Job description

We are looking to recruit a Group Finance Manager to work in our Head Office in Loughton, Essex to a group of four private schools. The role will include the management of the Accounts Department, which has two Group Accounts Administrators.

Conditions of the Role

This is a full time position with the 'core’ hours of 8am until 4.45pm daily at the Head Office building in Loughton. The role comes with a starting salary of £48kpa and holiday entitlement of 25 days + bank holidays. The successful candidate should be able to start as soon as possible.

Sp ecific Duties and Responsibilities:

Management Accounts:

To use Sage Accounts to its fullest extent for all postings, journals and reports.
To oversee financial accounting activities and ensure that ledgers accurately reflect money coming in and out of the company.
To coordinate the preparation of management accounts and monthly reports including accruals, deferrals and prepayments.
To prepare and review regular profit and loss statements and balance sheet reconciliations, and provide detailed analyses of results.
To provide oversight and management of the Capex expenditure and provide regular updates to the Director.
To reconcile intercompany financial movements, prepayments and accruals.
To monitor and maintain the Group’s fixed assets registers.

Cash flow Forecasting:

To manage the rolling cash flow forecasts and prepare monthly cash flow reports, KPIs and budgets.
To support the management team in analysing, understanding and interpreting the operational and financial performance of the business.
To forecast all overhead costs.
To produce financial reports that provide insight for effective decision making.

General Accountancy:

To liaise with key stakeholders including accountants, bankers and HMRC.
To assist the Group Bursar with the administration of the monthly salaries, including claim forms, deductions, additions and reviews.
To assist the Group Bursar with the administration of the Group Pension Scheme.
To assist the Group Bursar with the monitoring of school trips/workshops costs.
To assist the Group Bursar with the monitoring of school budgets.
To assist the Group Bursar with reporting to the Financial Conduct Authority.
To support the Group Bursar and Director with the annual fees review.
To assist the Accounts Administrators with the reconciliation of the monthly bank statements and posting to Sage.
To support the Accounts Administrators with the purchase ledger, including posting to Sage and implementing regular BACS runs.
To monitor the Barclaycard and Amex transactions to check for changes in charges.

School Fees Administration (Sales Ledger):

To support the Accounts Administrators with the administration of all fee invoices and schedules, including:

To log the receipt of all fees deposits for prospective pupils and maintenance of records on the Engage database for future reference.
To check that all fees, fee adjustments and charges both in advance and arrears are correctly entered against each pupil at the four schools.
To ensure that information is inputted onto the Engage database where necessary.
To liaise with the School Offices about chargeable activities such as clubs, peripatetic music or SEN support and providing this information in a timely fashion for inclusion in fee invoices.
To help despatch invoices for all pupils at the four schools electronically to the agreed timescale.
To help handle parental queries on invoices, including the generating of duplicate invoices.

Credit Control Administration:

To support the Accounts Administrators and Group Bursar with the collection of fees, including:

To process payments by Credit/Debit Card when requested by parents by telephone, on line or in person.
To send fees reminder emails and/or texts at the end of the first week of each term as required.
To telephone parents who still have unauthorised late fees by the end of the second week of each term.
To chase fee payments at all other times as necessary by telephone and/or email.
To chase club payments for pupils who have left.
To track payments received and update fees spreadsheets daily.
To create a diary system for the chasing of regular monthly payments and keep aged debtor reports up-to-date.
To report to the Group Bursar if the collection of fees from any family becomes a concern.

VAT Returns:

To produce accurate VAT records and submit monthly VAT Returns within HMRC expected timeframes.
To keep accurate records of VAT due to be applied to school fees and reasons for any exemptions.
To ensure that all VAT reclaimable from HMRC is reconciled and claimed in a timely manner.
To ensure that any VAT due to be paid to HMRC is paid in a timely manner in accordance with HMRC rules.

Person Specification

Essential:

ACA/ACCA or equivalent fully qualified or near-fully qualified
Extensive knowledge of local laws, taxes, licenses, finance and accounting practices, and procedures
Experience in a finance environment working with management accounts
Experience within a fast paced and innovative environment
Advanced knowledge of Sage Accounts
Advanced MS Excel skills
Ability to analyse data and prepare comprehensive and accessible reports
Strong oral and written communication skills
Exceptional financial and analytical skills
The ability to sets clear goals and align job objectives to the requirements of the business
The ability to prioritise own workload and multitask
The ability to support colleagues by responding effectively and efficiently to requests for help & information
Flexibility to work extra hours at peak times

Desirable:

Proven leadership skills
Accounting/finance degree
Previous experience working with credit control

The Role Comes With:

Competitive Annual Salary
Company pension
25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays in addition.
Free parking
Free eye test
Free tea/coffee and lunches!

OAK TREE SCHOOLS HOLDINGS LIMITED

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Group Finance Manager