Finance Officer

Havens Hospices; Southend-on-Sea; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization in Southend-on-Sea is seeking a Finance Officer to manage Sales and Purchase Ledger activities. This role involves ensuring financial accuracy, processing invoices, and providing monthly accruals for management accounts. The ideal candidate will have finance experience or a strong academic background, alongside strong organizational skills and attention to detail. The role offers opportunities for professional development, including AAT study support.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Competitive salary package

Meaningful work supporting vital services

Qualifications

• Experience or strong academic foundation in finance.
• Ability to manage a varied workload effectively.
• Understanding of accuracy and confidentiality in finance.

Responsibilities

• Process invoices and maintain payment schedules.
• Reconcile statements and manage supplier queries.
• Prepare documentation for monthly and annual audits.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Proactive attitude

Effective communication

Confidentiality

Microsoft Office proficiency

Education

Previous finance experience or strong academic foundation

Tools

SAGE or similar accounting software

Job description

At Havens Hospices, every member of our team plays a vital role in making every day count for the people we support. As part of our small, friendly, and collaborative Finance Team, you'll be joining an organisation where your work genuinely matters and where you'll feel the impact of what you do every day.

As our Finance Officer, you'll be responsible for the smooth running of our day‑to‑day Sales and Purchase Ledger activities, helping ensure our financial information is accurate, timely, and aligned to policy. You'll work closely with colleagues across the charity, handling queries, processing invoices and expenses, reconciling statements, preparing sales invoices, supporting the management accounts process, and contributing to continuous improvements in our financial systems. This role is ideal for someone who is organised, proactive, detail‑driven, and keen to keep learning.

Responsibilities

• Receiving, matching, and processing invoices for payment in line with company procedure.
• Select due invoices for payment and importing to the bank for approval and payment.
• Reconciling Supplier Statements prior to payment.
• Dealing with supplier and internal queries relating to invoices and payments.
• Receiving, processing, and paying staff expenses.
• Ensure all incoming monies are kept secure and banked in line with hospice policy.
• Liaising with the Security Company collecting cash and cheques and are recorded and handed over in line with hospice policy.
• Management of Accounts Payable & Receivable email.
• Point of contact for charity departments raising Purchase Orders for advice and assistance.
• Preparing Sales Ledger invoices when required for Fundraising events and Grants.
• Posting Sales Ledger receipts and monitor overdue sales ledger invoices and follow up payments as required
• Input expenditure relating to our contracted services into the relevant tracker, monitoring variances and raising any queries to the contract co‑ordinators as they arise.
• Use the contracted services trackers to calculate monthly accruals and monitor outstanding and overdue expenditure
• Regularly liaise with 3rd party providers and care co‑ordinators to ensure the Charity is invoiced in a timely manner for services provided in connection to contracted services
• Provide Accountants and Finance Officers monthly accruals for Management Accounts.
• Provide copy documentation and other information as required for Annual Audit.
• Assume responsibility for the Purchase Order, Purchase and Sales Ledger in the accounting software. Including monthly reconciliation's and investigating and resolving any queries.
• Contribute to the continuous process of reviewing and updating our financial systems and procedures.

Whether you already have experience in a finance environment and want to progress, or you're at the beginning of your career with strong academic potential, we would love to hear from you. We're committed to developing our people and will fully support the right candidate to work towards AAT qualifications.

Qualifications

• Has either previous finance experience or a strong academic foundation with the ambition to learn.
• Understands the importance of accuracy, confidentiality, and professionalism in a finance environment.
• Is confident using Microsoft Office and able to learn new systems quickly
• Can manage a varied workload, communicate clearly, and build effective working relationships across teams
• Shares our values of Care and Compassion, Commitment, Community, Courage and Integrity.
• Experience with SAGE or similar accounting software is desirable but not essential.

Benefits

• A role with real purpose; your work supports vital services for patients and families.
• Opportunities for professional development, including AAT study support.
• The chance to grow your skills as part of a respected local charity with strong values.

If you're keen to build a meaningful career in finance and want to make a positive difference every day, we'd love to receive your application.

Working For Our Organisation

At Havens Hospices, we care for children, young people and adults with complex or incurable conditions. Our specialist Care Teams can support them and their family living throughout illness, death and bereavement in the comfort of their own home and through our hospice services, Fair Havens and Little Havens.

Working at Havens Hospices allows you to give the gift of time to patients and families, creating memories. Although you may not be giving direct care to our patients, your contribution will have an immediate effect on our care services.

In return for your expertise and passion, you will receive a competitive salary package, and most of all, by making the most of every day you work at Havens Hospices you'll be helping us continue 'Making every day count' for those who need us most.

At Havens Hospices we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our employees and patients and expect all colleagues to share this commitment.

We value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.