Job Title: Finance and Operations Manager
Contract: Permanent
Hours: 35 hours per week (however, we will consider part-time 28 hours per week)
Salary: £38,000 - £45,000 per annum
Location: The successful candidate will either be posted at our office in London or Colchester: Coram Campus, 41 Brunswick Square, London, WC1N 1AZ or Colchester Wellington House, 4th Floor, 90-92 Butt Road, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3DA
About Coram
Coram is the UK’s oldest children’s charity founded by Thomas Coram in London helping vulnerable children and young people since 1739. Today, the Coram group helps more than one million children, young people, families and professionals every year by providing access to the skills and opportunities they need to thrive.
One of the nine members of the Coram group, Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) is the UK’s specialist centre for children’s rights in education, immigration, community care and family law, and provides significant international legal systems consultancy. The centre is located on the Coram Campus in central London with bases in Colchester and Leeds. We champion access to justice through information and advice, legal practice and representation, policy and strategic litigation. Our Legal Practice Unit provides advice and representation primarily under legal aid contract. Our Migrant Children’s Project promotes the rights of refugee and migrant children, young people and families through the delivery of advice, practice change through training and capacity building to professionals and systems change through research, policy and advocacy.
About the role
This role will provide financial and operational leadership and management for CCLC particularly focussed on the Legal Practice Unit and the Migrant Children’s Project but with support for the Child Law Advice Service and Coram International where required. Managing a small finance team, the role will hold primary responsibility for core financial functions within CCLC including legal aid billing and management and tracking of grant and other charitable funding. Through systematic and efficient financial management, the post holder will play a pivotal role in CCLC’s financial sustainability. The role will act as a key point of contact with Coram’s central finance team and a range of internal and external stakeholders on financial matters.
The role will also oversee the smooth running of the London and Colchester offices through line management of operations and administrative staff.
The role would suit a high organised and efficient business support professional with experience of financial management within the legal or charity sector. In particular, candidates with experience of legal billing and more specifically, civil legal aid billing, would be welcomed.
This is a largely office-based role in order to fully provide support to the finance and operations team. However, some remote / hybrid working may be possible depending the experience of the candidate after the initial settling in period (to be negotiated with the successful candidate).The finance team are split between the London and Colchester offices and the post holder should expect some travel to both locations. The large majority of the legal and policy team are based in London and as such regular (at least twice weekly) presence in our London office will be expected. However, on other days the candidate could be based in the London or Colchester office.
Whilst this is a full-time position, we will consider requests for part-time working (28 hours per week minimum) and we will endeavour to offer some flexibility with days and hours to be agreed.
To apply for this role, please click on the 'apply now' button below to complete the application.
Closing date: Monday 13th May 2024 at 23:59
Test and Interview date: Week commencing 20th May 2024
Coram is an equal opportunities employer and we believe a diverse workforce enables us to improve the services to the children and families we help. We are genuinely committed to encouraging candidates from all sections of the community we seek to support. This includes those from, Asian, African, Caribbean and other minority ethnic backgrounds, those that identify as LGBQT+, those with disabilities, those with lived experience of care, those with neuro-diversity, and those from other groups who are underrepresented at Coram.
If applicants feel comfortable, we would encourage them to draw on lived experience as well as professional experience in their personal statement as part of their application.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and where appropriate will require the successful applicant to undertake a check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Registered Charity No. 312278.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Purpose of the post
The Finance Business Partner plays a crucial role within HDR UK, as the key point of contact and financial support for the Institute Office teams. The Finance Business Partner supports key non- finance stakeholders to provide timely and insightful analysis and reporting and supports with the alignment of financial plans to operational and strategic priorities. The role will support the HDR UK’s non- Core funds and programmatic areas and will be responsible for proactive fund financial management, supporting the Fund budget holders in ensuring appropriate planning and utilisation of the fund expenditure. The role is responsible for maintaining clear and effective communication between the Finance team and the wider business and for ensuring that financial concepts and priorities are understood by the programme teams.
Main responsibilities
- Work with Budget Holders to manage financial performance, forecasts, and budgeting including understanding financial opportunities and risk for the area of business partnership.
- Hold responsibility for the financial management of a number of large and strategic funds, including financial reporting to funders and maximising fund utilisation.
- Lead on monthly reporting to Programme teams, including posting month end journals, meeting with Budget Holders to discuss performance and budget variance and providing commentary and analysis on reports.
- Work with the Associate Directors of the Finance team to plan, deliver, and review the annual budget and quarterly forecasts.
- Support with the continuous review and update of the 5-year financial plan.
- Support with projects and new process development to continuously improve and evolve our approach to internal financial reporting and modern finance business partnering.
- Support the Finance Business Partnering function with ad hoc reports and grant management and reporting.
- Provide training and advice to individuals internal and external to the Finance department.
- Support the Finance Officer with ad hoc queries and helpdesk needs.
- Support the Junior Finance Business Partner in utilising JET Reports to generate monthly management accounts for our Senior Leadership Team and Budget Holders, ensuring their accuracy and timely delivery.
Experience
- CCAB qualified or part qualified, or with a minimum of 4 years practical experience in financial analysis or business partnering roles.
- Experience of grant or fund management, reporting, and liaising with external funding bodies.
The following is desired but not essential:
- Prior experience of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Prior experience of JET reporting software.
- Experience developing financial models.
- Experience of producing financial reports.
- Experience of working in the higher education or not-for-profit sectors.
Skills
- Excellent understanding of financial concepts.
- Ability to interpret complex data and apply problem solving techniques.
- Ability to support a number of different colleagues at the same time with their business partnering needs, managing competing priorities.
- Attention to detail and a focus on quality in the outputs that are produced.
- Service oriented and comfortable continuously developing and refining processes and reporting.
- Works with others as one team, actively listening and collaborating to achieve a shared vision.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively and confidently with people at all levels.
- Ability to communicate complex financial concepts to non- finance stakeholders.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- Proficient with Microsoft Word and Outlook.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.