Director of Finance

Initio Learning Trust; Poole; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A multi-academy trust is seeking a Director of Finance to lead financial strategy and management. The role, based in Poole, offers a salary of up to £60,000 for 0.6 FTE, with options for flexible and hybrid work arrangements. The ideal candidate will have experience in financial management and strategic planning, and will be integral to the trust's executive team.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

Annual leave of 5 weeks plus bank holidays

Health Cash Plan

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in financial management within an educational setting.
• Proven track record in strategic financial planning and budgeting.
• Strong leadership skills to manage a finance team effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee financial management for the trust.
• Participate in executive team discussions and decisions.
• Ensure compliance and fiscal health across the trust's operations.

Skills

Financial management

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Team leadership

Education

Qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA)

Tools

Financial reporting software

Job description

About this Role

Initio Learning Trust is looking for a Director of Finance to join our fantastic Executive team. Could this be you?

This role is offered on a Permanent basis, with an approximate start date of 01-Nov-2025.

Salary, up to £60,000 per annum (for 0.6 FTE); (£100,000 FTE equivalent).

The Director of Finance will lead and oversee the financial management and strategy of the multi-academy trust, ensuring fiscal health, compliance, and sustainability. This role is pivotal in driving financial planning, efficiency, and resource allocation across the trust to support its educational objectives and long-term growth. It will report directly to the CEO and be an active participant in the Trust Executive team.

The finance department is divided into two areas of responsibility;

• Financial planning – Led by a Senior Finance Business Partner (who has deputising responsibilities for your role) who is supported by two Finance Business Partners. This team focuses on working with school leaders and budget holders to ensure forecasts are accurate and secure financial strategies are in place to ensure sustainability in all parts of the Trust.
  
• Financial control – Led by the Financial Controller, this team comprises an Accounting Technician, Finance Officer and two part time Finance Assistants. The team is responsible for ensuring good financial controls are in place, producing the monthly accounts and working with auditors to deliver the annual financial statements.
  

The role is being offered to work flexibly across the year as a 0.6 FTE basis. This will allow the successful candidate to consider how they want to facilitate the working arrangements; this could include but not limited to;

• Working reduced hours outside term time
  
• Managing own diary to enable the role to have a flexible approach to times worked during the day
  
• Hybrid working from office and home
  

Full time options would be considered for the right candidate to take on additional areas of responsibility.

The role will attract the following benefits:

• Up to £60k salary (based on 0.6 FTE); (£100,000 FTE equivalent)
  
• Access to the defined benefit local government pension scheme
  
• Access to all Initio employee benefits as outlined below
  
• Annual leave entitlement of 5 weeks per year plus bank holidays
  

Please refer to the attached candidate brief for more details about the role.

The Trust has an interim Director of Finance in post until December, it is strongly recommended to arrange an informal conversation with him to discuss your potential interest in the role. Please contact Jo Dickinson, PA to Executive team, via email to arrange this on [e-mail]

About our Central Team

Inito’s central team consists of groups of specialists who provide the support, guidance and resources to enable our schools to focus on what they do best; delivering excellence in education.

Please visit our Trust website for a taste of what working in our central team looks like https://www.initiolearning.org/

Initio Learning Trust offers a welcoming and supportive environment and can provide:

• a genuine commitment to supporting professional development
  
• a supportive and flexible working environment which offers equal opportunities for all
  
• free onsite parking
  
• a range of employee benefits including Cycle to Work and Health Cash Plan
  

About Initio Learning Trust

Initio Learning Trust comprises 19 schools across Dorset, with our head office based in Wimborne. Formed in February 2023 from the merger of The Minerva Learning Trust and Wimborne Academy Trust, we offer outstanding education through every stage of schooling, from nursery through to upper sixth form. We believe in enabling every person to thrive within their role, and our core values of Ambition, Collaboration and Respect underpin the pride we take in offering genuine professional development opportunities for all our staff; and in our focus on staff wellbeing.

Working for Us

• Professional Development
  
• Health Cash Plan
  
• Cycle to Work
  
• Flexible Working
  
• Pension
  
• Staff Wellbeing
  

Initio Learning Trust is a Disability Confident Committed Employer and aims to provide an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process. If you would like to discuss any changes or support you may need as part of this process, please call or email the recruiting manager (see contact details above).

Initio Learning Trust values and respects the diversity of our workforce, and encourages employees to be their unique selves. Having a diverse and inclusive workforce underpins our core values of collaboration, ambition and respect, and we welcome applications from all sectors of the community regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion or belief. Applicant shortlisting is done without reference to any personal data including your name.

Applying for a job with us - other things you need to know

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be verified.

Initio Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

In line with current safer recruitment guidance, we may collect further information for applicants who are shortlisted for interview including criminal record and social media checks, references and verification of qualifications.

All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, and, where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2023). This means that certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’ and do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed can be found on the Ministry of Justice website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-guidance-on-the-rehabilitation-of-offenders-act-1974.

Fluency in English is required for all student and public-facing roles, in accordance with the “fluency duty” (Immigration Act 2016). Please refer to the Job Description for further details.