"Finance Assistant" 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.
Do you enjoy providing excellent customer service and ensuring smooth financial operations.
Would You Like to Work for a Prestigious International School Group?
This exciting opportunity allows you to play a key role in managing student accounts.
Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (3/4 days onsite in Cobham, hybrid available)
Your School Fees Assistant Benefits will include:
- Private Medical Insurance (optional)
- Medicash Scheme which covers part dental and opticians. (optional)
- Pension scheme whereby employer matches a contribution of up to 5% of basic salary.
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Life Assurance of £100,000
- Professional Development
- Cycle to work scheme.
- Access to Cobham Sports centre and gym
As school Fees Assistant your day to day will include:
- Ensure excellent service for parents and students with school fees.
- Process invoices and payments accurately and efficiently.
- Manage credit card transactions securely.
- Maintain accurate student account records.
- Communicate effectively with parents, students, and colleagues.
- Assist with various financial tasks.
Your skills and experience will include:
- Customer service skills.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Experience in a finance team.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with a strong focus on spreadsheets. & experience with CRM systems.
- GCSE English and Mathematics.
If this position aligns with your skills and experience, please forward your CV and application.
Due to the nature of this position, a successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check to ensure suitability for working with children or vulnerable adults. To progress your application, please also be prepared to provide references.
While public transport options are limited, free on-site parking is available for your convenience. Having a car can be advantageous for your commute.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
St Paul’s Cathedral School are pleased to be exclusively partnering with Robertson Bell in search of a new Financial Controller to join their team on a permanent basis. St Paul’s Cathedral School is an independent, co-educational boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 5 to 13 (Reception to Year 8).
The Financial Controller will report into the Bursar and be responsible for for the whole of the School’s day-to-day accounting function to ensure effective procedures and robust controls are in place for all aspects of the function.
The organisation:
Situated in the heart of the City of London, at the East side of the Cathdral, the School enjoys state-of-the-art facilities for academic work, music, performing arts and sport in a single-site campus. With around 275 pupils (with up to 36 Cathedral Choristers who are boarding pupils), the School is small enough to ensure that each pupil receives individual attention, yet large enough to offer an array of academic and extra-curricular opportunities that a Prep school could deliver. There are 84 members of staff, comprising teachers, teaching assistants, music instructors and a support team.
The role:
- Assist the Bursar to seek commercial income opportunities and monitor and advise on school investments through liaison with external investment managers.
- Deputise for the Bursar in all finance matters and at governor committees, or at SLT meetings when requested by the Head.
- Support the Bursar’s financial and audit responsibility.
- Check Income & Expenditure (I&E) variances and explain and compare findings to previous year, to budgets and to forecasts.
- Prepare weekly cashflow forecast and monthly management accounts.
- Compile and analyse the annual school budget, setting and monitoring.
- Prepare initial input data for new arrivals, departing staff, music teachers and additional overtime payments.
- Modernise the finance IT package and update the finance manual.
- Oversee and administer school fee collection, process supplier payments and invoices.
- Prepare and present the annual accounts for the annual statutory audit and liaise with the auditors and implement audit findings.
The successful candidate will be:
- A fully qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA) or at Finalist level.
- Experienced in budgeting, forecasting and producing management accounts.
- A fantastic communicator.
- Experienced in developing and implementing financial systems and internal controls.
- Confident assisting with annual audits and in the preparing of annual accounts.
This position will be based officially at the head office in central London next to St Pauls Cathedral and will require the postholder to work from the office with occasional hybrid working. The closing date for applications is 23rd April, with interviews taking place the week commencing 29th April.
Applications will be under constant review before the closing date, so please submit your application to our exclusive search agent, Robertson Bell. Apply now to be considered!