Head of Finance

School Space; London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading company focused on enabling schools to thrive is seeking a Head of Finance to manage their financial function and aid in strategic growth. The role combines operational management with strategic oversight, ideal for a passionate finance professional looking to impact education positively. Flexibility in hours and location, part-time, with the need for occasional on-call work.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years in finance functions in UK organisations.
• Experience owning finance functions in scale up organisations.
• Strong leadership skills with 2 years of management experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee finance function, managing cash flow and accounting.
• Lead and support a small finance team.
• Develop and implement financial systems and policies.

Skills

Leadership

Financial Management

Strategic Thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field

Professional certification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

Job description

Head of Finance

Applications close: 12pm on 26th June 2025

Interview date:
W/C 30th June 2025

Preferred Start date: September 2025

Location: London based at our office in Hoxton (but hybrid or remote working possible for the right candidate). Most of our team work 2 days a week in the office. Once a quarter we have a whole company OKR day, where you will need to travel to London

Hours: 9:00 - 17:30, three days a week. We are flexible on how these three days are worked

Salary: £55,000 - £65,000 per annum, pro rata

Contract Type: Part time, Permanent

School Space has many of its events taking place in the evenings and weekends. Therefore as part of our Senior Leadership team there is an expectation that one weekend in every seven you would be an on call escalation point (any time worked taken back as lieu time)

About us

School Space aims to create thriving schools at the centre of thriving communities. We do this by partnering with schools across the UK to hire out their spaces in the evenings and weekends to a range of community groups. The income generated is used by our partner schools to improve educational outcomes and facilities for their students, in addition to building a stronger connection with the surrounding community.

Our culture

Since we were founded as a social enterprise by two school students in 2011, we've grown to become a tight knit team of around 25 people who are united by a goal of changing the education sector for the better. We also have a fabulous remote team of over 150 Community Connectors who work at our partner schools in the evenings and weekends.

You will become part of a team who have generated over £5.5 million for schools, taken part in prestigious programs by top names such as Techstars and Goldman Sachs, and been recognised as one of Escape the City’s 100 best organisations to escape to, finalists in the UK’s best Social Enterprise award, and winners of Digital Agenda’s Impact Tech award.

From working directly with the founders, to regular training days, daily stand-ups and socials, we encourage all team members to contribute to our culture and aim to develop every team member at School Space. We are a fast paced work place with a friendly atmosphere - working at School Space will expose you to many new learning opportunities and a chance to have a say in the growth and development of a company striving to create a big impact. Our core values are Transparency, Positivity, Initiative, Community, Passion and Learning - and if selected to interview with us we will be assessing whether you evidence these.

Why does this role exist?

Our operation covers 60 schools (and growing), 250+ incredible part-time Community Connectors (the amazing people who open and close our schools) and thousands of events annually.

Our Head of Finance will be responsible for owning our in-house finance function as the business goes through the next phase of growth. You will have support from our outsourced CFO (1 day per month) but lead internally, reporting into the CEO. You will be passionate about our social mission, and bring a blend of strategic thinking and hands-on operational experience to our existing finance team.

What will you be accountable for?

Financial Management

You will own the finance function at School Space, taking responsibility for cash flow oversight, managing accounting, payment functions, and ensuring financial accuracy. This will include:

• Compliance (overseeing tax filings, working alongside our accountants to ensure adherence to laws and standards),
• Reporting (preparing financial statements, management reports, and working closely with the CEO on analysing financial trends and variance analysis) and
• Budgeting (developing and monitoring budgets, liaising between the CEO and Senior Leadership on these).

Line Management

You will line manage our wonderful existing finance team (two part time including one remote) who manage our day-to-day financial operation, ensuring their workload is planned and they have the support to thrive in their roles. You will also liaise with our external partners (outsourced CFO, Accountants and payroll provider).

System Optimisation

School Space is growing fast, and your role will bring increased oversight and management of our finance function. It will be your responsibility to own and develop financial systems and policies, ensuring that our team workload and responsibilities are refined as the business grows. You will be responsible for implementing implementing controls, mitigating risks, and developing policies to set us up for the future growth of School Space.

How will you know it’s going brilliantly?

• Financial reporting is conducted in an accurate and timely manner; including monthly management accounts, monthly cashflow forecasting and variance analysis
• You maintain robust cash flow management principles through the oversight and management of our payables and receivables, liaising closely with the CEO on this
• Our internal financial controls and compliance are maintained, with quarterly and annual deadlines met
• Your team are well supported and effectively managed, ensuring that they have the tools and resources to effectively execute on their responsibilities
• You contribute to the strategic direction of the business, including actively participating in School Space’s Senior Leadership Team, working closely with the CEO on financial planning, and inputting to cost reduction strategies

What will help you succeed in this role?

• A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field; professional certification (e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA) is required
• Experience in owning finance functions in scale up or fast growing organisations, including reporting and advising senior leadership
• Substantial experience developing financial policies, in particular refining processes through business growth
• Ability to operate comfortably at both strategic and operational levels.
• Minimum of a total of 3 years of experience in the finance function of organisations headquartered in the UK
• Strong leadership skills, with two years of management experience (ideally a remote team) and successfully liaising with external partners e.g. fractional CFO, bookkeeper, tax advisor, etc
• Fluency in spoken and written English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills, comfort with using basic tech tools such as slack

School Space Safeguarding Statement:School Space believes that no child or vulnerable person should ever have to experience abuse of any kind. School Space is committed to the safeguarding of children and recognises that as an organisation we have a responsibility to ensure all our staff members are trained and supported to recognise safeguarding concerns and that we promote safeguarding best practice. We aim to foster an understanding in each of our team members of their safeguarding responsibilities, whilst putting in place procedures to support everyone who uses a school space to safeguard children's wellbeing and protect them from harm.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you have any questions about the role you are also welcome to contact us on [e-mail].

INDLP