Head of Finance
- Job title: Head of Finance
- Job Type: Permanent, Full time
- Salary: c. £80,000 p.a. depending on skills and experience
- Department: Bursary
- Reporting to: Bursar
- Location: Highgate, London
- Start: ASAP
- Closing Date: 30 May 2024 at 5:00 pm
Highgate School are looking to appoint a Head of Finance to join their Finance Team. The postholder will be a key member of the Support Staff management team, responsible for providing an efficient and effective financial service to the Bursar.
They will have day-to-day responsibility for the smooth running of the finance systems and functions, ensuring adequate processes and controls are in place. This will include billing, purchase ledger, trading activities, VAT and compliance with statutory obligations such as tax, Charity Commission and wider legal obligations. They deputise in the absence of the Bursar on all financial matters.
The Role
This is a new role to add much needed capacity to the finance team and to help support the School in being able to adapt to additional financial challenges and opportunities going forward. These will include evaluating current procedures, assessing and upgrading financial systems, with a view to improving use of automated solutions, introducing necessary systems to help to changing financial requirements, such as possible introduction of VAT on School fees, leading on credit control processes and managing financial aspects of any future subsidiary companies, such as those associated with International Schools. The role will initially be supported, one-day a week, by the current School’s Accountant with a view over an agreed timeframe of subsuming their responsibilities.
The successful candidate will be leading a small team and will require the ability and willingness to be flexible in the tasks they undertake, rolling up their sleeves as required and dividing their time between strategic and operational matters. To manage the inherent risks associated with a small team, they will be required to learn the roles and processes of all team members.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
- Preparing annual Statutory Accounts, Management Accounts (currently prepared Termly), Budgets, Plans and Forecasts for the School and its Trading subsidiary bodies;
- Preparing financial models as required by the Bursar and Governors including cashflow forecasts and income scenarios. Tracking KPIs and producing reports on trends, comparative analysis, competitor performance and local and wider markets;
- Leading and managing the Finance team, including functional authority for Payroll, and finance systems;
- Overseeing business continuity of the finance department, including producing, collaboratively with team members, guides/manuals for all procedures/processes;
- Managing, with the Bursar, the School’s relationship with the bank, auditors, statutory and regulatory bodies, and providers of financial services (eg investment managers, lenders);
- Ensuring compliance with governmental and statutory oversight bodies and regulations on tax, Gift Aid, VAT and other HMRC requirements;
- Reviewing and developing current financial procedures, including (a) credit control and debt recovery, (b) internal financial processes and control systems to introduce automation to improve the efficiency and accountability of day-to-day operations, and (c) procurement processes to maximise automation and ensure they are robust, compliant with any relevant policy/regulation, and effective in delivering value for money;
- Responsibility for updating relevant School data, submitting mandatory reports, required filings (eg Charity Commission, Companies House) and census/benchmarking submissions;
- Attendance at relevant meetings of Support Staff management and Governors as required;
- Supporting the Bursar and Governors with long-term scenario planning and detailed proposals for the long-term development of the School;
- Overseeing financial manual and ensuring budget holders are aware of relevant procedures;
- Reviewing and modelling options as required for diversifying income and charitable donations;
- Reviewing strategies to increase efficiency and reduce costs;
- Evaluation of investment opportunities and potential returns;
- Assisting, where required, with financial support for connected institutions;
- Supporting the work of the Bursar as required;
- Undertake any other duties as requested that are commensurate with the responsibilities of the post as may reasonably be requested by the Bursar.
These duties and responsibilities are intended as a guide. They are not exhaustive: the Payroll & HR Administrator will be expected to undertake any reasonable task or responsibility as required by the Payroll & Pensions Specialist, HR Manager, Recruitment Manager or People Director.
- Criteria
- How will these be tested or verified?
- Qualifications
Essential:
- Qualified accountant with at least five year’s post-qualification experience, including delivery of annual/statutory accounts.
- Experience
Essential:
- Extensive experience providing management accounts and financial analysis to senior leaders.
- Experience of managing and developing a team, and ensuring good performance.
- Experienced in working in a fast paced environment and able to work to tight deadlines.
Desirable:
- Previous experience as an accountant in a UK independent school/charity setting.
- Ability / Skills
Essential:
- Confident communicator, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Organised with an ability to self plan and prioritise workloads, along with planning work schedules for others.
- Analytical, careful and thorough in preparing figures, reports and business cases.
- Ability to work as part of a team and establish good working relationships at all levels, including external providers, legal and professional advisors and internal colleagues/parents.
- Ability to work with senior members of staff with the ability to show tact and diplomacy at all times.
- Ability to think ‘outside the box’.
- Personal Attributes
Essential:
- Must be able to respect utmost confidentiality in respect of all information relating to this post.
- Ability to have strong attention to detail.
- Show initiative to deal proactively with any situation that develops.
Benefits
Location | Highgate Village, adjacent to Hampstead Heath, with quaint shops and easy connections across London.
Pension | AVIVA workplace pension scheme offered with a generous 26% employer contribution, with the ability to flex up to 16% of this as additional non-pensionable salary, employees contribute a minimum of 5%.
Personal development | Comprehensive induction support for new staff. Focus on continued professional development for all employees.
Leisure facilities | Free access, at stipulated times, to our sports facilities, including a fitness suite and swimming pool (recently refurbished).
Lunch | A complimentary lunch.
Help with sustainable travel | Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and a Season Ticket Loan scheme for public transport.
Family-friendly policies | Highgate appreciates that employees sometimes have family commitments so we try to be as supportive as possible, for example with enhanced maternity pay (8 weeks’ full pay, then 10 weeks’ half pay) and paid dependant leave.
Working at Highgate
A culture of community, kindness and belonging
Highgate is a caring, open-minded community, where we promote kindness, empathy and friendship. Everyone who works and studies with us deserves to feel they are part of a welcoming environment that enables them to be themselves and to thrive as individuals.
Our community extends beyond the school, through partnerships, charity work and our commitment to equality, inclusion and sustainability. All members of our school community are encouraged to look outwards and play an active role.
In a recent ISI inspection (Dec 2021), it was noted that “Pupils show exceptional respect for, and appreciate diversity within the school and wider community, and their own and other cultures, demonstrating sensitivity and tolerance to those from different backgrounds and traditions.”
Staff wellbeing
Highgate is committed to staff wellbeing, which we promote by encouraging a strong work-life balance; trying our best to support flexible working requests; providing a nutritious complimentary lunch in the dining hall; and offering access to sporting facilities including our recently renovated swimming pool.
The Staff Wellbeing Committee, with representatives across the School, meets regularly to drive forward initiatives, and a selection of staff have been trained as Mental-Health First Aiders.
We encourage an open culture throughout our school, with regular staff surveys, action committees and opportunities to feedback. We strive for continual learning and improvement, and staff training and development is paramount. There are opportunities to participate in the wider life of our school, such as taking part in trips or societies and getting involved in partnership projects.
More details about working at Highgate can be found here:
Charitable work and sustainability
As an independent school, we want to use our position as a charity effectively: to make high-quality education accessible to as many children as possible – through our bursary programme at Highgate and through our work with local state schools. We have partnerships with over 60 state schools across 7 London boroughs, and we are the principal educational sponsor for London Academy of Excellence, Tottenham – an academically-selective state sixth form in a community where such opportunities are lacking.
Alongside this, our staff and pupils undertake charitable activities throughout the year. These range from staff giving up their time to neighbourhood schools and charitable organisations, focused fundraising campaigns, to pupils undertaking community work in the local area or further afield.
As a school, we have a central role to play in educating our pupils, staff and parents about the importance of environmental sustainability. We are taking positive action to adapt our operational performance to tackle the negative effects of climate change. We encourage all our staff to reflect upon their personal and professional practices, to support our environmental agenda and to make positive changes wherever possible.
Application procedure
- Closing Date: 30th May 2024
- Timing of interviews: TBC
Contact: Recruitment, is happy to answer any questions about this post.
Early Application: Applications will be considered ‘as and when’ received and we may close the vacancy if we appoint before the closing date.
Apply hereInclusion
We know that more diverse teams are stronger teams, and that the more inclusive we are, the more our staff and pupils will feel a sense of belonging and will thrive. To enable us to make reasonable adjustments, please let us know of any disabilities (including neuro-divergence) when you submit your application.
Safeguarding
As this role will have regular unsupervised contact with children you must, if appointed, comply with Highgate’s Safeguarding Policy and Staff Code of Conduct. If in the course of carrying out the duties of the post the post holder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety and welfare of our pupils, these concerns must be reported immediately in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy. If whilst in the post, Highgate becomes aware of any safeguarding concerns to staff, pupils or the community; these will need to be followed up in line with the safeguarding policy and code of conduct which is underpinned by KCSIE and other legislation. These concerns may need to be shared with other agencies. A copy of these policies will accompany all offers of employment. Training will also be provided to all staff to support Safeguarding practice.
Please read before you apply
Highgate is committed to the safeguarding and welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to this post, including checks with past employers, the Disclosure and Barring Service and overseas police check if necessary. Candidates from overseas must provide information about their past conduct, for example, by providing documents issued by overseas teaching authorities. DBS Privacy Policy
Please note that this role is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not ‘protected’ (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013). Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide details of all unspent convictions and those that would not be filtered, prior to the date of the interview. DBS Code of Practice
In accordance with the latest guidance from KCSIE, we shall be conducting online searches on any candidates who are shortlisted.