Gunn Financial Appointments are delighted to be retained by Scottish Autism to appoint a Head of Finance.
The Organisation
Scottish Autism seeks to promote and provide care, education, support and opportunities for people with autism of all ages throughout Scotland. They work tirelessly to create a world where autistic people are understood and enabled to lead meaningful, fulfilling and happy lives as valued members of the community.
Established in 1968 by a group of parents, they are now the largest provider of autism specific services in Scotland and a leading authority and advocate for good autism practice.
They also seek to share their knowledge and expertise with parents, carers and other professionals in order to support the development of skills and strategies needed to provide the best care and support for autistic people. Building partnerships locally, nationally and internally provides them with the exciting opportunity to learn and share their knowledge of good autism practice with other countries.
A key expectation of everyone who works for Scottish Autism is that they live and breathe their values; Collaboration, Change Makers, Compassion and Contribution. Their values come into play throughout everything they do at work – how they work together, and how they deliver services to the people they support and to the people they work alongside.
The Role: Head of Finance
Reporting directly to the Director of Finance and Business Services, you will play a key role in the Finance Leadership Team, which also includes the Senior Finance Business Partners. You will work collaboratively with finance and non-financial colleagues to deliver effective financial control, reporting, systems and processes. You will lead and manage a team of finance specialists who have day to day responsibility for all aspects of financial reporting, financial control, cash management, payables, income, purchasing and payroll.
Key areas of responsibility:
* Working closely with the Director of Finance and Business Services and the Senior Finance Business Partners, providing operational insights to promote the effective leadership of the Finance team
* Maintaining productive working relationships with key external partners, including audit; taxation; pension scheme administrators; banking; VAT; insurance and suppliers
* Interpreting business needs and developing reports, data analysis and KPI’s to measure performance across all areas of the finance, payroll and procurement functions
* Improve data availability, analysis and reporting to support financial decisions
* Lead on the production of monthly management accounts and relevant committee and Board papers
* Preparing the annual budget and quarterly projections
* Managing the external audit and production of the annual statutory accounts
* Overseeing all finance functions, ensuring robust policies, controls and procedures are in place and in line with regulatory and legislative requirements
* Overseeing the completion and submission of accurate and on time external submissions including HMRC, pensions providers and OSCR
* Overseeing Scottish Autism's tax affairs, ensuring appropriate VAT reclaim methodology is in place, and the timely submission of VAT returns
* Co-ordination of annual insurance process
* Actively seeking and supporting initiatives to improve all relevant systems, processes and controls
* Review, identify, document and monitor risks and their mitigating actions
* Departmental workload planning and development of staff
The ideal candidate for the role will…….
* Possess strong leadership and management skills, with the proven ability to develop your team and continuously improve team performance
* Take a collaborative approach to working, actively seeking to contribute to the collective success of the team
* Be customer focused, with a passion for understanding customers’ needs and going the extra mile to meet those needs
* A change maker, always looking for ways to improve processes and service levels, and to add value
* Possess excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build credibility across all levels of the organisation and positively influence outcomes
* Be an excellent communicator with the ability to distil complex technical information into clear simple messages
* Hold strong technical finance experience with the ability to ensure that process controls are implemented and then continuously followed
* Proven ability to prioritise work, manage multiple complex projects and processes simultaneously, working under pressure and operating to tight deadlines
Technical skills required:
* Fully Qualified (CA, ACCA or CIMA)
* Experience of working in a similar or equivalent role
* Proven experience of systems optimisation and process improvement within a financial accounting and control environment
* Experience of practical application of accounting regulations
* Proficient in the use of specialist financial systems and Microsoft applications, in particular Excel
* Possess high level analytical skills
* Experience of managing and developing a team of finance staff, with the ability to do so remotely
The role offers a fantastic opportunity for someone to come in and put their own stamp on the post, whilst working collaboratively with those around them. It’s an exciting time for the organisation as a whole and the role of Head of Finance is being viewed as a key appointment.
It is envisaged that the role will mainly be carried out remotely, however some office attendance will be required.
What’s on offer……..
* Salary banding: £58,874 to £63,000
* Workplace Pension - up to 9% employer matched contributions
* Annual Leave - starts at 32 days and increases to 37 with length of service
* Life assurance scheme
* Competitive maternity pay
* Learning Pathway - 3 pay points for you to progress with at your own pace
* Access to Employee Assistance Program - Free 24/7 support for all colleagues
* Enhanced sick pay - for those times you really need it
* Long service awards - at 5yr increments
* Annual Values Awards – prizes given to those selected
* Learning & Development - sector leading training and development opportunities
* HSF Health Plan
* SA rewards platform – run through Sodexo
* Opportunity to sign up to Blue Light Scheme
* O2 Discounts on contract costs
If this sounds like the type of role that you’ve been looking for, we’d love to hear from you!!
All applications should be sent to Ross Gunn at Gunn Financial Appointments.
Email: ross@gunnfinancialappointments.co.uk