Finance Support Officer

Aspire People; Lancashire; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Aspire People are recruiting a Finance Support Officer for a South Manchester secondary school to join the busy finance team. The role covers day-to-day financial operations while a school-wide finance system upgrade is implemented.

The ideal candidate will have an AAT qualification and strong Excel skills, with experience in reconciliations, invoicing, and procurement. This full-time post starts ASAP and runs until Christmas, with potential extension depending on requirements.

Qualifications

• AAT qualification or equivalent finance qualification.
• Previous experience working within a busy finance team.
• Experience in school or education setting is desirable.
• Excellent attention to detail and methodical approach.
• Strong MS Excel skills.
• Good organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills and teamwork.
• Proactive approach during the finance system upgrade.
• DBS check on Update Service and references.

Responsibilities

• Process bank transactions and complete regular bank reconciliations.
• Raise, issue and track customer invoices and follow up on queries.
• Support procurement by raising purchase requisitions and purchase orders.
• Liaise with suppliers and ensure deliveries match invoices.
• Support the finance system upgrade, including testing and data checks.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records.
• Assist with month-end processes as required.
• Work with the finance team to ensure daily processing is on schedule.

Skills

Excel skills

Time management

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Team player

Education

AAT qualification

Tools

Procurement software

Job description

Finance Support Officer - Secondary School
Location: South Manchester
Contract: Full-time, initially until Christmas
Start Date: ASAP
Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Are you an experienced Finance Support Officer looking for your next opportunity within education?

Aspire People are currently recruiting on behalf of a secondary school in South Manchester for a full-time Finance Support Officer to join their busy finance team. The role is available to start ASAP and will initially run until Christmas.

This is an excellent opportunity for an organised and detail-focused finance professional to provide hands‑on support across day‑to‑day finance operations while the school delivers a finance system upgrade.

Key Responsibilities

• Process bank transactions and complete regular bank reconciliations, investigating and resolving unmatched items.
• Raise, issue and track customer invoices, following up on queries and discrepancies.
• Support the procurement of goods and services by raising purchase requisitions and purchase orders.
• Liaise with suppliers and ensure deliveries are correctly matched to invoices.
• Support the finance system upgrade, including system testing, data checks, user support and maintaining documentation.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records.
• Provide support with month‑end processes as required.
• Work collaboratively with the wider finance team to ensure daily processing is accurate and completed on schedule.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• AAT qualification or equivalent finance qualification.
• Previous experience working within a busy finance team.
• Previous experience working within a school or education setting is desirable.
• Excellent attention to detail and a methodical approach to work.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Good organisational and time‑management skills.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• A proactive approach and willingness to support colleagues during the finance system upgrade.
• A DBS on the Update Service.
• References covering the last 2 years.

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a secondary school in South Manchester and play an important role in supporting the school's finance operations during an exciting period of system development.

Aspire People Limited provides services as an Education Agency and an Education Employment Business. Aspire People is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils and expects every candidate to share this commitment. Placements are subject, to appropriate Child Protection screening, including checks with former employers and the Disclosure and Barring Checks.