School Business Manager/Chief Finance Officer

The Role

Queensmill School is currently a maintained special residential school for children and young people aged 3-19.  In addition to the main school, it has 3 units in mainstream schools and provides staff to Queensmill College (19-25 year olds) under a Service Level Agreement. 

The School has applied to become an Academy and is seeking to form a MAT with Cambridge School and a new free school in RBKC.  The target date for academisation is January 2020.

Finance, accounting and associated planning and strategy are currently managed by our School Business Manager, supported by a team of 3-4 full and part time staff.  The School Business Manager post will be vacant from the end of this academic year.  We are seeking to upgrade the post to Chief Financial Officer with immediate effect.

The Chief Financial Officer will support the headteacher and governors of Queensmill School to manage the finances and accounts of Queensmill School and its units.  In addition to what was the school business manager role, the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) will lead the finance team and advise the senior leadership team, staff and governors on the conversion to academy and the creation of the MAT.  The CFO will also be required to liaise and cooperate closely with the other members of the MAT.  Some consultancy support will be available for this role.  The CFO will continue to develop the finance team, with the intention that members of the team take on the various roles of the Queensmill school business manager within the MAT.

When the conversion is complete, probably Easter 2020 the MAT will begin the process of appointing its own CFO.  Obviously the CFO of Queensmill School would be encouraged to apply for this post, but there is no guarantee of appointment as the decision would be for the newly formed MAT, not for Queensmill School.

Queensmill School has had 4 outstanding OFSTEDs and a nationwide reputation.  It advises on autism best practice overseas and has an outreach programme to pupils in mainstream schools within the borough and beyond.  Our standards are high and we are ambitious to develop, through our research and experience,  more and better ways of working with children and young people with autism.  The person we want and need in our team will be thorough in adhering to regulations and guidelines for safeguarding, finance and other procedure in schools and academies, but will also be a person who finds solutions, who thinks outside the box and who is part of a team that makes things happen.

About You

You need to be CCAB Qualified (CIMA/CIPFA/ACCA/ICAEW) and have significant experience of managing, supporting, training, developing and coaching staff, including the assessment and control of work priorities.

You will have practical experience of presenting complex issues to Managers and overseeing and completing the budget preparation process and submission of year end statutory accounts and returns. A management qualification, knowledge of academies’ financial regulations and an understanding of the ESFA systems is also desirable.

A strong team player with a good sense of humour, you possess the ability to operate calmly under pressure and you will be prepared to work variable hours occasionally to meet the requirements of the post.

Queensmill School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.  All positions require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and registration with the DBS Update Service together with all other relevant recruitment checks including references. 

Referees will be asked to assess suitability of candidates to work with children and young people and will be verbally verified.

Benefits

In return, we can offer you a competitive salary, generous annual leave entitlement and local government pension scheme.

Closing date: 1st August 2019 at 5pm 

Interviews: W/C Monday 22nd July 2019 

Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week

Report to: Headteacher of Queensmill School

Duration: one year