Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Temporary Finance Assistant

Confederation of Service Charities; London; Remote; GBP 28,000 - 33,000; Part time

Job description

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Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust – Temporary Finance Assistant

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is recruiting for a part-time (equivalent to 3 days per week) temporary Finance Assistant for a period of six months.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust is a grant making charity which supports the Armed Forces Covenant by funding projects which address specific priorities. The Trust is committed to learning from and sharing the achievements of its grant holders and the impact of its funding programmes.

The temporary Finance Assistant will be working within the small existing finance team, working collaboratively to support all internal financial processes relating to both our grant making and organisational operations.

This could include processing invoices, completing monthly reconciliations, internal financial reporting, answering queries from elsewhere in the organisation, as well as assisting the rest of the finance team with the busy year end period, including accounts production and preparations for financial audit fieldwork.

We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running. Experience of working with the Xero finance system is essential. Previous experience of working in a charity/public sector/not for profit organisation is also desirable. You’ll be a highly organised team player, with a professional approach to work and the ability to problem solve, multitask and use your initiative.

A personal knowledge or experience of the armed forces would be an advantage, and applications will be welcomed from former serving personnel, or spouses, who meet the key criteria. The successful candidates will have an interest in, and commitment to, the difference that charities can make.

The Trust welcomes applications from across the UK. Unfortunately, we’re not able to offer this opportunity to anyone living outside of the UK mainland. This is a home working role, and applicants will be expected to be able to confirm that they are able to work in this way (IT and any essential equipment will be provided).

Attendance at occasional (fewer than 4 per year) meetings or away days will be expected – these could be in London or elsewhere in the UK. Salary in the range £28k-33k full time equivalent pa depending on experience (plus pension contribution and other benefits).

This is a part-time, temporary role – for the equivalent of 3 days a week for a period of six months. As a flexible employer, we are open to exploring how those 3 days can be delivered across the working week.

How to apply:

Applications should take the form of a letter (no more than two pages of A4) providing evidence of how you meet the person specification and a CV. Please also indicate how soon you might be available to start if your application is successful.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend interviews which are expected to be conducted the following week (wc 3 February 2025) by video conference.

We will also ask you to complete a short test near the end of the interview.

We recognise that we’re a predominantly white workforce and are genuinely committed to encouraging applications from diverse communities in order to improve the service we provide. We’re not just searching for skills but also how a candidate could uphold our values and enhance our culture, therefore, even if you don’t think you meet all the skills criteria listed in our job descriptions, we’d still like to hear from you.

We are an equal opportunities employer. If you require any additional support or reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know via [e-mail] and we will do our utmost to accommodate you.

Role Description

Reporting to: Head of Finance

Summary of role: Supporting the Trust’s day to day financial and office administration, including financial audit and accounts preparation.

• Assist the Head of Finance and Finance and Operations Officer with all internal financial processes in respect of both the grant making and organisational operations
• Assist with grant payment claims, invoices and processing expenses in accounting system and support the payment process to ensure accounts and grants are paid on time
• Assist with credit card and bank reconciliations on a monthly basis
• Support the Finance and Operations Officer to prepare financial reports for the trustees and to work with the Trust’s external accountants as required for annual audit
• Assist with pension reporting, payroll reconciliations and payables reconciliations as required
• Any other duties that could reasonably be expected

Person Specification

• Familiarity with Xero and Bankline systems
• Experience in financial recording and reporting and an understanding of basic bookkeeping requirements
• Numerate and able to interpret and use basic financial information
• Experience of preparing and presenting basic financial and written reports to colleagues and seniors
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills
• Excellent general IT skills including MS Office and databases
• Ability to deal with sensitive and/or confidential information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work with minimal direction and work well in a team.
• Experience of working in a charity, or other not for profit or small organisation
• Relevant financial/bookkeeping training and qualifications
• Evidence of interest in and commitment to the work of the Trust
• Experience in working with confidential records/ files

Some personal knowledge or experience of the armed services community would be an advantage although is not required for this role.