Group Finance & Procurement Manager

Coast and Vale Learning Trust; Bracknell; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The O Education Group is seeking a Group Finance & Procurement Manager to own end-to-end finance operations across multiple sites, including VAT, payroll, year-end coordination and procurement. You will implement robust controls and provide clear financial visibility to leadership.

Gain exposure to multi-entity governance, drive process improvements and lead a small finance team in a dynamic educational group focused on compliant, efficient spending and accurate reporting.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience across finance operations: AR/billing, AP, credit control, VAT, payroll, year-end.
• Strong financial controls, cash visibility and process improvement.
• Experience in multi-site or multi-entity organisations preferred.
• Experience in education, specialist education, healthcare, social care or complex environments would be relevant.

Responsibilities

• Income, Fees & Billing
• Credit Control & Income Collection
• Accounts Payable & Supplier Payments
• Purchasing & Procurement
• Property, Maintenance & Operational Expenditure Controls
• Financial Controls
• VAT, Payroll & Year-End Accounts
• Cash & Financial Visibility
• Finance Systems & Process Improvement
• Management Information & Reporting
• Governance & Control - Weekly Financial Operations Review & Finance & Process Review

Skills

Accounts receivable / Billing

Accounts payable

Credit control

VAT

Payroll

Year-end accounts

Supplier management

Purchasing / Procurement

Reconciliations

Financial controls

Finance systems

Process improvement

Multi-site experience

Education sector experience

Education

AAT qualification

ACCA / CIMA - part-qualified

Qualified by experience

Job description

About Us

The O Education Group is focused on changing education for children, young people and families through specialist education, innovation and technology. The Group includes Odyssey Education Services, which operates specialist independent schools, and Ohana Education Services, our innovative online school and technology-enabled education platform.

As the Group grows, we are strengthening the financial and operational infrastructure that sits behind our organisations. We are therefore appointing a Group Finance & Procurement Manager to take ownership of the Group’s day-to-day finance operations, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts coordination, purchasing, procurement and expenditure-control processes.

The Role

The Group Finance & Procurement Manager will ensure that the financial machinery of the Group works effectively, accurately and with strong controls. The postholder will own and continuously improve the Group’s end-to-end processes for income, invoicing, collection and reconciliation; VAT and payroll processes; year-end accounts preparation and coordination; and requirement, procurement, approval, purchase, invoice, payment and reconciliation.

This is not simply an invoice-processing or bookkeeping position. The role is expected to establish effective processes, maintain clear financial visibility, challenge expenditure appropriately, identify risks and exceptions, and ensure that financial activity is supported by appropriate authority and evidence.

What You’ll Do

• Income, Fees & Billing
• Credit Control & Income Collection
• Accounts Payable & Supplier Payments
• Purchasing & Procurement
• Property, Maintenance & Operational Expenditure Controls
• Financial Controls
• VAT, Payroll & Year-End Accounts
• Cash & Financial Visibility
• Finance Systems & Process Improvement
• Management Information & Reporting
• Governance & Control - Weekly Financial Operations Review & Finance & Process Review

About You

Essential Experience

• Strong hands-on experience across finance operations, including accounts receivable/billing, accounts payable, credit control, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts preparation, supplier management, purchasing/procurement and reconciliations.
• Practical understanding of financial controls, cash visibility, finance systems and process improvement
• Experience within a multi-site or multi-entity organisation is highly desirable.
• Experience in education, specialist education, healthcare, social care, property or another operationally complex environment would be particularly relevant.

Qualifications

A formal accountancy qualification is not essential. Candidates may be AAT qualified, ACCA/CIMA part-qualified, qualified by experience or otherwise able to demonstrate substantial relevant finance-operations expertise. Proven operational capability, judgement and financial discipline are more important than qualification alone.

Skills and Attributes

Highly organised, financially numerate and detail-focused.

Confident challenging expenditure appropriately and professionally pursuing outstanding income.

Commercially aware and comfortable working across several businesses and sites.

Able to establish processes rather than simply follow existing ones.

Confident with finance systems, technology and automation.

Able to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues.

Control-minded, appropriately sceptical and comfortable escalating concerns when required.