Regional Finance Manager

About The Role

As Regional Finance Manager, your role is an integral part of the schools in the region, responsible for ensuring high standards of financial integrity. 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.

As this is a maternity cover position, the role will develop over time, providing the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of our systems and processes. During the first two months, you will undertake the responsibilities of a Finance Officer, supporting 3-4 schools. Following this period, you will transition into the full Finance Manager role, at which point the Finance Officer position will be backfilled. 

This is a regional position to support Ark primary academies across London.   This regional role will involve travel within West London where we have schools based in Ealing, Westminster, Hammersmith, Brent and Wandsworth.  You will be based over 3-4 schools which you will visit periodically with the remainder of time at our central office in White City. Your schools may vary on an annual basis.  You will work closely with the Finance Manager and will also work with the relevant Principal and Operations leads at the school(s) you are supporting.

The Regional Finance Manager will report into Regional Finance Director – London Primaries. This role is based in West London with travel to local schools on a fixed term basis working full time.

1^st round interviews will be taking place virtually with 2^nd round interviews taking place in person on w/c Monday 30^th November.

Key Responsibilities- Finance Officer

• Working closely with the Finance Manager and Operations Leads to ensure the continuing financial stability of the school
• Ensuring accurate and timely processing of purchase invoices and other documents using SAGE Intaact accounting software, reconciling supplier statements, and preparing payment runs for authorisation
• Reconciling schools bank accounts, credit card statements and financial ledgers
• Assisting the Finance Manager with the preparation of month end and year end accounts
• Working with the Operations Leads to ensure goods and services are processed in compliance with current and relevant procurement legislation, ensuring best value is achieved
• Support the Finance Manager in driving forward change and initiatives which promote regularity, propriety, value for money and best standards

Key Responsibilities – Finance Manager

• Ensure timely production and issue of financial reports, cash flow forecasts and returns as required, including ad hoc review and projects
• Prepare the management accounts and related analysis, posting of month end journals, ensuring bank and control account reconciliations are carried out monthly in line with the Ark month-end pack
• Prepare the monthly financial reports, analysis and updates for the Local Governing Body (LGB) and present at the meetings where required
• Prepare annual budget and reforecasts
• Take responsibility for the academy’s accounting procedures, ensuring all policies and procedures are adhered to within the academy, including review of academy payment runs and payroll
• Take responsibility for and line management of the school’s finance support staff, including arranging appropriate training and development, conducting induction, probation and performance management reviews
• Partner with the Principal and other senior staff to ensure effective financial management, adherence to budget and strategic decision making

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 SAGE Intaact (accounting system) and IMP (budgeting system)
• Experience using financial databases and confidence and interest in learning new technologies
• Line management experience
• Experience in managing and negotiating contracts, tenders and agreements
• Understanding of relevant legislation, policies and procedures and the ability to apply this understanding to real situations
• Knowledge and understanding of the education sector
• Strong organisational and time-management skills and the ability to delegate appropriately
• Ability to skilfully manage and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and other stakeholders
• Ability to manage own time to enable multi-school regional working
• Able to work effectively and remain organised in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment

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

About Us

There are 34,000 students learning in our network of 48 schools across Birmingham, Hastings, London, Pontefract and Portsmouth. We’ve always believed that, with the right approach, every child has the potential to succeed. We work in the communities where we can make the biggest difference to children’s lives, and all our schools are non-selective. 

It works: our schools achieve great results – significantly outperforming national averages, especially when it comes to driving progress – the best measure for ‘closing the gap’.

We take what we learn in our schools to develop new solutions and approaches that we can share. Over the last two decades, we have developed and incubated more than 20 projects and programmes, supporting them to scale and achieve systemic impact on the life chances of all children. Over 300,000 children currently learn using an Ark curriculum and our Ark Start nurseries are demonstrating a new model for early years education that we hope will become the norm.