Trust Accountant Huddersfield, England
Job description
Trust Accountant
RECRUITMENT PACK
CONTENTS
1. Our Trust
2. Job Description
3. Person Specification
4. Benefits of Joining
Impact Education Multi Academy Trust
Our Trust
I am proud to welcome you to Impact Education Multi Academy Trust. The
Trust is on a mission to improve the life chances of children and young people and improve social mobility for the disadvantaged.
Our vision is to be a Trust Where Hearts & Minds Connect; values-driven partners working collaboratively to ensure education impacts positively on students, families, communities and staff.
Impact Academies are aligned to the Trust Mission, Vision and Aims. Our Academies have individual identities which reflect the diverse communities they serve. They have the autonomy to create, explore and learn from different practices and our Headteachers believe that leadership and personal accountability are founded on self-direction and reflection.
We believe that collaborative leadership and strong partnership development can lead to a significant positive impact on the quality of education through sharing the best collective practice.
Our values of Heart, Mind and Connect underpin everything we do and our Core Principles and
Aims articulate how we will live these out.
Best Wishes,
Mick Kay
Chief Executive Officer & Accounting Officer
Impact Education Multi Academy Trust
A Department for Education (DFE) approved academy sponsor based in West Yorkshire.
Founded in 2016, Impact Education Multi Academy Trust consists of eight academies including primary, secondary, all-through and alternative provision sectors across Calderdale and Kirklees.
Due to employee relocation, we are looking to recruit a highly experienced finance professional, reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, to be one of two trust accountants whose core role is to provide a first-class financial service to our ever-growing number of academies. This is a fantastic opportunity for the right individual to use a wide portfolio of their finance skills, and develop their professional career, in a tremendously supportive environment.
The central finance team undertake all the financial work of our academies and the central trust, in very modern purpose-built offices, at our headquarters in Bradley. As the ideal candidate you will have: as a minimum the AAT advanced qualification (Level 4) or be a qualified or part-qualified chartered accountant; considerable experience of preparing, monitoring and reporting on, budgets in a medium to large sized organisation; a thorough understanding of a recognised accounts package; and the experience or a demonstrable ability to successfully manage small teams.
Educational familiarity would undoubtedly be beneficial, though this could be an opportunity for someone to move into public sector finance, given the right transferable skills and abilities.
Job Description
Post: Trust Accountant
Trust: Impact Education Multi Academy Trust
Overview: To be responsible for the delivery of a first-class accountancy and financial service to the Trust and selected academies, including internal and external stakeholders
Salary: SO2/PO2, NJC SCP 26 – 32 (£32,909 - £38,296)
Contract Type: Full time 37 hours flexible to suit work needs
Holiday entitlement: 30 days holiday + bank holidays, increased by 5 days on completion of
5 years continuous service
Responsible to: Chief Finance Officer (CFO)
Responsible for: Finance Officer/s & Finance Assistant/s
*
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Management Accounting
- Support the Headteacher and academy’s leadership team in the preparation of the annual budget, and maintain and update the academy’s 4 – year budget projection plan.
- Perform full month-end reconciliations and period closures, identifying any errors, and taking corrective action to ensure the Trial Balance and Balance Sheet are correct
- Monitor the Academy’s income and expenditure throughout the year, comparing to budget, and advise the Headteacher of potential over or under-spends, risks, and necessary virements. Flex and revise the budget termly as required by changes in operational circumstances.
- Produce accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual management accounts and other financial information and reports as required, in a timely manner, and in a format understandable and suited to the audience.
- Meet periodically with Headteachers to review the academy’s I&E and financial position
(balance sheet) including regular review of cash flow.
Financial Accounting
- Assist in the preparation of the year-end financial statements and other periodic and statutory submissions e.g. Annual Accounts Return, VAT claims.
- Update, maintain and become expert in Iris Financials - the management accounting system for the academies and Trust.
- Prepare financial reports for the Headteacher/Local Governing Bodies and attend meetings to review those reports when required to do so.
- Meet periodically with the Trust CFO to review financial performance and KPIs across the academies.
- Liaise with auditors and facilitate all audit requirements. Implement audit recommendations in full to an agreed timescale.
- Be responsible for the allocation to academies of all grant funding including the retention of top-slice and other central service fees
Financial Leadership
- Oversee all day-to-day transactions in the Trust and academies’ ledgers, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and conformity to Trust procedures and audit standard, reporting any issues to the Chief Finance Officer.
- Conduct performance management for the finance officers and assistants within the academy’s PM cycle.
- Verify and authorise the journal transactions of other finance staff in all ledgers.
- Provide training and support to other finance officers and staff within Impact Education
MAT when required, as new academies join the Trust.
- Identify and implement improvements to the finance function to the benefit of the Trust, its academies, and their stakeholders.
Financial Transactions
- Perform an exceptions report of monthly payroll and resolve all anomalies at each academy, obtain written approval by the headteacher of the finished payroll, and authorise payroll to run.
- Collate the trust’s monthly VAT returns and prepare and submit a periodic claim to HMRC ensuring claims are full, complete, legitimate, and that are claims are received in good time.
- Ensure that all grant funding receivable by the Trust and its academies is received in full and on time.
- Be the administrator for the Trust and its academies’ bank accounts, including setting up new accounts, users, coordinating their starter packs, applying access rights, authorisation rights, and delivering training when required.
- Monitor the Trust’s cash flow and bank accounts, ensuring liquidity is maintained.
- Be the administrator for the Trust and its academies credit cards, including setting-up new card accounts for joining academies.
- When required, undertake routine transactions in Purchase Ledger, Sales Ledger, Cash Book, and Nominal Ledger.
Other responsibilities
- Attend and participate in meetings as required.
- Liaise with internal staff and external agencies where necessary.
- Contribute to the overall work ethos and aims of the Trust and its academies.
- Be willing to undertake any other professional duties as required by the CFO and CEO of the
Trust.
- Always display conduct befitting of a professional and always be an advocate of the Trust and its academies.
General
This job description is subject to special employment conditions relevant to working in schools, which will be updated in accordance with the latest legislation and guidance:
- Enhanced DBS disclosure; and two supportive references.
- Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Children and young People: adherence to academy policies and procedures at all times.
- Health and Safety: compliance with academy policy and taking responsibility for relevant risk assessment and personal H+S.
- Confidentiality and Data Protection: compliance with the relevant Acts and observing and maintaining full confidentiality and security for all personnel details, personal, contractual and salary related matters.
- Equality and Diversity: compliance with academy policy and Equality Duty obligations, ensuring all dealings with others are based on respect.
The post-holder must uphold the Trust’s ethos and values, promoting the safety, happiness and well- being of staff and students of the academies.
This job description is not a comprehensive definition of the post by including every task and function in full detail and will be subject to modification or amendment at any time after consultation with the post-holder. Employees of the Trust will be expected to comply with any reasonable request from the
Executive Leadership Team/direct line-manager to undertake work of a similar level, commensurate with the grade and job title, which may not be specified in this job description. Employees are expected to be courteous to colleagues and provide a welcoming environment to all who may visit or contact the Trust.
Employees are expected to carry out their duties in the most effective, efficient and economic manner.
Employees are expected to be committed to continue their own personal development in the relevant area, undertaking training as deemed necessary and to maintain any relevant certification/qualification compliance for their role. Employees are expected to participate fully in
the staff appraisal review process.
This post is subject to a six-month probation period.
Impact Education Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding staff and students and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. All posts are subject to an enhanced Disclosing and Barring Service DBS check. All interviews will include a question about
Safeguarding and any anomalies identified in pre-recruitment checks will be discussed at interview.
Essential Desirable How Identified
Attributes
Knowledge & Skills, Qualified or part-qualified accountant or AAT Level 4 Advanced Knowledge of financial reporting and Application Form
Qualification/Training/ Diploma. making statutory returns to funding
Competencies bodies and regulators eg. ESFA, Interview
(Including any relevant Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent with a minimum A*-C in Companies House.
or required English and Maths.
qualifications) Knowledge of and ability to set, revise and flex budgets of over £1 million in a medium sized organisation of over 25 staff.
Advanced knowledge of and ability to work competently, in PL,
CB, SL and NL, and supervise others working in those ledgers.
Ability to perform account reconciliations and identify and resolve routine errors.
Ability to produce and interpret finance reports (eg. to monthly management accounts) that are accurate, timely, understandable, and can be audited back to their Trial Balance.
Ability to identify and make periodic accounting adjustments such as prepayments, accruals, deferred income and accrued income.
Ability to set, organise and supervise, the work of finance assistants and officers, in small teams, and demonstrate leadership to those teams.
Knowledge of the principles and application of Best Value, Value for Money, and propriety and probity in the public sector.
Able to undertake the performance management of line- managed staff, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and training requirements.
Excellent numeracy and literacy.
Skilled in the use of Microsoft Office and in cloud-based applications.
Ability to work as part of a team.
Personal Development Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop and lead an Application Form
and Additional effective team, working with colleagues and external agencies.
Learning Interview
Shows a commitment to the professional development of self and other team members. References
Experience Experience in setting, monitoring and reporting on budgets in a Experience of using Iris/PSF accounts Application Form
medium-sized organisation with turnovers over £1 million. package.
Selection Process
Experience of financial management and budget monitoring in an Experience of writing financial academy school or similar. reports based on I&E and commenting on the financial
Considerable experience of using a recognised commercial position of an organisation. accounts package including control account reconciliation and the identification and correction of errors.
Experience of audit, audit expectations, and implementing post- audit action plans.
Experience of managing finance staff.
Experience of delivering training and support to other users of financial systems and processes, including external clients.
Experience of working in a busy office environment
Experience of using ICT systems for the management of financial information.
Experience of working within a team, and of leading a finance team.
Initiative Ability to prioritise work and plan to meet financial deadlines. Application Form
Ability to work under pressure and deal effectively with Selection Process conflicting priorities.
References
CircumstancesKnowledge and understanding of safeguarding in schools Application form
Understands the importance of confidentiality and working in a Interview discrete manner where appropriate
Flexible approach to work (e.g in the holidays) or additional time if demand dictates.
Benefits of Joining
All staff within our Trust will receive a planned induction to ensure that your career with us gets off to the best start possible. Our staff can also apply to take part in a range of external development programmes, including NPQs and other role-specific CPD is also actively supported.
You will also have opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge by working across the Trust on school improvement workstreams.
Staff wellbeing is important to us and colleagues new to the Trust will be automatically enrolled into our employee benefits platform ‘Smart Hive’, which gives access to a range of benefits:
- Car Benefit Scheme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Employee Assistant Programme (Including LifeWorks health & wellbeing portal & App
- Face-to-face or telephone counselling (also available for immediate family members)
- Online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) (also available for immediate family members)
- Gym Discounts
- Mobile phone deals
- Retail Discounts Scheme
- Westfield Health – voluntary Everyday Health Plan – e.g claim back optical and dental payments
We also provide an online HR Policy handbook so that you can easily look up information on areas such as Maternity/Paternity leave, Attendance procedures and requesting special leave.
For further information about working for Impact Education MAT, please visit our website:
www.i-mat.org.uk/working-for-us/
How To Apply
Please download and complete the application form online using the above website
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £32,909.00-£38,296.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Store discount
- Wellness programme
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- No weekends
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Huddersfield, HD2 1GQ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Education:
- Diploma of Higher Education (required)
Experience:
- accounting: 2 years (required)
Work Location: One location
Application deadline: 27/02/2023
