Finance Officer – Secondary School – Leicester

Marchant Recruitment; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

Marchant Recruitment is seeking a Finance Officer for a well-established secondary school in Leicester. The postholder will join the professional administration and finance team to manage day-to-day financial activities and maintain accurate records.

You will work closely with the Finance Manager, supply staff, and other colleagues to ensure smooth financial operations and timely reporting, while handling confidential information with professionalism.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a finance or accounts administration role.
• School or education finance experience is desirable.
• Good understanding of financial administration.
• Experience processing invoices and purchase orders.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good numerical ability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Experience using finance or accounting software.
• Ability to maintain accurate records.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Professional and reliable approach.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a wider team.

Responsibilities

• Processing purchase invoices and financial transactions.
• Supporting accounts payable and receivable processes.
• Maintaining accurate financial records.
• Processing purchase orders.
• Checking invoices against purchase orders and relevant documentation.
• Assisting with supplier payments.
• Responding to supplier queries.
• Maintaining records of departmental expenditure.
• Assisting with financial reconciliations.
• Processing staff expenses where required.
• Supporting the preparation of financial reports.
• Monitoring outstanding invoices and payments.
• Maintaining organised financial filing systems.
• Assisting with month-end financial procedures.
• Supporting the Finance Manager with general finance administration.
• Ensuring financial information is recorded accurately and promptly.
• Maintaining confidentiality when handling financial information.
• Liaising with school staff regarding financial queries.
• Supporting audits and providing documentation when required.

Skills

Attention to detail

Numerical ability

Organisational skills

Written and verbal communication

Deadline-oriented

Independent and team player

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office

Finance/accounting software

Job description

Finance Officer – Secondary School – Leicester

Start Date: As soon as possible
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £32,000–£37,000 per annum, depending on experience

School Information

A well-established Secondary School in Leicester is looking to appoint an experienced Finance Officer to join its professional administration and finance team.

The school has a strong commitment to providing students with a high-quality education within a supportive and inclusive environment. It serves a diverse community and has developed a culture based on high expectations, positive relationships and strong student support.

The finance team plays an important role in ensuring the school operates effectively and that financial processes are accurate, efficient and compliant with internal procedures.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Finance Manager, senior leadership team, administrative colleagues, suppliers and other members of staff.

The Role

The Finance Officer will provide day-to-day financial and administrative support and will be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records and ensuring transactions are processed efficiently.

The school is looking for someone with strong attention to detail who can manage financial information confidently and work to deadlines.

You will need to be comfortable handling confidential information and communicating professionally with staff, suppliers and external contacts.

Key Responsibilities

• Processing purchase invoices and financial transactions.
• Supporting accounts payable and receivable processes.
• Maintaining accurate financial records.
• Processing purchase orders.
• Checking invoices against purchase orders and relevant documentation.
• Assisting with supplier payments.
• Responding to supplier queries.
• Maintaining records of departmental expenditure.
• Assisting with financial reconciliations.
• Processing staff expenses where required.
• Supporting the preparation of financial reports.
• Monitoring outstanding invoices and payments.
• Maintaining organised financial filing systems.
• Assisting with month-end financial procedures.
• Supporting the Finance Manager with general finance administration.
• Ensuring financial information is recorded accurately and promptly.
• Maintaining confidentiality when handling financial information.
• Liaising with school staff regarding financial queries.
• Supporting audits and providing documentation when required.

Budget Administration

The successful candidate will assist with monitoring expenditure and ensuring departments have appropriate financial information.

You may be required to communicate with budget holders regarding expenditure and provide updates on outstanding transactions.

Attention to detail will be particularly important, as errors in financial records can affect wider school budgeting and reporting.

You should therefore be confident checking information carefully and following established procedures.

The role will involve regular communication with suppliers.

You will deal with invoice queries, payment queries and requests for information while ensuring that school procedures are followed.

A professional and polite approach is essential, particularly when dealing with external organisations.

Working With the Wider School

Although the role is based within the finance function, the Finance Officer will work closely with departments across the school.

You may receive requests from teachers, department heads, administrative staff and senior leaders, so the ability to communicate clearly and prioritise competing requests will be important.

The successful candidate should understand that finance administration within a school requires accuracy but also a strong service-focused approach.

Requirements

• Previous experience in a finance or accounts administration role.
• School or education finance experience is desirable.
• Good understanding of financial administration.
• Experience processing invoices and purchase orders.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Good numerical ability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office.
• Experience using finance or accounting software.
• Ability to maintain accurate records.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Professional and reliable approach.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a wider team.

Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate will be organised, methodical and dependable.

You should take pride in producing accurate work and be comfortable checking information thoroughly.

The school is looking for someone who can identify discrepancies, raise queries appropriately and ensure financial processes are completed correctly.

You will also need to be adaptable and able to respond to changing priorities during busy periods such as month-end, year-end and audit preparation.

Why Join the School?

This is an excellent opportunity to join an established Secondary School in Leicester and become a valued member of its finance and administration team.

The successful candidate will work alongside experienced colleagues and will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of school finance while contributing directly to the effective running of the school.