Senior Finance Consultant

Hours: 37.5 hours per week
Weeks: 52 weeks per year
Salary: £42,500+ (depending on experience) 
Holiday: Up to 29 days plus bank holidays*
Looking for candidates based in: Kent, Essex or Surrey.
Start Date: TBC

Benefits

At EduFin we pride ourselves on providing excellent benefits for our employees, they include:

• Excellent career progression prospects.

• Individual progression and training plans

• Access to company wide experience through Teams groups or direct message.

• Competitive salaries; £42,500+ depending on experience

• Half yearly team days out.

• Regular training.

• Healthcare plan.

• Study package and support where relevant to individual.

• Pension scheme.

• Occasional remote working.

• Opportunity to take part in company charity events.

• Opportunity to take part in social events outside of work organised by events committee.

About Us

We are a friendly team and have a positive, upbeat, happy culture. We pride ourselves on being flexible for our staff and provide a good work life balance, but in return we want commitment and passion. 

We have offices in East Malling, however this role will be based at your home address and will require regular travel to clients’ premises.  Mileage will be reimbursed to you at the HMRC rate.

Person Specification

• Being a professional face of EduFin at all times.

• Be a great role model and set an example both internally and externally.

• Actively support the growth, success and reputation of the company.

• Take responsibility and accountability for your workload and cover thereof as necessary.

• Have a positive, upbeat, can-do attitude.

• Have a great work ethic.

• Have a good level of understanding of all services offered by the business to enable confident discussion whenever the need arises (e.g., sales calls, enquiries or visits)

• Have confidence to deal with clients face to face, even in difficult circumstances.

• Be dedicated on your career development and studies (if relevant).

• Build professional relationships to enable collaboration and successful networking within the sector on behalf of the business.

• Showing an active interest in the wellbeing of staff as a whole as well as your direct team members if relevant.

• Be self-reflective; every day is a School day!
  

The Role

As an employee with EduFin, you will gain fantastic insight and experience into the education finance sector. The breadth of the support we offer our clients gives great exposure and ensures that there is never a dull day!

The senior consultant role is a vast one and can include.

• Training school finance staff on the relevant finance software we use,

• Absence cover for Finance Controller / CFO level roles,

• Preparation of monthly management accounts,

• Management of school budgets and forecasts,

• Assisting clients and auditors with the financial statements and year end audit,

• Reporting to Senior Management / Trustees

• Advising clients on best practice based on the Academies Financial Handbook. 
  

Duties

Although the majority of your working day will be on site, fulfilling a role or tasks as set by the client, there are additional responsibilities that this level of role comes with such as;

• Keeping your planner up to date at all times.

• Ensuring client work is scheduled in the planner accordingly to ensure client deadlines / requirements are met.

• Ensuing your line manager is aware of any gaps in your diary at least 4 weeks in advance.

• Ensuring client work is adequately covered when on annual leave, whether by another EduFin consultant, or rearranged to your return.

• Being responsible for arranging client work, i.e. equipment needed for training / what location to go to / who to ask for on arrival / etc.

• Looking for opportunities to promote our services such as Helpdesk / Connect / Software / Consultancy (yourself and others).

• Having a positive presence on LinkedIn on behalf of the company.

• Keeping on top of sector changes to provide the best service possible to clients.

• Keeping up an adequate level of CPD; sourcing your own training opportunities in the areas required to improve your service to clients (requests for funding to line manager).

• Be an effective team leader:

  • Being responsible for the training and development of junior members of the team as required.

  • Resolving issues with staff members in your team in a timely and conducive manner.

  • Conducting appraisals and staff wellbeing check ins as and when required.

• Ensuring you are always delivering added value to clients.

• Having an input and focus on marketing needs of the company.

• Any other duties as required from the directors.
  

Potential Client Duties

Some duties that may be expected of you when on site include, but are not limited to, the following:

General:

Ensure that all transactions actioned, and advice given is in line with the client’s financial policies, DfE guidance and within statutory financial regulations.

Purchase Ledger:

• Posting the below documents to the clients accounting software in a timely manner with great accuracy:

  • Purchase Requisition

  • Purchase Orders

  • Good Received Notes

  • Purchase Invoices

• Create new suppliers and perform relevant checks.

• Create BACS/Cheque payment runs.

• Ensure that all expenditure is recorded against the relevant nominal code and cost centre, and that the correct VAT code is used.

• Receive and check statements from suppliers.

• Investigate and action any issues that arise with regards to creditors.

• Any other purchase ledger maintenance duties requested by the client.

Sales Ledger:

• Raise sales invoices as requested by the client on the accounting system in a timely manner.

• Ensure that all income is recorded against the relevant nominal code and cost centre, and that the correct VAT code is used.

• Ensure that all requests for sales invoices are processed and sent to debtors promptly.

• Ensure that all invoices are monitored and chased so that prompt payment is received.

Bank Account:

• Ensure that the bank accounts are controlled and monitored.

• Ensure that paying in slips/ remittances are received and processed on the accounting system in a timely manner.

• Ensure that the bank accounts are reconciled on a weekly basis and that any outstanding items are dealt with promptly.

• Reconcile the bank accounts monthly ensuring that all unreconciled items on the bank statement are investigated.

• Any other bank account maintenance duties requested by the client.

Other Balance Sheet Items:

• Ensure that petty cash returns are received and processed on the accounting system in a timely manner and that a month end reconciliation is undertaken to ensure that actual funds held balance to the ledger.

• Ensure that credit card returns are received and processed on the accounting system in a timely manner.

• Processing journals as required.

• Ensure that all adjustments for prepayments, accruals, accrued and deferred income are processed on a monthly basis.

• Ensure that all balance sheet control accounts are completed on a monthly basis as part of the month end process.

Payroll:

• Working with the client to ensure that the monthly payroll costs are posted and reconciled against the finance system.

• Ensuring payroll reconciliations are completed and any discrepancies investigated.

• Review actual payroll costs to budget and investigate discrepancies.

Income:

• Post all relevant grant income received.

• Work with the SEN coordinator for each academy to ensure that all SEN funding is received correctly from each local authority.

• Work with the client and the local authority finance teams to ensure that each academy receives the correct allocation of funding.

Budgeting:

• Support clients with the preparation of 3-5 year budgets.

• Maintain a working budget for all changes as applicable.

• Ensure management accounts outturns are accurate as per the working budget.

• Ensure assumptions are accurate and a schedule maintained for backing info to the budget.

Reporting:

• Prepare month end management accounts packs as per DfE guidance and client expectations in an accurate and timely manner. To include:

  • Balance Sheet and supporting schedules.

  • Income and Expenditure Variance Analysis and Forecast Outturn.

  • Cashflow Forecast.

  • Executive Summary.

  • KPI’s.

• Prepare year end working papers for auditors.

• Ensure regular reporting for specific funding, i.e. PP / SEN / PSG / Covid / etc.

Other:

• Provide financial support and advice to assist budget holders within Academies in maintaining their budgets (produce and distribute the monthly cost centre reports for budget holders).

• Prepare VAT returns and submit to HMRC accordingly.

• Deliver training, both 1:1 and group sessions.

• Maintain a capital reconciliation throughout the year.

• Maintain Fixed Asset Registers.

• Post Opening Balance Journals as required from the auditors and complete system roll forwards / year end close downs.

• Advise client and implement best practice methods.

• System maintenance requirements as requested by the client / needs recognised by yourself.

• General system support.

• Mentoring or managing client staff where necessary.

• Hold meetings with Senior Leaders / Governors / Trustees as required.

• Preparing financial improvement plan.

• Leading on Change Management in Schools and Trusts.

• Implement and review effectiveness of Internal Financial controls.

• Be aware of Governance requirements.

• Take control of strategic direction of Finance within a School or Trust.

• Be aware of HR, ICT, Legal and Estates links with Finance within a School or Trust.

To apply for this vacancy please send your CV along with a short statement as to why you would be great for this role to info@edufin.co.uk.

*EduFin is closed between Christmas and the new year, using 5 days annual leave over this period is mandatory, however after 1 year of service you qualify for an additional 3 days leave.