Finance Officer

Our thriving academy is looking to appoint a dedicated and resourceful individual as Finance Officer to oversee financial duties across Harris Academy South Norwood . This role is likely to suit a qualified individual with previous professional finance experience or equivalent. 

About Us

The Beulah Hill Campus is a wonderful place to learn and teach. We have a very hardworking team of teachers and support staff; they provide a caring and welcoming atmosphere for our students. The Campus site is a huge site with close to 8 acres of school buildings, sports halls, gymnasium, tennis courts and large playing fields / athletic track thus providing excellent facilities for our students. The Beulah Hill campus also has full-time basketball and football coaches through its partnership with Greenhouse and Kinetic. We have recently invested over £1 million to further improve our outstanding facilities including the development of a state-of-the-art Design Technology room equipped with laser cuter and 3D Printers, Food room and a newly laid sports field to ensure all year-round sporting opportunities. The Academy has a limit of 800 places across Year 7-11. We are unlike other schools; we do not want to expand at this moment in time, in fact we wish to remain small for as long as possible! This will ensure a small school where each child is known to staff and a caring environment can be provided. 

Main Areas of Responsibility

• Collecting money from parents via parent pay in connection with academy trips, uniforms or other necessary payments
• Issuing electronic order forms to budget holders and then ensuring all orders once complete are processed through the academy’s accounting system
• Obtaining authorisation, coding and posting the purchase invoices
• Posting monthly sales invoices
• Ensuring the collection on all revenue associated with sales invoices in a timely manner
• Raising cheques/BACS for purchase invoices
• Making payments (grants and academy trips etc)
• Entering journals onto the accounting system
• Assist with bank reconciliations
• Reconciling the petty cash on a daily basis
• Monthly payroll and pensions etc.
• To liaise with cost centre budget holders in respect of their monitoring and reporting procedures
• Maintain the fixed asset register, ensure that assets agree to the accounting system
• To be responsible for the academy banking
• Dealing with incoming and outgoing post
• Dealing with queries both internal and external
• Ensuring an appropriate filing system is maintained
• Assisting Business Manager with audit requirements

Managing, monitoring and updating the contract register

• Ensure contract owners are aware of of assigned contracts and supplier performance management
• Ensure a log is kept in the contract register of when the supplier needs to be notified about contract termination and notice period, and communicate to contract owners that this needs to be done
• Ensure Principal is kept informed when a contract is up for renewal
• Renegotiating contracts directly, in liaison with the budget owner, ensuring the terms of reference are adhered to
• Ensure tendering assessments and quotes are retained
• Monitoring PSL to review whether Value for Money is being attained
• Notify Central Procurement Team about projects or other expenditure in excess of £40k* so Central team can assist in managing the formal tender process
• Ensure archiving procedures for expired contracts in place (contracts retention is generally six years after expiry/termination)

Disadvantaged Students and Free School Meals

• Ensuring at enrolment that the Sixth Form and the Finance Department team have accurate data on disadvantaged and FSM
• Administering the practical process of bursary payments and ensuring audit requirements are met and disadvantaged students are fairly and equitably treated and supported in the academy’s curriculum provision and teaching delivery
• Checking the protocols and controls are adhered to by the Sixth Form Bursary team
• Making payments (grants and academy trips etc); and keeping appropriate records
• To be responsible for the academy banking and posting of bank receipts
• Dealing with queries
• Ensuring an appropriate filing system is maintained

Qualifications & Experience

• Educated to degree level in a relevant numerate subject
• Knowledge of school finance systems
• Knowledge of a variety of financial recording systems
• Knowledge of the budget setting process
• Understanding of the role and function of external audit
• At least three years’ experience working in a finance department 
• Experience of working within financial controls
• Experience of assisting with budget setting and budget management

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us via e-mail, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. You will need this when completing your application.

Please note: we may hold interviews as and when applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website and which are completed before the closing deadline. With this in mind, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible and advise you check the job information as per the listing on our careers site.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.

In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.