Financial Accountant - Academy Finance

Herts for Learning Ltd; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 46,000; Part time

Job summary

Herts for Learning Ltd is seeking an experienced finance professional to join our Academy Finance team. This part-time role focuses on strategic financial planning, governance support and advising school leaders on financial resilience across academy trusts.

You will work with trustees, CFOs and senior leaders, providing clear, evidence-based advice, complex accounting oversight and interim financial support where needed, while maintaining strong client relationships.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with ACA/ACCA/CIMA/CIPFA/ICAS.
• Experience supporting academy trusts and schools.
• Ability to explain complex financial information clearly.
• Experience preparing statutory accounts.
• Strong stakeholder engagement across executives and trustees.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial planning, analysis and recovery support to academy trusts and schools.
• Act as trusted adviser and, where required, provide interim CFO support.
• Mentor finance leaders and help build capability, confidence and strategic impact.
• Lead complex accounting assignments, financial investigations and assurance reviews.
• Support academy conversions, trust growth, mergers and organisational change.
• Help shape new services and practical solutions in response to emerging sector needs.

Skills

Strategic finance

Advising leaders

Complex accounting

Relationship building

Prioritisation

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA/CIPFA/ICAS

Job description

Use your financial expertise to make a difference in education

Are you a qualified accountant who enjoys turning complex financial information into clear, practical advice? Join our Academy Finance team and help schools and academy trusts build financial resilience, strengthen governance and make confident decisions for the future.

This is a varied, client-facing role for an experienced finance professional who is comfortable working strategically with trustees, accounting officers, CFOs, CEOs and senior leaders. You will combine technical expertise with sound judgement, constructive challenge and a genuine commitment to excellent outcomes for education.

What you will do

• Provide strategic financial planning, analysis and recovery support to academy trusts and schools.
• Act as a trusted adviser and, where required, provide interim CFO support.
• Mentor finance leaders and help build capability, confidence and strategic impact.
• Lead complex accounting assignments, financial investigations and assurance reviews.
• Support academy conversions, trust growth, mergers and organisational change.
• Help shape new services and practical solutions in response to emerging sector needs.

What you will bring

• A recognised accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or ICAS.
• Strategic financial management experience and confidence advising senior leaders or boards.
• Experience of preparing or reviewing statutory accounts and leading complex financial projects.
• The ability to explain complex issues clearly and provide balanced, evidence-based advice.
• Strong relationship-building skills, professional curiosity and sound judgement.
• An organised, flexible approach to managing competing priorities across a portfolio of clients.

Academy trust finance, CFO, internal audit, forensic accounting, conversion or trust-growth experience would be valuable, but we welcome applicants who can demonstrate relevant transferable expertise.

At a glance

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part-time at 22.2 hours per week TTO+2 weeks per year

Location: Hybrid working consisting of remote working, with flexibility required to work across educational settings in Hertfordshire along with occasional visits to Bank House, Stevenage.

We are a committed Disability Confident employer and a signatory of the BITC Race at Work Charter reflecting our continuing commitment to be unbiased across our recruitment and workplace practices.

We actively encourage suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply and to join us. We use an anonymous application process to ensure we always select candidates based on their skills and competencies. When two or more candidates have equal merit, the candidate with protected characteristics will have an advantage over others. This tie‑breaker approach is described as positive action in the Equality Act 2010 and we believe strongly in the power of overcoming disadvantage.

If you are invited to interview, please be prepared to discuss the subject of unconscious bias with us. These conversations are extremely useful in giving us an idea of what working together will be like.

HFL is an equal opportunities employer, committed to building and celebrating an environment that is inclusive and equitable, in which everyone can flourish, regardless of race, age, sexuality, gender, disability, or status.