Finance Assistant

Cardinal Newman College; Preston; On-site; GBP 9,000 - 18,000; Part time

Job summary

Join a vibrant and supportive finance team at a leading Sixth Form College. As a Finance Assistant, you will play a crucial role in maintaining accurate financial records, processing invoices, and supporting the Accounts Payable ledger. This position offers an exciting opportunity to develop your skills in a collaborative environment while contributing to the financial health of the college. With a commitment to equality and diversity, the college fosters a culture where staff feel valued and supported. If you are proactive, detail-oriented, and eager to make a difference, this role is perfect for you!

Benefits

Generous Pension schemes

22 days holiday (increasing to 25 after 5 years)

Health and wellbeing commitment

Free use of on-site gym

Access to professional development

Flu Vouchers

Staff savings scheme

Qualifications

• GCSE in Maths & English required, with strong financial reporting skills.
• Experience in accounts payable and invoice processing is essential.

Responsibilities

• Support the Accounts Payable ledger process and manage supplier payments.
• Generate supplier payment runs and assist with online student payments.

Skills

Accounts Payable

Invoice Processing

Financial Reporting

Reconciliation

Teamwork

Time Management

Education

GCSE Grade A* - C/9-4 in Maths

GCSE Grade A* - C/9-4 in English

Tools

OCR Invoice Scanning Software

Finance Management System

Wisepay

Job description

Finance Assistant

We welcome applications for this support post to commence as soon as possible.

The Role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and highly organised individual to join the Finance team, with a keen eye for accuracy, and a proactive approach to their work. You will enjoy taking initiative, seeking out opportunities to improve processes, and supporting the team achieve its goals.

The Finance department produces timely, useful, and accurate financial reports and robust financial plans. You will play a key role in ensuring the financial records and controls are accurate and robust. We are keen that you build on the strengths of an effective team and seek an opportunity to add value.

You will be working within a friendly team alongside experienced finance specialists, including the Head of Finance, College Accountant, Management Accountant, Payroll & Finance Officer, Finance Officer / Trainee Accountant, and another Finance Assistant.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the Accounts Payable ledger process including raising purchase orders, processing invoices via the OCR invoice scanning software, reconciling supplier statements, and reviewing supplier payments.
• Generate supplier payment runs and manage the approval process.
• Set up new suppliers on the Finance system and process supplier changes.
• Support online student payments on Wisepay, including reconciliation and reporting.
• Manage student purchases made outside of Wisepay, for example, textbooks purchased through the college’s library.

The Successful Candidate

Cardinal Newman College is a wonderful place to work, and this is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and experienced candidate to join our friendly and well-established Finance department.

The Finance department is looking for someone who is educated to GCSE Grade A* - C/9-4 or equivalent in Maths & English, has experience working autonomously and as part of a team, manages their own workloads, achieves deadlines, and has a ‘can do’ attitude.

You should display the values, attitudes, and behaviours consistent with the Catholic Ethos of the College and have a commitment to equality/diversity and the safeguarding of young people and vulnerable adults.

Terms and Conditions

Hours: Between 15 and 25 hours per week, full year. There will be an opportunity to discuss this further at interview. Starting and finishing times will be agreed.

Salary: The post will be paid on the Sixth Form Colleges’ Support Staff Pay Spine at points 7 to 11 - pro rata to £24,309 to £26,097 per annum.

• 15 hours - Actual Salary £9,855.03 to £10,579.86 per annum
• 25 hours - Actual Salary £16,425.05 to £17,633.11 per annum

Closing date for receipt of applications: 11.59pm on Monday 13th January 2025 (we reserve the right to close the advert in advance of this date).

Why work at Cardinal Newman College?

We are a happy and thriving Catholic Sixth Form College committed to equality and diversity, welcoming colleagues from all backgrounds into our community irrespective of their religion or belief, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, marital or pregnancy status.

As an outstanding college in every aspect, Cardinal Newman is one of the highest performing Sixth Form Colleges nationally for Value Added. We recognise the invaluable contribution our dedicated staff make to the success of our students and the College as a whole. As such, our aim is to foster a culture where staff feel valued and supported.

We also offer a range of excellent staff benefits, including:

• Generous Pension schemes for both teachers and support staff
• Pro rata to 22 days holiday (increasing to 25 days after 5 years’ service) plus 4 concessionary days and bank holidays for support staff
• A genuine commitment to staff health and wellbeing
• Staff receive 2 weeks off at Christmas in line with the college holidays for which they do not need to take annual leave.
• Access to a salary sacrifice electric vehicle scheme
• Access to the Cycle to Work Scheme and Techscheme
• Free use of the on-site gym
• Access to professional development and the opportunity to undertake professional qualifications through apprenticeships
• Flu Vouchers
• Staff savings scheme

More detailed information on further staff benefits can be found within our staff perks document attached.

Completed application forms should be submitted by 11.59pm on Monday 13th January 2025 (we reserve the right to close the advert in advance of this date).

We will confirm receipt of all applications by email within one working day of receipt. Please call the HR team if you have not received a confirmation email by the closing date. We do ask that you accept, in the interests of economy, that if you have not heard from us by the end of January that you have not been selected for interview on this occasion.

Further Information

Further details are available at http://www.cardinalnewman.ac.uk/ or by telephone to the college on 01772 460181 or 07730 521 540.

All offers of appointment are subject to Disclosure and Barring Service Clearance as well as a range of other safer recruitment checks.