Financial Controller

A new and exiting Financial Controller opportunity for an Education establishment

**Client Details**

A reputable education establishment

**Description**

The key responsibilities:

- Leading and motivating a small Central Finance team, providing direction and development,performance appraisals and reviewing all their work, including balance sheet reconciliations
- Responsibility for assisting DF to develop to a brand new ERP system (Oracle Cloud) alongside the Head of Finance Systems
- Assisting the Director of Finance to continually develop the existing systems and controls in this fast pace and rapidly growing business
- Monitoring Federation performance against budget, ensuring no overspends
- Providing business and financial support to the Director of Finance as required, to include assistance in setting budgets and reviewing reports on accruals and variances
- Setting the annual timetable for all areas of financial reporting
- Working with the Head of Finance Business Partners to ensure adherence to Federation finance policies and practices, and developing and improving the reporting and efficient running of academies finance function
Liaising with the Internal Audit team to ensure all finance procedures are adhered to and another issues as appropriate
- Reviewing all Academies management accounts and balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring appropriate financial accounting procedures and policies are applied
- Ensuring that the Trust has appropriate insurance cover as well as being the overall group administrator including processing claims as required
- Recording and evaluating all proposals for expenditure on capital and other projects
- Reviewing and monitoring financially all major group contracts such as photocopying, catering and utilities
Preparing consolidation of the Academies accounts and annual budgets
- Managing the Teacher's Pension audit processes
- Planning and managing cash flow, funding and capital expenditure
- Identifying and evaluating opportunities for improving value for money
- Ensuring DfE / ESFA reporting deadlines are adhered to throughout the year
- Preparing and co-ordinating the year-end statutory accounts for all Academies
- Planning and managing the Trust's VAT liabilities
- Compiling the annual P11D and PSA returns
- Investigating, implementing and managing tax-related issues
- Responsibility for all Company Secretarial compliance
- Providing key financial and operational indicators and other data for bench marking and monitoring with other Academies
- Developing the existing finance manual and procedures and documenting all department procedures
- Maintenance of the treasury, including opening bank accounts, updating mandates,credit card management and investigating low risk investment opportunities

**Profile**
- CCAB Qualification, ideally with substantial post-qualified experience
- Recent and relevant continued professional development
- Proven experience of leading a finance and operations function within a medium-large sized enterprise, with turnover/income £80-£300 million.
- Strong commercial acumen that has been demonstrated in providing operational effectiveness in a resource-constrained environment.
- Wide-ranging core Finance experience and commercial skills encompassing the following:budgeting and planning, strong cash-flow management, managing capital expenditure, creating a strong control environment around management and statutory reporting, strongfinancial and management information analysis skills and able to disseminate timely, accurate and relevant reports to key stakeholders.
- Previous experience in building effective teams, developing staff and managing external business liaisons.
- Strong statutory accounts experience; you will be expected to consolidate 50 academies to statutory level.
- Previous experience of working within a Multi Academy Trust would be advantageous, and experience of working in the Education or Charities sector is highly desirable.

**Job Offer**

A new and exiting Financial Controller opportunity for an Education establishment