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Trust Head of Finance

Employer
White Rose Academies Trust
Location
Leeds, West Yorkshire
Salary
PO5 £41,881 - £44,863, / 37 hours per week
Closing date
2 Jul 2021

View more

Sector
Education / university
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time

Trust Head of Finance

The White Rose Academies Trust 

Hours: Full time, all year round

Accountable to: Chief Executive Officer and Trust Business Director

 

The White Rose Academies Trust – leading the way in Education!

 

This role is an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to join the White Rose Academies Trust on its journey to becoming World Class.

We are looking for a Head of Finance to join our Central Trust Team here at The White Rose Academies Trust.

The White Rose Academies Trust is a Leeds-based multi-academy Trust with a reputation for raising ambitions, engaging local communities and rapid school improvement.

The Trust currently employs over 450 members of staff and is responsible for educating and developing almost 4,000 students between the ages of 3 to 16.

The Trust consists of three secondary schools - Leeds City Academy, Leeds East Academy and Leeds West Academy, and also recently welcomed its first primary school (Mill Field Primary Academy) on 1st December 2020.

We believe the Trust is a highly desirable place of work for an ambitious professional, who will be joining one of the most supportive and talented teams in the country.

The White Rose Academies Trust is a member of Luminate Education Group. Other members of the group include Leeds Conservatoire, Keighley College, Harrogate College and Leeds City College. The group provides leadership and operational support and advice to all our academies. They also share our vision of creating a truly outstanding Trust.

The Luminate Education Group is one of the largest education providers in the Yorkshire region, with over 30,000 students and 2,000 staff members, offering education from Early Years through to Higher Education.

Role:

A qualified accountant, and reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and Trust Business Director, you will be responsible for all aspects of financial and management accounting and budgeting for the Trust and will be a vital member of the Central Trust Team. You will be a key player in shaping the strategy and direction of the Trust from a financial perspective.

Responsible for:

You will ensure full compliance with the Trust’s regulatory bodies and provide accurate and timely financial information for a wide range of stakeholders.

The role combines the need for strong technical, leadership and communication skills in a dynamic and fast-moving environment.

You will be deployed in other White Rose Academies Trust locations within a reasonable distance from your main place of work from time to time.

All post-holders at the White Rose Academies Trust are responsible for improving the outcomes for learners and upholding the ethos of the academies.

Duties and Responsibilities (this list is not exhaustive):

Financial Leadership:

• Support the Chief Financial Officer and Trust Business Director in providing strategic financial leadership to the Trust.

• Be a key member of the central trust team, leading and contributing to the development of the Trust.

• Line manage the finance team.

Financial:

• Ensure the financial ledgers are accurately kept in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Commission, Accounting Standards and the Academies Financial Handbook, and are updated in a timely fashion to match the internal and external reporting cycles. Oversee effective credit control and active management of the Trust’s cash position.

• Lead the Trust participation in the group business planning process, supporting senior leaders in forecasting financial performance and developing annual financial plans.

• Preparing the annual budget, working closely with Trust leaders and budget holders to ensure consistency with the Trust’s strategic and financial objectives.

• Provide strategic advice to the Academy Business Managers on the development of the individual academy annual budgets, and associated reports, as required in line with the defined Trust financial calendar.

• Production of timely management accounts information for budget holders and key stakeholders in accordance with the monthly reporting timetable and the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook.

• Preparing for the annual audit through the collation of supporting documents, preparation of schedules and reconciliations.

• Liaising with both internal and external auditors to enable them to operate effectively.

• Development and implementation of controls in all aspects of the Trust’s financial arrangements.

• Ensure full compliance with HMRC regulations, particularly in relation to VAT, corporation tax, and gift aid.

• Preparation and submission of the Annual Accounts Return, the Budget Forecast Return, the Land and Buildings Return, and any other required returns for funding bodies and regulators.

• Contribute to the growth and development of the Trust by providing financial expertise to principals, Trust leaders and directors.

• Track and report on grant expenditure ensuring that controls are in place to properly account for expenditure in line with grant offer conditions and that subsequent audit requirements are met.

• Develop systems for tracking capital expenditure across the Trust ensuring compliance with the requirements of the funding conditions and that reporting on capital expenditure is clear and timely.

• Maintain the procurement procedures for the Trust and monitor budget holder compliance with these procedures. Liaise with Business Managers and the group procurement function to ensure value for money is achieved for the purchase of goods and services.

Development:

• To support in developing business cases to support the growth of the Trust.

• To lead on the financial due diligence work for schools joining the Trust.

• To support in the planning and implementation of major projects related to the organisation of the academies and the Trust.

• Ensure the effective deployment, training, support and monitoring of any staff across the Trust involved in financial processes.

Other duties

• Any other duties commensurate with the post.

Generic Staff Requirements:

• Uphold the professional standards expected of every member of academy staff in all dealings with colleagues, students, parents/carers and the wider community

• Adhere to the principles expressed in the aims of the Trust, academies and our mission statement

• Actively contribute to the continued development of each academy and the Trust by attending training, participating in relevant meetings, and putting forward ideas for improvement

• Be a positive, collaborative team member

• Apply academy policies in all aspects of the role

• Keep up to date with all aspects of the safeguarding children policy as it applies to the post

• To promote equality, diversity and inclusion and demonstrate this within the role

• To be jointly responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of students

Closing Date: Friday 2nd July 2021, 12 noon

Shortlisting: Friday 2nd July 2021

Interview Date: w/c 5th July 2021

Start Date: ASAP

To apply, please complete the application form by clicking apply. 

The White Rose Academies Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its students and expects all staff and volunteers to share the commitment. Appointments will be subject to Safer Recruitment Procedures and a DBS check.

PLEASE NOTE THE REQUIREMENT TO ATTACH YOUR APPLICATION FORM AS A SEPARATE DOCUMENT TO YOUR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FORM WHEN EMAILING YOUR APPLICATION TO US.

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