Head of Finance

Location: Remote working in the UK, with travel when required

Responsible to: Director of People & Operations

Salary: Starting at £60,000 per annum, moving to £65,000 after a year of service

Contract type: Full-time/Permanent, 37 hours a week

Closing date: Friday 1st November 2024 at 9 AM

Interviews: We will be interviewing on a rolling basis, please apply as soon as possible.

 

Who we are

Speakers for Schools is the largest social mobility charity in the UK. We help to level the playing field between state and independent schools by giving all young people access to the same prestigious networks available to the top fee-paying schools. 

We believe that by inspiring young people to explore their ambitions through our speaker programme, facilitating access to multi-day experiences of the world of work, and supporting young people to successfully seize opportunities available to them, then we can make a profound difference to the lives of young people, their future happiness and prosperity. 

By 2028, our ambition is that every young person in the UK has access to high quality work experience. Yet today, less than half of young people leave secondary school having had any work experience whatsoever.   

 

Role Summary

Reporting to the Director of People & Finance, the Head of Finance will oversee financial activities in the charity with the support of a team of two.  The Head of Finance is responsible for overseeing the financial management, planning, and reporting functions to ensure the charity's fiscal health and compliance with regulatory standards. This role takes responsibility for developing and implementing financial strategies, managing budgets, forecasting, and financial risk, as well as ensuring accurate financial records and reporting for both internal and external stakeholders. The Head of Finance works closely with SLT to align financial planning with the charity's mission and business plan, provides financial insights for decision-making, and ensures that funding is managed efficiently to maximise impact. Additionally, they line manage the finance team and liaise with auditors, HMRC, pension bodies and fundraising stakeholders as required.

 

Key Duties/ Responsibilities:

Strategic Purpose:

• Oversee the financial operations of the charity
• Implement robust internal financial controls and compliance with the Charity’s accounting/finance policies and procedures
• Responsibility for compiling annual budgets, 3-yr forecasts (budgets, cashflows, reserves)
• Provide strategic advice to the trustees on all aspects of finance and taxation

Engagement:

• Collaborate with HR to ensure delivery of payroll
• Act as first POC with the bank for all banking matters
• Work with HMRC on PAYE, VAT and Corporation tax issues
• Line manage the Finance Team
• Be the "technical expert" across the Finance function, advising on best practice and the application of accounting standards across the business
• Working with the finance team to implement systems/processes to prevent errors in data collection and calculations
• Support with the income related activities of the Fundraising and Business Development teams
• Preparing timely and accurate financial information reports to senior executives, stakeholders, and board members.

Delivery:

• Responsible for cash management, and manage cash flow by tracking transactions and regularly reviewing internal reports to inform working capital requirements
• Monitoring ongoing budgetary performance and efficiency and the production of monthly management accounts
• Responsibility for financial postings to the charity accounting system
• Manage all aspects of financial management and ensure financial procedures, policies and systems are up to date and fit-for-purpose
• Claiming gift aid in a timely manner
• Submitting the monthly pension file to the Pension Administrator in a timely manner
• Process all payments to suppliers, staff and HMRC in a timely manner
• Deliver an efficient month-end and year-end process
• Continuously improve the accounting systems, including payroll and invoicing
• Ensure that all financial transactions are properly recorded, filed, and reported
• Lead the audit process, working with auditing services to ensure proper compliance with all regulations
• Preparing and submitting the VAT return for the charity on a quarterly basis
• Filing corporation tax, charity and Companies House returns
• Undertake any finance-related activities necessary to support the charity
• Providing financial training for non-financial managers

 

Skills /Experience / Knowledge:

Essential:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Proven experience in a senior finance role, with knowledge of financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial risk management
• Experience working in the charity sector, with a strong understanding of charity accounting standards and relevant tax regulations
• Ability to oversee cash flow, financial transactions, and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Experience with HMRC compliance, pension administration, and ensuring regulatory adherence
• Proficiency in financial reporting, including producing management accounts and presenting to stakeholders.
• Experience in line management
• Strong interpersonal skills

Desirable

• Proficiency with Xero accounting software and financial systems
• Strong IT skills
• Strong collaboration skills with internal teams

 

Speakers for Schools Values

PASSION: We are committed to levelling the playing field for young people across the UK, creating social mobility and tackling disadvantages. 

AGILITY: We challenge our ideas of what is possible in order to better meet the needs of those we support. We are human, make mistakes, learn, evolve and adapt. 

INTEGRITY: We act with empathy and bring our authentic selves to work every day. We value and respect the talent, time and intentions of those we work with. 

COLLABORATION: We are one team with one mission and only by working together can we deliver better outcomes for young people. We support each other unconditionally and feel motivation in shared success as well as individual progress. 

DIVERSITY: We know it takes people with different ideas, strengths, identities, interests, and cultural backgrounds to make our organisation succeed. We encourage constructive debate and critical friendship. 

 

Benefits offered at Speakers for Schools:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays  

• Morning of your birthday off  

• Pension scheme  

• 3 voluntary days per year 

• Wellbeing programme 

• Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption package 

• Subsidised office furniture 

• Perkbox  

• £500 a year training allowance  

 

Diversity at our core

Speakers for schools is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and encouraging equality and diversity among our workforces. As a Disability Confident Employer, we acknowledge that some candidates may require additional support to overcome barriers experienced during the application process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please reach out to us.

 

The Application Process:

Please apply as soon as possible by submitting your application through our recruitment portal. 

The deadline to submit your application is Friday 01 November 2024 at 9 AM. Please note that we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications 

We will be interviewing on a rolling basis, please apply as soon as possible.

Speakers for Schools is committed to safeguarding the young people we work with and expects all staff members to share this commitment. Appointees are subject to a DBS check.   Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude applicants. You are also required to have the Right to Work in the UK for this role. 

If you have not heard from us two weeks after the closing date, please presume your application has been unsuccessful.