Main Purpose of the Role
The Group Finance Manager will prepare the monthly management information as needed by the business, including rolling cash flow forecasting. They will also be able to assist with general accounts matters including the preparation of the accounts ready for the external auditors and support the purchase/sales ledger team.
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 holiday entitlement of 25 days + bank holidays and is to start as soon as possible.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
Management Accounts:
* To oversee financial accounting activities and ensure that ledgers accurately reflect money coming in and out of the company.
* To prepare monthly management accounts with commentaries.
* To monitor and maintain the Group’s fixed assets registers.
* To provide regular analysis of the Capex expenditure to the Director.
* To reconcile intercompany financial movements, prepayments and accruals.
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 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 work alongside the Accounts Administrators to ensure accuracy of postings and underlying financial data.
* To assist with the administration of the Group Pension Scheme.
* To assist with the reconciliation of the monthly bank statements and posting to Sage.
* To support 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 with the administration of all fee invoices and schedules, including:
* To support the Group Bursar and Group Managing Principal with the annual fees review.
* To log the receipt of all fees deposits for prospective pupils and maintain records.
* To liaise with the School Offices about chargeable activities such as clubs, peripatetic music or SEN support and ensure this information is provided promptly for inclusion in fee invoices.
* To help despatch invoices for all pupils electronically to the agreed timescale.
* To help handle parental queries on invoices, including generating duplicate invoices.
* To liaise with School Fee Plan as an appointed agent.
Credit Control Administration:
To support 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 contact debtors with 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.
Preparation of Salaries
To support with the monthly salaries.
* To collate claim forms and apply them to the monthly salaries for each member of staff.
* To monitor and apply any salary changes.
* To calculate any changes in deductions/additions for the month.
* To calculate any changes in pensions.
* To diarise and apply any future changes to monthly salaries.
* To work with the Group Bursar on the day of applying the salaries to ensure all changes are applied.
* To help with the annual salary review where necessary.
Chargeable Trips/Events
To support with the monitoring of trips, events and workshops, including:
* To check that costings forwarded by the schools are accurate.
* To ensure that expenditure is covered by fees charged.
School Budgets
To support the Group Bursar with the monitoring and assessing of school budgets, including:
* To check the usage of each area of the budget.
* To assess the need of purchases with the Group Bursar.
* To summarise the overall spend and feed back to the Director.
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.
General Duties:
* To deal with incoming correspondence and e-mails.
* To deal with general enquiries by telephone, email and in person.
* To record and file information when necessary, always in strict confidence.
* To maintain the highest level of confidentiality and discretion at all times.
* To follow the Schools’ Data Protection Policies.
The Group Finance Manager should also be prepared to undertake other such specific duties that may be assigned by the Group Management Team from time to time.
Person Specification
Essential:
* ACA/ACCA or equivalent fully qualified or near-fully qualified.
* Several years’ experience in a finance environment working with management 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
* Excellent level of attention to detail.
* Clear demonstration of honesty, integrity, reliability and confidentiality.
* The ability to prioritise own workload and multitask.
* Flexibility to work extra hours at peak times.
The Role Comes With:
* Competitive Annual Salary
* 25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays in addition.
* Free parking.
* Free eye test.
* Free tea/coffee and lunches!