, working and project groups
- Motivate, lead, and empower team members and role model / set expectations to lead a high performing team culture.
What you'll offer us:
- Qualified accountant with up-to-date financial accounting knowledge and experience
- Experience of working within Higher Education, the wider public sector, practice, or complex commercial organisations
- Experience in developing high-performing teams
- Oracle Cloud experience
- Substantial financial reporting experience within the public sector
- Experience coordinating a financial year end timetable and deliverables
- Experience providing financial information to auditors and coordinating the audit process
- Strong business partnering experience and track record of providing impactful analysis
What we'll offer you:
- A very attractive defined benefit pension scheme, 26 days annual leave + 3-4 closure days over Christmas
- Hybrid and flexible working
- Additional weeks at full pay for maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
- Study leave, Leadership Development programmes, Annual Season Ticket Loans and more!
- A highly visible role giving an opportunity to gain broad exposure across the University
- Contribution to the success of an institution with strong social values and outcomes
- The opportunity to be part of a growing team with emphasis on impact, positive atmosphere, and sustainable work-life balance
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As an employer, we are committed to ensuring the representation of people from all backgrounds regardless of their gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply and would encourage you to let us know if there are steps, we can take to ensure that your recruitment process enables you to present yourself in a way that makes you comfortable.