Bursar - Torfaen Pupil Referral Unit

Torfaen County Borough Council; Pontypool; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Part time

Job summary

Torfaen County Borough Council is seeking a part-time Bursar (Senior School Officer) for its Pupil Referral Unit in Pontypool. The role, 3 days per week (22.5 hours), blends financial management with HR, administration, budget monitoring, procurement, and line management of the School Support Officer.

Responsibilities include end-to-end recruitment, salary queries, DBS/EWC checks, SIMS data updates, and coordinating staff training. Welsh language skills are desirable but not essential.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 4 or equivalent in finance/office management or willing to achieve professional qualifications within the first year.
• At least three years’ experience in a finance or office environment at a management level.
• Experience supervising and line managing staff.

Responsibilities

• Financial management, HR, core administration and budget monitoring.
• Procurement, invoicing, payments, and VAT records management.
• Line management of the School Support Officer and committee clerking duties.
• Recruitment coordination, staff attendance, DBS/EWC checks, and SIMS data handling.
• Coordinate Team Teach training and ensure regulatory compliance.

Job description

Torfaen Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) opened in June 2009 to provide education for children and young people experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioural difficulties, those who have been permanently excluded or are awaiting a managed move, or those whose anxiety or medical needs prevent them from attending school.

Overview of the Role (60% Job Share - 3 Days per Week)

We are looking for an enthusiastic, skilled, and committed Bursar (Senior School Officer) to join our team in a job-share capacity working 3 days a week (22.5 hours). This is an interesting, varied, and wide-ranging operational role created as part of a 60-40 bursar duty split. The role focuses primarily on financial management, human resources (HR), core administration, budget monitoring, procurement, and line management of the School Support Officer.

Key Responsibilities

• Order goods and services, raise purchase orders, process payments, and arrange virements.Monitor PRU budgets.
• Manage corporate payment cards, process transactions, perform card comparisons, maintain VAT records, and audit payments.
• Process staff expense reimbursements and resolve financial queries promptly.
• Manage traded/core income generation, including invoicing Sonic, calculating AWPU/PDG charges, and charging for Team Teach courses.
• Manage grant spending, arrange and claim Staff Absence insurance, and coordinate bulk food purchases via Booker.

Human Resources & Administration:

• Coordinate end-to-end recruitment: advertising, collating applications, inviting candidates to interview, preparing appointment documents, and managing probation processes.
• Handle staff salary queries, increments, additional hours claims, sickness absence, other leave queries, and contract terminations.
• Maintain staff compliance: DBS checks, EWC checks, Code of Conduct updates, and vehicle insurance checks.
• Source and arrange staff training, including Thinqi training, and arrange temporary cover staffing.
• Monitor staff attendance, maintain SIMS attendance data, and update staff boards and PRU Family Tree.

Line Management & Committee Support:

• Line manage the School Support Officer, ensuring supervision, development, and performance support.
• Act as clerk to the PRU Management Committee and contribute to Management Committee reports.
• Coordinate Team Teach training for Torfaen County Borough Council (TCBC).

Candidate Requirements

• Possess NVQ Level 4, a relevant degree, or equivalent experience in finance/office management (or a firm commitment to achieve professional qualifications within the first year).
• At least three years’ experience in a finance or office environment at a management level.
• Proven successful experience of supervising and line managing staff.
• Ability to form positive, professional relationships with colleagues, pupils, parents, carers, and multi-agency partners.
• Essential ability to prioritise operational activity effectively within a dynamic and sometimes stressful professional context.
• Desirable experience with TCBC systems (Trent, Authority Financials/Purchasing) and SIMS.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A comprehensive screening process will be undertaken on all successful applicants, which will include an Enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Torfaen County Borough Council strives to be a fair, supportive and effective employer. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The Council expects all employees, paid or unpaid, to share this commitment. We value the range of experiences that a diverse workforce brings and therefore we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and under-represented groups.

Welsh Language Skills are desirable for this post but not essential. You are welcome to submit your application in English or in Welsh. Each application will be treated equally.

We are a registered Disability Confident Leader and are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. Our Guaranteed Interview scheme guarantees that people with disabilities will be invited to interview, so long as they meet the essential requirements for the role. If you have a health condition, are neurodivergent, or use British sign language, and need to discuss reasonable adjustments, please contact the recruiting manager. We can only work with you to arrange adjustments if we are made aware of your requirements prior to your application submission, test or interview.

How to find us

Torfaen County Borough Council
Civic Centre
Pontypool
NP4 6YB