Your Academy Your Future

Your Academy Your Future

Your Academy...Your Future

Post Title / Finance Director
Purpose /
  • To provide effective and efficient management of Academy finances.
  • To assist the Principal in ensuring the achievement of the highest possible educational standards, creating an atmosphere and structures in which students feel valued and staff have high expectations of them.
  • To be responsible for all strategic financial planning and implications, ensuring the Academy makes the best use of all resources.

Responsible to / Principal
Responsible for / Finance Department/Finance Staff
Contract Type / Permanent
School Type / The Academy is a publicly funded independent secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16.
Grade / To be negotiated
Disclosure Level / Enhanced
KEY FUNCTIONS
  • To be responsible for strategic financial planning, in conjunction with the Principal, ensuring that the academy makes the best possible use of resources available.
  • To manage the academy budget effectively and efficiently in conjunction with the Principal.
  • To lead the Finance Team and those staff covering financial processes.
  • To assist the Facilities and Centre Manager with the maintenance of the academy site and the buildings, and the efficient operation of all facilities on the site.
  • To develop fundraising ideas.
  • To be responsible for the preparation of annual budgets, management accounts and audited annual accounts and their presentation to Governors and all necessary government company returns.
  • To be responsible for Health and Safety for the academy.
  • To assist the Principal with the day to day running of the academy.
  • To develop the Academy’s hire activities, the Sports Centre and associated activities.
  • To develop community engagement.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
Finance
  • Manage Finance Staff.
  • Be responsible for purchase ledger and ordering system.
  • Be responsible for income ledger, payroll, VAT returns, and banking.
  • Be responsible for uniform stock and sales, sundry income collection, cloakroom and fixed asset register.
  • Be responsible for FSM, Parent Direct Debits, the lunch card system and community engagement.
  • Manage all financial aspects of the Sports Centre.
  • Supervise monthly payroll preparation and controls.
  • Authorise monthly VAT returns, reconciliations of bank, petty cash and credit card controls.
  • Plan cash flow and treasury investments.
  • Prepare and plan annual whole‐Academy budget and departmental/faculty budgets.
  • Prepare monthly management accounts.
  • Prepare documentation for termly FAGP meetings.
  • Prepare annual payroll report for Pay Committee.
  • Prepare annual financial statements and supporting audit file.
  • Review and update long‐term forecast periodically.
  • Submit annual DFE GAG returns, WGA (Whole Government Accounts), AC1 forecast for budget purposes, FMFE financial self‐evaluation return and any other statutory information requirements.
  • Manage any external funds/project returns.
  • Submit annual review of Risk Register.
  • Provide Governing body support.
  • Liaise with, and manage, relationships with auditors, banks, DFE, EFA and other external agencies.
  • Manage annual audit.
  • Manage all Responsible Officer audits as directed by the Governing body.
  • Check the annual GAG calculation and local authority grants received.
  • Prepare final review/authorisation of POs and Invoices and BACS payments.
  • Ensure Principal is updated on a monthly basis.
  • Prepare all returns for Principal including audit reports/statements for financial accounts.
  • Complete all checklists with the Principal.
  • To use financial management information, especially benchmarking tools to identify areas of relative spend, assess trends and directly advise the SLT accordingly.
  • To be responsible for the management of the Academy accounting function, ensuring it efficient operation according to agreed CFA procedure.
  • To monitor all accounting procedures and resolve any problems, including:
  • The ordering, processing and payment for all goods and services provided to the Academy
  • The operation of all bank accounts, ensuring that a full reconciliation is undertaken at least once per month
  • Maintaining an asset register
  • Preparation of invoices and collection of fees and other dues, taking legal action where necessary to recover bad debts
  • To prepare the final accounts and to liaise with internal and external auditors, reporting immediately any exceptional problems.
  • To be responsible for dealing with the Academy’s rating assessment and VAT liabilities and advising on the financial implications of charitable status with respect to the current and any future tax legislation.
  • To maximise income generation within the ethos of the Academy.
  • To be the point of contact with central and other agencies with regard to grant applications, gifts and other donations.
  • To be responsible for securing bid-based competitive funds by effective use of bidding systems and contracts.
  • To negotiate, manage and monitor contracts, tenders and agreements for the provision of support services, including overseeing those included within the Local Authority’s Service Level Agreement.
Facilities
  • Termly review meetings with Facilities and Centre Manager and Leadership and Business Support Manager.
  • Plan annual budget and hold half termly review meetings with Catering and BLS.
  • Half termly reviews with the Facilities Team and Sports Centre.
  • Overall financial management of minor and major works projects with Facilities and Centre Manager and regular maintenance schedule.
  • Key Holder for emergency call outs.
H&S
  • Assist with the preparation of documentation for termly Health & Safety Committee meetings
Personnel
  • Financial Admin staff overview and coordination of admin financial functions and associated school activities
  • Line management of the Finance Team
Legal
  • Initial coordination of insurance claims against Academy
  • Review of contractual commitments in all areas
  • Review of SLAs/contracts
Other
  • Take part in the academy Performance Management policy, appraising staff as required and using the process to develop the personal and professional effectiveness of the appraisee.
  • Actively support and participate in the general smooth running of the Academy.
  • Be a key member of Senior Staff.
  • Undertake any other tasks as reasonably required by the Principal.
  • The post holder may reasonably be expected to undertake other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility that may be allocated from time to time.

Person Specification

Qualifications /
  • Educated to degree level or equivalent.
  • Recognised finance qualification (eg ACA, CIMA, CIPFA, ACCA).
/ E
E
Knowledge /
  • Company law relating to finance
  • Charity law relating to finance
  • HMRC and payroll
  • VAT (preferably in relation to charities)
  • Bank accounts/Investment options
  • Audit
/ E
E
E
E
E
E
Experience /
  • Experience of financial management in the commercial, charitable and education sector
  • Experience of working with project staff and other budget holders to ensure sound financial management across the organisation
  • Previous experience of working with school Governing Bodies.
  • Experience and knowledge of challenging schools and related financial planning
/ D
D
D
D
Technical/work-based skills /
  • Excellent numeracy skills
  • Use of financial accounting packages such as Corero/PS Financials
  • Proficient use of IT, in particular Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint and Word for the presentation of financial information and the design of effective working documentation
/ D
D
D
Personal /
  • Sense of humour
  • Team player
  • Understanding students of a secondary school age
/ E
E
D

Safeguarding children and young people

Castle View Enterprise Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. We expect all staff to share this commitment and undergo appropriate checks, including an enhanced DBS check.

SIGNED
(Line Manager)
SIGNED
(Post Holder)
Date
(to be reviewed)