Education Accountant

Education Accountant - Stafford (with 50% Tavel) - Permanent - £30,000 - £35,000

*** Inteviews will take place on Wednesday 9th November - applicants will need to be available for interview on this day ***

About the role

An opportunity has arisen in the Entrust Education Finance Services team for an Education Accountant to join their friendly and well regarded team providing support and advice to academies and maintained schools.

We are therefore looking to strengthen our team by recruiting a qualified (or nearly qualified) accountant who is interested in developing a career in the education sector and has a particular interest in academy finance.

If you have good technical accounting skills, enjoy working with a range of people and are happy to travel and deliver briefings and training, then we encourage you to apply.

About Capita | Entrust

Capita PLC is the UK's leading customer and business process management (BPM) company. We deliver back office administration and front office customer contract services to private and public sector organisations across the UK and Ireland. Capita had a turnover of £4.7bn in 2015 and employs 68,000 people.

Entrust is a joint venture between Staffordshire County Council and Capita to provide education support services.

Entrust work in partnership with schools and academies from over 50 Local Authority areas to provide specialist expertise offering a vast range of education services from school improvement to schools HR, finance and IT. Entrust also facilitate, broker and signpost school-to-school support to ensure the outstanding practice in schools is shared.

Key Responsibilities:

Statutory Financial Responsibilities

• Advise and support academies with their responsibilities to produce statutory accounts that are compliant with Companies Act legislation and UK GAAP. This may include preparation of extended trial balance and financial notes for external audit

• Advise and support academies with their responsibilities to provide financial returns to their monitoring body, the Education Funding Agency (EFA)

• Support academies with the production of VAT returns to HMRC

• Respond to changes in the financial reporting framework in this rapidly developing area and advise supported academies accordingly

  
  Financial Management advice and guidance

• Provide support and guidance on the operation of the academy's financial systems

• Provide advice and guidance on the academy's budgetary and financial control procedures

• Assist in preparation of annual and multi-year budget plans for the academy and advise on alternative budget strategies.

• Assist in developing strategies and tools for cash flow management

• Advise the academy on current and alternative funding streams

• Review, update and report upon the academy's annual and multi-year budget plans

• Recommend to the academy how to implement national initiatives

  
  Development of the Support Service to Academies

• Work with the Senior Schools & Academy Accountant to develop the traded support provided to academies to ensure it is a profitable and cost effective business line

• Under the direction of the Senior Schools & Academy Accountant, visit and advise schools considering conversion to academy status and promote the financial support services offered

• Become an expert in academy finance and ensure this knowledge is kept up to date in a fast moving area

• Train and support both finance staff in academies and School Support Officers in the team

• Raise the profile of the academy support service to academies nationwide

  
  Qualifications and Experience

• An understanding of school and/or academy finance or ability to develop

• Qualified Accountant or approaching qualification

• Minimum of 2 years' experience within the finance sector at an appropriate level

• Excellent interpersonal and negotiating skills

• Ability to adapt to a range of finance systems, to specify systems requirements and work with colleagues to develop, test and implement solutions

• An ability to work flexibly, significantly under ones own initiative

• Ability to train others, either one to one, in small groups or in larger briefings.

• Ability to identify and pursue revenue generation opportunities for a traded service

• Adaptability; working hours may include evenings when required

• Suitability to work with children and young people including meeting the requirements for DBS clearance

• Knowledge of company accounts requirements
  
  What we hope you will do next

  Help us find out more about you by completing our short application process - click apply now.

  Capita operates as an equal opportunities employer and we welcome all applications regardless of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, disability, age, political opinions or trade union membership.

  Listen | Create | Deliver

Capita Resourcing welcome applications from all suitably qualified people regardless of gender, race, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Capita Resourcing is a trading name of Capita Resourcing Ltd. Services offered are those of an Employment Agency and Employment Business. Applicants will be required to register with us.