Regional Finance Manager
Reports to: Regional Finance Director
Location: North London Region (home school will be Ark Academy in Wembley)
Contract: Permanent
Pattern: Full Time (37.5 hours per week)
Closing date: 01/11/2024 at 10am
Interviews: Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised
Salary: £38,000 to £50,000 (depending on experience and qualifications)
About the role:
This is an exciting opportunity to join Ark Schools' Regional Finance team, supporting Ark's academies in North London.
As Finance Manager, you will be an integral part of the team responsible for ensuring high standards of financial integrity within the academies.
You will work closely with (and report to) the Regional Finance Director and will also work with the relevant Principal(s) and Operations Lead(s) in the school(s) you support. For your home schools, you will manage the monthly financial processes, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook, leading financial planning and partnering with the Principal and other senior staff to ensure effective strategic decision making. You will then provide support to other schools as directed by the Regional Finance Director.
Key Responsibilities:
- Prepare the management accounts and related analysis, posting of month-end journals, and ensuring bank and control account reconciliations are completed monthly
- Take responsibility for the academy's accounting procedures, ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to, including reviewing payment runs and payroll
- Prepare the annual budget and reforecasts for approval by Ark
- Partner with the Principal and other senior staff to ensure effective financial management, adherence to budget, and strategic decision-making
- Take responsibility for and line manage the school's finance support staff, including overseeing training, development, and performance reviews
- Drive forward initiatives promoting value for money, best standards, and ensuring best practices are implemented across the region
- Ensure compliance with Ark Schools' data protection rules and procedures
Key Requirements:
- Right to work in the UK
- Experienced part-qualified accountant or fully qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA or ACA)
- Experience of running effective administrative and financial systems, ideally within a school environment
- High level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel and the wider MS Office suite
- High level of proficiency with PSF (accounting system), Concur (invoicing system) and IMP (budgeting system) are all desirable
- Experience using financial databases and confidence and interest in learning new technologies
- Line management experience (desirable)
- Experience in managing and negotiating contracts, tenders and agreements (desirable)
- Understanding of relevant legislation, policies and procedures and the ability to apply this understanding to real situations
- Strong organisational and time-management skills and the ability to delegate appropriately
- Ability to skilfully manage and maintain effective working relationships with parents, governors, community members and other stakeholders
- High standards and a keen eye for detail
- Keen to learn and further develop own skills
About Ark
We're an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we're a network of 39 schools, educating around 30,000 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we're recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.
You'll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.
Benefits:
- 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years' service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
- Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
- As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
- Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
- Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests
How to Apply:
Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Friday 1st November 2024 at 10am but please note: we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this advert may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response.
This ATS application form should take no longer 20 minutes to complete. At any time, you can pause, save, and log back in. If you have any difficulty with meeting the deadline for application, please contact
Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.
Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.
Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, b