How you'll make a difference
You will be make a difference as a School’s Finance Officer by working as part of a small team to provide specialist, professional support services covering all areas of finance to enable schools to fulfil their statutory obligations and strategic functions. Ensuring schools maximise the funding available to deliver the best opportunities to young children. This is a term time only position plus 10 working days and a limited term contract until 31 December. What will you be doing?
1. You will be taking responsibility for supporting and advising a number of schools through structured on-site visits and office based support to ensure the effective financial management of school resources. This may include attending meetings of managers and/or School Governors as required (including evenings).
2. You shall ensure that schools and budget holders understand and comply with South Gloucestershire’s accounting practices and procedures.
3. You will be using budgeting and accounting software to provide budget modelling and basic information (for example pay rates) to assist schools with their budget setting and monitoring. This includes advising schools on recovery plans and staff reduction arrangements as appropriate.
4. You shall be handling queries via the helpdesk on a rota with other members of the team providing advice and support, and taking ownership for responding to and/or resolving queries and requests from initial contact with the customer.
5. You will be providing financial training and support direct to School Business Managers, Finance Admin Staff, Head teachers, and Governors in school as well as delivering training for a number of schools.
What we need from you
6. You will have a qualification to Association of Accounting Technician level or working towards it, or hold a School Business Manager Qualification (for example level 4 Diploma in School Business management (formerly CSBM)) or equivalent experience in a relative area.
7. You shall have experience of using computerised databases and monitoring systems, for example CIVICA and HCSS (Access Education) and be proficient in MS Office Packages (including Word, Excel, Outlook).
8. You must have a good understanding of the financial requirements of local authority schools and academies including budget setting and monitoring. E.g. with experience of working at an appropriate level in an educational establishment, a local authority finance department or another organisation supporting schools financially.