Finance Support Officer

Confidential; Lancashire, Manchester, Salford; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Aspire People is recruiting on behalf of a secondary school in South Manchester for a dedicated Finance Support Officer to join a busy finance team. The role is full-time, initially until Christmas, with ASAP start and salary dependent on experience.

Ideal candidate will have an AAT or equivalent finance qualification, strong Excel skills, and experience in a school setting. You will support day-to-day finance operations and help with a system upgrade, ensuring accuracy and timely processing.

Qualifications

• The successful candidate will ideally have a recognised finance qualification and experience in a busy finance team.
• Experience in a school or education setting is desirable.
• Excellent attention to detail and a methodical approach to work.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills are essential.
• Good organisational and time-management skills with the ability to prioritise.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills and team collaboration.
• Proactive approach and willingness to support during system upgrade.
• A DBS on the Update Service is required.
• References covering the last 2 years.

Responsibilities

• Process bank transactions and perform reconciliations.
• Raise, issue and track invoices and follow up on queries.
• Support procurement by raising requisitions and orders.
• Liaise with suppliers and match deliveries to invoices.
• Assist with the finance system upgrade, including testing and documentation.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records.
• Support month-end processes as required.
• Collaborate with the wider finance team to ensure timely processing.

Skills

Excel

Attention to detail

Time management

Prioritisation

Teamwork

Communication

Proactive approach

System upgrade support

References compliance

Education

AAT qualification or equivalent finance qualification

Tools

DBS Update Service

MS Excel

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.