Head of Finance - Exeter Students' Guild

Exeter Students’ Guild

Head of Finance

Salary: £53,000 - £60,000 FTE / pro-rata

Location: Exeter, Devon – with hybrid/flexible working arrangements

Contract: Permanent – preference is for 21 hours per week (0.6, part-time) but applicants wishing to explore 0.8 or full-time will be considered.

Are you a values-driven finance professional looking to play a crucial role in the smooth running and continued development of a busy Students’ Guild? We are looking for someone eager to help us become a sector-leading organisation dedicated to helping students love Exeter and ensure every person in the Guild is working towards that mission. 

About the Students’ Guild

We are privileged to represent and enhance the experiences of over 26,000 students at the University of Exeter. As an independent charity, we offer a wide range of opportunities, services, and support to help students get the most out of their time at university. Our vision is to empower students to take their place in the world and make a positive difference. We pursue our purpose through the following:

• Influencing the Exeter student experience to ensure it is both a high quality, value-for-money experience for all students and transforms their lives. 

• Collaborating with students to ensure there is a supportive, inclusive, empowering and enriching community at Exeter for every student. Students are proud of Exeter and feel they belong to the community here. 

• Connecting Exeter student life to the wider world, ensuring that both whilst studying and beyond that, Exeter students and graduates are networked and connected.

Based across one of the most beautiful university campuses in the UK, the Guild offers a flexible, supportive and collaborative working environment and has a huge appetite for innovation and new ideas.

About the Role

Repoting to the Chief Executive, the Head of Finance will lead and direct the Finance department to deliver a comprehensive service to the organisation and its stakeholders, supporting the Guild to achieve its strategic goal of helping all students to ‘Love Exeter.’ This means taking overall responsibility for all finance functions including setting the financial goals, budget, forecast, and policies that align with the Guild’s vision and mission.

Joining a settled working team and a positive working environment, the incoming Head of Finance's duties will include:

• Collective leadership of the Students’ Guild as a member of a high performing senior leadership team.

• Development and delivery of organisational and finance specific KPIs.

• The provision of accurate and informative financial information within an agreed timeframe including monthly management accounts.

• Leadership of a budgeting and forecasting process that enables the organisation to make informed decisions.

• Accurate and timely submission of returns to required regulatory bodies, including financial, company and charitable returns.

• The smooth and efficient management of external and internal audit processes and excellent administrative standards across the Students’ Guild.

• Effective performance management and development of colleagues within the Finance team, ensuring a strong focus on customer service and continuous improvement.

• The finance function is an effective business partner that support the delivery of strategic goals across the Guild. 

Who we’re looking for

The role would best suit a finance professional with proven experience in a finance management role, with a focus on supporting finance business partnering. Applicants should be able to demonstrate skills in financial management of monthly accounts, budgets, forecasts and cashflows, and managing financial month-end and year-end processes and reporting – with an emphasis on providing visual information for stakeholders. Skills In VAT, managing payroll and an understanding of charity finance principles would be an advantage. A commitment to the Guild's values and a commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion is also expected.

The role manages a small finance team. Financial year-end is 31st July and the finance system used is Access Accounts.

The preference for the Head of Finance vacancy is for the role to be part-time for 21 hours per week (0.6), however the Guild are open to considering candidates wishing to work more hours, whether that be 0.8 or full-time, 5 days per week. The role will be hybrid in nature, with the expectation for a minimum of 2 days per week on campus. The Guild welcomes suggestions and requests for flexible working, job shares, condensed hours, and homeworking.

The Guild offers an excellent benefits package, including: 27 days holiday plus bank holidays & winter closure, paid time off to support with caring responsibilities & volunteering, sustainable travel incentives, a confidential employee advice service, wellbeing days, discounts via Perkbox and up to 6% employer pension contributions.

The Guild has a genuine commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, and people with a diverse range of skills, backgrounds and experiences are encouraged to apply.

How to apply

Key Dates:

Closing Date: 12pm on Monday 19th August 2024

First Stage Interviews (Remote): Thursday 5th September 2024

Final Interviews (In-person): Thursday 12th September 2024

Please click 'Apply’. We will then send the Recruitment Pack, Job Description, and full details of how to apply.

For an informal conversation about the role and application process, please contact our recruitment partners, Marble Mayne Recruitment