Finance Administrator

LAURUS TRUST - ‘Whatever it takes’

Job Title: Finance Administrator

Scale: 3 £18,795 - £19,171;  actual salary from £15,571 - £15,883 pro rata per annum term time only

Hours: 37 per week

Location: Laurus Ryecroft

Start Date: 1st September 2020

Closing Date: 9am on Monday 8th June 2020

Interview Date: TBC

We are looking for an individual to join the Laurus Trust family. The ideal candidate will need the following knowledge and experience:

• Experience in financial management, budget monitoring and procurement

• Ability to implement the principles of best value to maximise the resources of the Trust 

• Minimum Math’s & English GCSE (A*-C) or equivalent

• Experience of using academy financial software is desirable

• Accountancy qualification e.g. AAT is desirable

• Experience of working in an educational setting or Multi-Academy Trust is desirable

• Excellent IT and data management skills in using Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint

• Able to work accurately and with attention to detail

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

• Ability to be flexible

• Good team player/ability to accord with fellow workers

• Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise effectively

The Laurus Trust is a growing multi-academy trust in the North West of England.

The vision of the Trust is for everyone regardless of background or circumstance to be inspired, to thrive in all environments, to recognise what it takes to succeed, to set aspirational goals and to work hard to achieve them. In the recent Staff Engagement Survey 97% of our employees stated that they would recommend working for Laurus Trust to their friends. 

All our Laurus Schools are hugely oversubscribed and have a reputation, both locally and further afield, for outstanding teaching and learning through the relentless pursuit of excellence and the determination to ensure that every child succeeds. 

Cheadle Hulme High School (CHHS) is the founder school of the Laurus Trust and was judged Outstanding in every single category by Ofsted in 2011 and 2015. A training school for thirteen years and a Teaching School for a further six, CHHS is also home to the Altius Alliance centre of excellence providing School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) for teachers of students aged 11-16, judged Outstanding in 2017. In 2016, Gorsey Bank Primary School (GB), a high performing primary school based in Wilmslow, joined the Trust. 

The Trust has opened four brand new free schools – Cheadle Hulme Primary School (CHPS), Laurus Cheadle Hulme (LCH), Laurus Ryecroft (LR) and the most recent in September 2019, Didsbury High School (DHS). The Laurus Alternative Provision School is in the pre-opening phase and Hazel Grove High School (HGHS) joined the Trust in September 2019.

Everyone in the Laurus Trust family play a vital role in maintaining the high standards of the Trust. Support staff work tirelessly to ensure all services run smoothly and efficiently, enabling our teaching staff to focus on delivering an outstanding education for our students.

If you are a passionate and committed individual just starting your career or you are looking to build on existing skills and want to work in a highly progressive and successful organisation, committed to growth and opportunities for all, then we want to hear from you.     

At the Laurus Trust, it is not just about what we do but also about how we do it. Our core behaviours detailed below provide guidance on the expectations we have of our staff. It is essential that any employee joining the Trust is able to demonstrate some or all of these behaviours on a regular/daily basis:

 Adaptable - Open to change, to be flexible

 Courageous - Willing to speak up, offer ideas, challenge the norm

 Hard Working - Strong work ethic, prepared to go the extra mile

 Inclusive - Treat others fairly and equally

 Engaged - Involved/absorbed in your work, participate at all times

 Value - Add value to your role, your team and the Trust

 Enquiring - Have an enquiring mind, curious, improve and find solutions

 Motivated - Pro-active, wanting to achieve goals, willingness to try, can  do attitude

 Encouraging - Giving/offering support and confidence to others, working together

 Navigator - Providing guidance, leading when necessary

 Tenacious - Perseverance, never giving up, whatever it takes

The Laurus Trust is committed to safeguarding  and promoting the welfare of children at all times and expects all staff to share this commitment.

In return for your commitment, we have a wide range of employee benefits available to all our staff to contribute towards improving their well-being. We are always looking at ways in which we can improve our offering to ensure the benefits are valued by our staff. Our benefits include:

• Competitive salary

• 31 days holiday including bank holidays (pro rata) – increasing with length of service 

• Flexible, part time and term time working – we are a family friendly organisation

• State of the art school facilities and new Trust HQ offices

• Pension scheme with employer contributions

• Occupational Health Support including a Wellbeing App

• A Health and Wellbeing strategy including targeted Health Promotion Initiatives

• Enhanced Family Leave

• Tax Free Childcare Scheme

• Occupational sick pay

• Continuous Professional Development (CPD) opportunities

• Employee Assistance Partner

• Subsidised Gym Membership

• Free Flu jabs

• Death in service

• Health & Wellbeing Champions and trained Mental Health First Aiders in every school

Please base the evidence in your application on the knowledge and experience of the role as described in the attached Job Description and Person Specification. 

Any candidate who has a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010, is required to inform us, in order to ensure that ‘reasonable adjustments’ can be made.