Finance Manager

Trust Finance Manager

The Shared Learning Trust are seeking to appoint a Trust Finance Manager to join our strong and welcoming team We are looking to recruit a dependable and organised individual to support our trust and academies in all aspects of financial management. Thisis a highly varied and diverse role where no two days are the same, you will have the chance to continue to grow and gain experience within a highly successful trust and dedicated Finance team. The rewards are a strong market salary with an opportunity todevelop a career in a successful trust where your only career limitation is your ambition. For the right person, I promise you it’s going to be a great job.

Experience Knowledge & Understanding

Drive the central finance team Action Plan to ensure delivery

Support the Finance Director in the management of the finance team ensuring skills and experience are commensurate with service to be delivered, and represents value for money.

Lead the preparation and reporting of the monthly management accounts for each academy and the trust to the Executive Leadership Team, individual academies, Local Governing Bodies, and the Trust’s Finance Committee. Where areas of concern are identified,these are reported upwards effectively. Attendance at the Finance Committee is required

Work with the Executive Leadership Team and academy budget holders, build annual budgets and ensure their reporting and approval is in line with the Academies Financial Handbook.

Have a real love of finance

Be an advanced Excel user

Have experience of working in a fast pace environment

Ideally have experience of working in Education

Have excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workloads which continually change

Have the ability to use a common-sense approach to problem solving

Be keen to join a fast-growing trust with a family friendly ethos

Be keen to contribute to a result orientated fun environment

Have a great attitude and positive outlook

Have a good general standard of education

Computer literate

Be able to communicate at all levels

Main

**Responsibilities**:

- Drive the central finance team Action Plan to ensure delivery
- Support the FD in the management of the finance team ensuring skills and experience are commensurate with service to be delivered, and represents value for money.
- Lead the preparation and reporting of the monthly management accounts for each academy and the trust to the Executive Leadership Team, individual academies, Local Governing Bodies, and the Trust’s Finance Committee. Where areas of concern are identified,these are reported upwards effectively.
- Work with the Executive Leadership Team and academy budget holders, build annual budgets and ensure their reporting and approval is in line with the Academies Financial Handbook.
- Ensuring that financial transactions are appropriately recorded.
- To improve the timeliness, accuracy and relevance of the financial management information provided by the team.
- Ensure year-end tasks are completed to ensure there is compliance with the requirements of the Academies’ Financial Handbook and the Academies’ Accounts Direction. Ensure financial statements are completed and information is submitted to external auditin accordance with the agreed timetable and that all statutory returns are completed and audited on time.
- Management of the MAT bank reconciliation, ensuring reconciliations are completed on time and approved.
- Checking of monthly payroll reports prior to approval by the Finance Director.
- Lead induction/training and support for finance staff.
- Analysing monthly finance reports and liaising with academy finance managers.
- VAT - reconciling control accounts and submitting VAT returns
- Standardising practices across the Trust to ensure efficiency and clarity of reporting.
- Budget setting and monitoring.
- Ensure financial regulations and procedures are fit for purpose and reviewed at least annually.
- Overall responsibility for the robustness of the financial systems of reporting and ensuring that income is accurately recorded and reconciled to funding allocations, invoicing is appropriately managed and recorded and that bad debt is minimised and workingcapital effectively managed.
- Liaise with ESFA on funding, and ensure the academies are supported in receiving the correct funding.
- Checking of all supplier payments.
- Ensure smooth running of BACS payment runs for all academies.
- Leadership of the trust’s management accounts; directing and overseeing all processes
- Management of the annual audit and statutory reports including annual returns
- Management of insurance provision.
- Any other duties commensurate with this role as directed by the Finance Director.

OTHER DUTIES/ RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide leadership, motivation, support and performance management for all direct reports
- Ensure that direct reports are appropriately trained and developed and performance managed
- Ensure that high standards of professional behaviour and performance are achieved
- Contribute actively to the development of quality improvement programmes across the trust
- The safety and well-being of our children is central to our ethos and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Ensure the trust and academies Safeguarding Policy and child protection practices are adhered to and enforced at all times.