Director of Finance

Director of Finance candidate required within the Further Education sector

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified accountant

Client Details

To be accountable for the leadership, planning, and organisation of all finance provisions and related regulatory and audit compliance for the College.

• To ensure timely completion of complex and detailed financial returns as required, including preparation of published financial statements.
• To lead the College in the design and implementation of effective financial delivery processes, controls, systems, and procedures.
• To provide strategic business analysis and accountancy, deliver effective key customer service support, and to be responsive to performance issues.
• As a Member of the College Directorate Team to implement strategies, policies and procedures that ensure the quality and sustainability of support services, including leading the delivery of specified change initiatives.

Description

As part of the College's management team, to contribute to the overall strategic development of the College.

• Ensure a culture of continuous improvement, identifying ways to drive efficiency through redesign and development of financial processes.
• Promote strong relationships with teams across the organisation to ensure the delivery and improvement of the finance function to further enhance internal and external reporting.
• Act as operational finance lead on cross-functional improvement projects.
• Promote effective working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders including External Auditors and Bankers.

Lead the team responsible for the delivery of monthly management accounts for the College.

• Responsible for understanding all income streams and maintaining reconciliations for all income streams, identifying monthly adjustments required to accurately record this income within the management accounts.
• Lead the team responsible to assist in all aspects of the budgeting and planning processes under the direction of the Chief Operating Officer.
• Lead the budget monitoring and forecasting process for the College with all budget holders within the agreed framework for the College, ensuring effective budget meetings with all budget holders.
• To review, collate and advise of the business plans produced by budget holders, supporting managers in the preparation of budgets.
• Ensure delegation limits are clearly understood and these are maintained and reflected within annual budgets.
• Ensure that the Finance Team have a clear understanding of the current and developing funding body rules on finance the proper use of funds and student eligibility, addressing their impact upon the operations of the financial and commercial aspects of the College management and taking the necessary actions to ensure adherence.
• Management of the balance sheet, including reporting against budget/forecast, and completion of relevant control procedures such as balance sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure the smooth, well-controlled and timely delivery of month end and year end close, working across the Finance team to develop and improve this in line with best-practice.
• Overall responsibility for maintaining the Fixed Asset registers, posting of depreciation and reconciliation to the finance system.
• Overall responsibility for reconciling all Balance Sheet and College Bank accounts.

Ensuring compliance with Tax legislation and timely submission of VAT and Corporation Tax returns.

• Ensure year-end and month end close down is maintained in the finance system.
• Ensuring the nominal ledger is maintained to sufficient accuracy and with sufficient timeliness to support the management accounts team.
• Lead on the production of the year end accounts for the College and its subsidiary.
• Overall responsibility for the collation of the required Audit Documentation, managing the day to day interaction with the audit team and ensuring that audit queries and requests are answered in a timely manner.

To be responsible for the line management, support, supervision, and professional development review of designated staff, setting and monitoring performance and targets as appropriate.

• To lead on the recruitment and selection of staff and the designation of their responsibilities and duties.

Profile

Accounting qualification (e.g. CIMA / ACCA / ACA)

Substantial knowledge of both management and financial accounting

Knowledge and understanding of the financial and regulatory framework affecting Further Education

Excellent IT knowledge, particularly in Microsoft Excel, and developing financial systems reporting

High level spreadsheets and pivot tables used by managers as an information tool

Experience of managing a finance team, including conducting appraisals and objective setting

Experience of producing monthly management accounts and year end statutory accounts and audit documentation

Experience of ERP Systems - Agresso (Unit 4)

Experience of new system implementations

Experience of procurement regulations for government funding bodies and evidence of achieving value for money

Job Offer

25 days holiday

Generous pension

Free parking

Hybrid working

Subsidised canteen