Location: Remote working in the UK Responsible to: Head of Finance Contract: Full-time, 37 hours per week/Permanent Salary: Starting at £35,300 per annum, increasing to £ 38,180 after a year of service Advert closing date: 17th March 2025 at 9 AM Interviews: We will be interviewing on a rolling basis, please apply as soon as possible Who we are? Speakers for Schools is the largest social mobility charity in the UK. We help to level the playing field between state and independent schools by giving all young people access to the same prestigious networks available to the top fee-paying schools. We believe that by inspiring young people to explore their ambitions through our speaker programme, facilitating access to multi-day experiences of the world of work, and supporting young people to successfully seize opportunities available to them, then we can make a profound difference to the lives of young people, their future happiness and prosperity. By 2028, our ambition is that every young person in the UK has access to high quality work experience. Yet today, less than half of young people leave secondary school having had any work experience whatsoever. Role Summary At Speakers for Schools, the Assistant Accountant oversees a range of finance tasks including supporting the Head of Finance and Senior Leadership Team to oversee the day-to-day finances and sustainability of the charity. Proficiency in Sage accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite, along with strong attention to detail and organisational skills, is essential for success in this role. The Assistant Accountant plays a vital role in maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, and supporting daily financial operations. Key Duties / Responsibilities Strategic Purpose Support financial operations by ensuring accurate record-keeping, assisting in budgeting, and maintaining compliance with financial regulations. Provide key data and insights that aid decision-making, helping the SLT and Head of Finance to optimise financial performance, control costs, and forecast future trends Efficiently handling transactions, reconciliations, and financial reporting, enabling the charity to maintain financial stability and focus on long-term sustainability. Engagement Help colleagues with Click Travel expenses and credit card booking Provide ad-hoc reporting to the Head of Finance, as required Be the point of contact internally and externally during the Head of Finance's absence Working closely with senior leaders to ensure that their financial operation requirements are met efficiently and effectively Provide details to customer for setting us up as a supplier, to set up supplier portals, review contracts/agreements as required. Building relationships with engagement managers and influencing them where possible Improve the financial knowledge of your budget holders, arranging and attending regular meetings and ensuring they have access to necessary tools and information. Delivery Manage the reconciliation of all bank accounts (inc. payroll payments) and company credit card bills Arrange for invoice approvals in a timely manner Manage weekly payment runs Maintain the supplier records on the system Create and process Click Travel department reallocation journal and report on a weekly basis Maintain the fixed asset register and post depreciation journals Perform bank and credit cards reconciliations monthy Maintain the prepayments schedule and post prepayment journals Manage accruals and post journal at month end Accurately reconcile the balance sheet within defined timescales Accurately prepare and submit the VAT return quarterly Complete Office for National Statistics Business Surveys monthly/quarterly/yearly by the specified deadline Create and process monthly salary journal and reconcile account create HMRC PAYE invoice Reconciling Salesforce to Xero to ensure that all proposals are invoiced and paid. Ensuring systems and processes are as efficient as possible Note : This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties required. Education / Experience / Knowledge Essential: Working experience in accounting function Practical experience with an ERP software Excellent Microsoft Office Skills Experience in successful cross-functional working with stakeholders at different levels Willingness to use initiatives to resolve issues and seek solutions A desire for continual improvement, embracing technology and driving efficient ways of working ACCA/CIMA part-qualified or equivalent Desirable: Background in SME or charity bookkeeping Practical experience with Dext, Approval Max and Salesforce Experience with Xero software Speakers for Schools Values PASSION: We are committed to levelling the playing field for young people across the UK, creating social mobility and tackling disadvantages. AGILITY: We challenge our ideas of what is possible in order to better meet the needs of those we support. We are human, make mistakes, learn, evolve and adapt. INTEGRITY: We act with empathy and bring our authentic selves to work every day. We value and respect the talent, time and intentions of those we work with. COLLABORATION: We are one team with one mission and only by working together can we deliver better outcomes for young people. We support each other unconditionally and feel motivation in shared success as well as individual progress. DIVERSITY: We know it takes people with different ideas, strengths, identities, interests, and cultural backgrounds to make our organisation succeed. We encourage constructive debate and critical friendship. Benefits offered at Speakers for Schools: 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (with Morning of your birthday off Pension scheme EAP Scheme 3 voluntary days per year Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption package Subsidised office furniture £500 a year training allowance Death in Service (4x Salary) Diversity at our core Speakers for schools is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process and encouraging equality and diversity among our workforces. As a Disability Confident Employer, we acknowledge that some candidates may require additional support to overcome barriers experienced during the application process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please reach out to us via recruitmentspeakersforschools.org The Application Process: Please apply as soon as possible by submitting your application through our recruitment portal via Bamboo. The deadline to submit your application is Monday 17th March at 9AM. Please note that we reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications We will be interviewing on a rolling basis. Please apply as soon as possible. Speakers for Schools is committed to safeguarding the young people we work with and expects all staff members to share this commitment. Appointees are subject to a DBS check. Having a criminal record will not automatically exclude applicants. You are also required to have the Right to Work in the UK for this role. If you have not heard from us two weeks after the closing date, please presume your application has been unsuccessful.