Finance Officer

For this job role you are required to have an in date Enhanced Child DBS and have previous experience working within schools.

Main Purpose:

• To provide operational financial support including financial systems-based solutions in respect of trust schools.
• You will be centrally located with the Trust's finance team and be required to travel out to the allocated schools to manage the Finance Administrators on site which includes the responsibility for reconciling the cash transactions in school. You will report to the Schools centralised Senior Finance Officers and have contact with the School's Headteacher.
• You will work in accordance with the practices and procedures of the Trust, being familiar with the Trust's Financial Procedures and the ESFA's Academies Trust Handbook, using your initiative to resolve straight forward of a financial nature as directed within the procedures. This will ensure that the financial processes of the school meet the highest operational and compliance standards as required by legislation, the Education Skills and Funding Agency and best practice.
• You will be supporting the achievement of successful, educational and community outcomes for the school, its staff, students and the local community. You will be required to work during some school holiday periods, which will include working during part of August in preparation for the financial year end.

General Duties:

• To ensure the efficient, effective, accurate and timely recording of all financial transactions relating to school activities are maintained using the Trusts integrated financial information systems (such as PS Financials and Tucasi Booking Pro systems).
• Uphold good governance and ethical behaviour, including good accounting practices in the finance function, and ensure the Trust upholds good accounting, reporting and internal controls systems, the requirements of accounting for public funds and operation as a Multi Academy Trust.

Staff Management:

• To provide direction, training and management to the Finance Administrator on site at the relevant school in line with their job description. This relates to requisitions, ordering, payment of goods for approved budgets and other associated financial administration duties by the use of PS Financials, maintaining of inventories for portable assets.
• To ensure that the working methods of the Finance Administrator are efficient and effective and to assist with staff appraisal meetings.

Budget Management:

• The Trust's school individual annual budgets range from £1m to £6m with non-pay budget being approximately 20% of the annual budget. For School fund, income and expenditure ranges from £0.1m to £0.15m annually.
• The Finance Officer role will be required to: Provide financial reports from the PS Financial information system for budget holders/Headteachers/Senior Leadership Team and give advice as requested, highlighting any budgets that are showing a potential overspend.
• Assist the School's centralised school accountant at both the annual and 3-year budget setting review with income and expenditure analysis and cash flow profiling from PS Financials.
• Assist the School's centralised school accountant with the monthly budget monitoring exercise in respect of the non-pay expenditure budgets ranging from £0.6m to £1m annually, posting of journals, investigating and resolving any miscoding of expenditure etc. Correcting any errors in a timely fashion before the month end closure.
• Agree the annual capitation budget allocation over curriculum departments with the Headteacher for posting to PS Financials.
• Liaise with the School's finance link Governor, as necessary, where there are queries regarding the income and expenditure or budget to be reported.
• Actively manage debtors and creditors balances on the PS Financial system to comply with the key performance indicators regarding timely payment of suppliers.
• Be aware of the balance sheet control accounts on PS Financials and understand why the balances are held, querying with the centralised school accountant any which are longstanding, incorrect or need clearing.
• Calculate the internal recharges to departments such as reprographics/hospitality and the processing of monthly the journals, as necessary.
• Discuss with the Chief Finance Officer on behalf of the Trust where there is evidence that greater value for money could be achieved in bulk buy, shared services or renegotiating contract
• Provide assistance and support during internal and statutory audits and contributing to the preparation of any other regulatory reports, to include:
• Ensure the aged creditors and debtors control account at year end reconciles to the Trial Balance purchase/sales ledger code.
• Cancel any outstanding orders no longer required from the PS Financial system.
• Agree the outstanding sales at year end if recorded on Booking Pro.

Other Duties Include:

• Payment of Suppliers by BACS
• Payment of Suppliers by Credit Card
• School Fund Trips/Activities
• Cashless Pay Systems
• Cash/Cheques Handling in School
• Banking
• Other School Self-Generated Income
• Fixed Assets and Inventory

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