management accountant

Inspiration Trust Ltd; Cringleford; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS

Health Plan

Employee Assistance

24/7 Virtual GP

Mental Health Support

Healthcare Reimbursements

Job summary

Inspiration Trust is seeking a dedicated management accountant to join our finance team supporting a group of academies. You will deliver monthly management accounts, prepare and monitor budgets, and help ensure regulatory and statutory compliance, translating financial detail into clear guidance for school leaders.

You will gain full training in education finance and work with the Chief Financial Officer to align curriculum plans with available resources, supporting high-quality education

Qualifications

• Experience of producing management accounts
• Experience of budget preparation
• Experience of balance sheet and year-end reconciliations
• AAT status or working towards AAT status
• Excellent IT and Excel skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, be that written or oral
• Motivational and striving attitude
• Accurate and diligent work
• Works well in a fast-paced and high-volume role
• A passion for Finance and supporting the provision of excellent education

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of timely, accurate management accounts for an allocated group of academies.
• Help school leaders make informed staffing decisions by producing salary variance reports.
• Build strong relationships with Principals and CFO to review and maintain Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning.
• Preparation and monitoring of annual and 3-year budgets and support of Trust-wide budgeting with key stakeholders

Skills

Management accounting

Budgeting

Variance analysis

Forecasting

Stakeholder liaison

Education

AAT qualification

Degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Job description

Put your finance skills to work where they can make a difference to children's education. This is an opportunity for an ambitious management accountant to gain valuable experience in the public education sector, joining our dynamic, high-achieving finance team. If you are organised, motivated and ready to help schools make the most of their resources, we would love to hear from you. Your work will help school leaders understand their finances and plan confidently. You will deliver accurate monthly management accounts for our schools, prepare and monitor budgets, and help ensure that financial management meets regulatory and statutory requirements and follows best practice.

What You'll Be Doing

• - Take ownership of timely, accurate management accounts for an allocated group of academies, bringing together accruals, prepayments, monthly forecasting, variance analysis and clear commentary to explain the financial position.
• - Help school leaders make informed strategic decisions about staffing levels by producing salary variance reports, with reference to the Department for Education's Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning guidance.
• - Build strong working relationships with school Principals and the Chief Financial Officer as you support the ongoing review and maintenance of Integrated Curriculum and Financial Planning, helping schools align their curriculum plans with available resources.
• - Preparation and monitoring of annual and 3-year budgets and support of Trust wide budgeting process, including meetings with key stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will enjoy turning financial detail into clear, practical information that helps others make decisions. With excellent presentation and organisation skills, you will build strong, collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and connect finance with operational management. Your analytical, detail-oriented approach and strategic thinking will help schools use their resources to support the highest standard of education for our pupils. You do not need an education-sector background to apply: we will provide full training in education finance. You will have experience of working in a finance environment and be AAT qualified or working towards the qualification; full AAT qualification is preferred. Education-sector experience is a strong advantage, but we equally welcome applicants who can demonstrate transferable skills from other sectors.

Essential:

• - Experience of producing management accounts
• - Experience of budget preparation
• - Experience of balance sheet and year-end reconciliations
• - AAT status or working towards AAT status
• - Excellent IT and excel skills
• - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, be that written or oral
• - Motivational and striving attitude
• - Accurate and diligent work
• - Works well in a fast-paced and high-volume role
• - Passion for learning and development
• - A passion for Finance and supporting the provision of excellent education

Desirable:

• - Fully or part ACA/ACCA qualified
• - Degree or equivalent level of education
• - Experience of working within the education sector

Inspiration Trust is a thriving family of schools across Norfolk and North Suffolk, recognised nationally for pupil progress and excellence in teaching and leadership. We believe every young person deserves the best education, regardless of background. The Trust offers extensive networks and opportunities to collaborate with a diverse range of schools and partners. We are committed to delivering outstanding professional and learning opportunities for all staff, supported by a rich programme of continuing professional development led by some of the country's leading educational thinkers and practitioners. Our central support services give school leaders more time to focus on education. By bringing key services together, we reduce workload for senior leaders, provide value for money across integrated services and give academies a strong local support structure where best practice can be shared. We continually review these services to keep them responsive to each academy's needs. Our Central Services team, currently based at the Cringleford Prep site in Norwich, provides expert support across HR, Payroll, Recruitment, Finance, ICT, and Estates - enabling our schools to focus on what they do best: teaching and learning.

Generous annual leave, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with excellent employer contributions - Health Plan and Employee Assistance Programme, including 24/7 virtual GP access, mental health support and claim-back options for healthcare costs

• - Cycle-to-work scheme, retail and theatre discounts (including discounted shopping vouchers, dentist and gym memberships), and salary sacrifice options (including home technology).
• - Free parking at most sites - Personalised CPD and development programmes - A structured and specific induction programme.