Regional Finance Assistant

Reports to: Finance Manager

Location: North London (home school Ark Academy, Wembley)

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Term Time only plus 4 weeks – 37.5 hours per week

Full Time Salary: £24,000 to £30,000 (depending on experience)

Closing date: 21/08/2023 at 10am

Interviews: Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised

Term Time Only Salary: £22,863 to £28,578 (depending on experience)

About the role:

This is a school-based position located at an Ark all-through academy in Wembley. You will work closely with (and report to) the Finance Manager and will also work with the Principal and Operations Director at the school. You may be required to support other schools within the region should the need arise (this would primarily be remote support).

As Finance Assistant, you will be an integral part of the school, responsible for ensuring high standards of financial integrity. You assist the finance manager in the day-to-day financial processes and administrative procedures required of the academy, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook.

Key Responsibilities:

• To ensure high standards of financial probity and value for money within the academy
• To assist the Finance Manager, with the day-to-day financial processes and procedures required of the academy, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook
• Take responsibility for the processing of financial transactions within the academy, including purchase orders, invoicing, credit card reconciliation, BACS payments and petty cash
• Undertake monthly bank reconciliations
• Be responsible for the receipt, safekeeping and banking of all monies received by the academy
• Work with the Finance Manager to achieve the most competitive pricing for goods and services in compliance with current and relevant procurement legislation
• Accurately administrate and manage the school resources ordering system across both primary and secondary phases
• Contact outstanding payment balance holders (who owe the school money) by telephone and post and agree and record approved payment plans

Key Requirements:

• English and Maths GCSE grade A-C, or equivalent
• Part-qualified AAT, ACCA, CIMA, ACA
• Experience of running effective administrative and financial systems, ideally within a school environment
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially excel, PSF financials and Concur
• Experience using financial databases and confidence and interest in learning new technologies
• 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
• High standards and a keen eye for detail
• Keen to learn and further develop own skills

View the full job description and person specification here

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 28,500 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 20^th 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
• A flexible approach to working with understanding and consideration for work life balance and personal commitments
• 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 Monday 21^st August 2023 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 recruitment@arkonline.org

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, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.