Childrens trust

Head of Finance 

Tadworth, Surrey

£50,000 - £55,000 per annum

Job Purpose

In this rewarding new role, you will lead on the overall direction, management and delivery of an empowering and forward thinking financial service. Working as a key member and leader of the resources team, you will inspire and motivate colleagues, developing a confident and highly capable team and embed a culture of continuous development.

Duties and Responsibilities

As the leader of the finance team your primary role will be to develop a highly capable and motivated team that supports operational managers. You will provide proactive insights, and enable the effective use of resources whilst developing flexible and efficient processes and systems.

You will be responsible for a finance team delivering a comprehensive finance service within an agreed timetable to include: statutory accounting, monthly management reporting, budgeting and forecasting, fixed assets, credit control, purchase ledger, banking and payroll.  The role is also responsible for compliance with all necessary obligations in respect of payroll, VAT, tax, Companies House and the Charity Commission. There is also the need to work with others to ensure continuing compliance with our external regulators, CQC and OFSTED.

You will be the key driving force in leading a programme of finance change management that will deliver significant benefits in eliminating waste in the processing of financial transactions, freeing up financial staff to provide better quality services to the organisation on a day to day basis. As part of this task you will also undertake a review of all finance systems.

You will enable the charity to exercise tight control over its finances through the rigorous management of its working capital, treasury function and capital expenditure processes. You will lead on the development of the budgeting process that will not just ensure our finances are controlled, but will allow managers to understand and communicate the implications and trade-offs for the choices they are recommending.

The reporting you develop will support the transformational agenda of the charity, empowering managers to manage their financial resources and eliminate waste. Strategically, the use of three year plans will enable us to understand the opportunities and risks and develop a financial strategy that supports our objectives.

The Head of Finance will be expected to liaise with internal customers across the charity as well as with external providers including our auditors, banks and insurance providers. The post holder will act as the key contact for the support of our finance system as well as deputising in the absence of the Director of Finance & Operations at SLT and any other relevant meetings as may be required.

Person Specification

Selection Criteria

Education & Qualifications  

•    Degree level or equivalent –Desirable
•    Relevant professional accounting qualification (ICAEW or equivalent) – Essential
•    Project management qualification – Desirable

Experience & Skills
Essential:

  • Qualified accountant with minimum 8-10 years PQE
  • Experience of leading and developing  a Finance team
  • Evidence of leading a transformational finance agenda
  • Ability to present data in a clear manner
  • Competent user of Excel and other Microsoft packages including ability to build advanced models (VLookup, Pivot Tables)
  • Experience of cash flow preparation and forecasting
  • Sound knowledge of VAT rules and experience of completing VAT returns
  • Sound knowledge and experience of statutory accounts preparation including audit schedules
  • Experience of working with budgets and budget holders
  • Ability to work with high volume transactions to time constraints
  • Experience of implementing new systems and processes

Desirable:

  • Experience in a role with similar services and  funding streams
  • Evidence of a good knowledge of contemporary methodologies e.g. reporting planning and  lean
  • Evidence of commercial and business acumen
  • Knowledge of public  sector (NHS/LA) commissioning
  • Evidence of designing, developing & delivering creative  initiatives that support strategy

Safeguarding

The Children’s Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. To achieve our commitment, we will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust safeguarding processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce.

Applicants for this post will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) (previously Criminal Records Bureau). The Children’s Trust operates within the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice.  The Children’s Trust has a policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders, a copy of which is available on request.  A criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining a position at The Children’s Trust.  This post is, however, exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exemptions) Order 1975.  Applicants are, not therefore, entitled to withhold information about convictions, however long ago these occurred, including those which for other purposes are ‘spent’ under the provisions of the Act.  In any event of employment, any failure to disclose such convictions could result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Trust.

Health and Safety

•    Ensure that all People risk assessments are updated in line with targets set in Health & Safety KPIs
•    Monitor and review regular reports on Mandatory training to ensure that the targets set within the current Health & Safety KPSs are achieved.
•    Ensure personal and People team compliance with Health & Safety policies and procedures

Equality and Diversity

The Children’s Trust recognises the value of diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity. We expect staff to be treated with dignity and respect and solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, political beliefs and affiliations, family circumstances or other irrelevant distinction. We expect all staff to share this commitment and promote equality and diversity amongst their teams.

Values

The Children's Trust is the UK's leading charity for children with brain injury.  Our vision is for all children with brain injury to have the opportunity to live the best life possible.  Our ambition is to provide a professional service where the children and families are at the centre attention of what we do. 

For us to be able to use this opportunity and to achieve this vision & ambition, we require all of our staff to be actively promote and share our values that bring us closer to achieving our goal. 

Our values are: Child and family focused, collaborative, can do, fun, caring and supportive.