Finance Assistant

Finance Assistant

Reports to:
Senior Finance Manager

Location:
Hastings (Ark Alexandra)

Contract:
FTC (maternity leave cover until July 2025)

Pattern:
37.5 hours per week, term time only

Closing date:
01/11/2024 at 10am

Interviews:
w/c 11/11/2024 (in person)

Full- time salary:
£23,500

Term-time salary:
£20,213

About the role:

As Finance Assistant, you will be an integral part of the regional finance team responsible for ensuring high standards of financial integrity within the region’s academies. You will support with the daily and monthly financial processes, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook. This role is primarily based in Ark Alexandra but you may be asked to work across the region on occasion and as directed by the Senior Finance Manager or Regional Finance Director.

Key Responsibilities:

• To perform routine financial transactions on Concur including processing purchase orders, placing orders with suppliers, receiving delivered goods and processing supplier invoices
• Preparing supplier payment runs for approval on the banking software and issuing remittance advices to suppliers. Performing regular reconciliations of supplier statements for review by the Senior Finance Manager
• Recording all income and expenditure using PS Financials
• Raising sales invoices and undertaking credit control to ensure monies are received in a timely manner
• Posting agreed journals in line with regional deadlines
• Supporting the Regional Finance team in running reports from PS Financials as required to show and monitor expenditure against specific budget headings and ensure that these are distributed to budget holders
• Controlling petty cash, ensuring receipts are obtained for all purchases and proper records are maintained
• Assisting with audits and implementing the recommendations on financial control from the Auditors or Department for Education
• To ensure that approved procedures are followed in ordering, receipting and authorising purchases of goods and services; advise the Principal or RFD at any point that a procedure is not followed
• To ensure that all cash received is properly receipted, recorded and banked

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• Relevant qualifications including maths GCSE or equivalent
• Highly competent computer skills, in particular using Excel and financial databases
• Experience of purchase ledger and accounts receivable procedures
• Experience of financial procedures, cash handling and cash security
• Strong numerical and financial skills
• Strong literacy and communication skills, both written and oral
• Ability to communicate effectively with pupils, non-financial staff members and external suppliers
• Understands the importance of confidentiality and discretion
• Capable of independently managing tasks with minimal supervision

About Ark

We’re an international charity, transforming lives through education. We exist to give every young person, regardless of their background, a great education and real choices in life. In the UK, we’re a network of 39 schools, educating around 30,000 pupils in areas where we can make the biggest difference and we’re recognised as one of the highest achieving academy groups in the country. We want to change the lives of children everywhere, not just in our own schools. So, we create and incubate Ventures designed not only to help pupils in Ark schools, but also to improve education systems.

You’ll be joining a group of like-minded, ambitious individuals who work collaboratively and are all committed to our core mission, that every child has the potential to succeed. Having just celebrated our 20 th anniversary, we are shaping our goals for the next 20 and there has never been a more exciting time to join us.

Benefits

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Friday 1 st November 2024 at 10am
but please note: we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this advert may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response.

This ATS application form should take no longer 20 minutes to complete. At any time, you can pause, save, and log back in. If you have any difficulty with meeting the deadline for application, please contact

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment – this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link .

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link