Primary Compliance Finance Administrator

HARRIS FEDERATION; Greater London; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual loyalty bonus

Pension scheme

26 days' annual leave

Wellbeing cash plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to work

Discounts for staff

ICT and season ticket loans

Job summary

Harris Federation is seeking a Primary Compliance Assistant to support the financial administration of nursery and wraparound care, ensuring accuracy, compliance and strong controls. The role pays £25,541 for 37.5 hours per week, 40 weeks per year, and requires meticulous record-keeping and clear communication with academies, families and carers.

Responsibilities include reconciling payments, resolving discrepancies, producing income reports, issuing invoices, and maintaining audit trails, with

Qualifications

• Experience in financial administration and reconciliations.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with parents and carers.

Responsibilities

• Reconciling payments received through ParentPay and other systems with accurate allocation.
• Investigating and resolving payment discrepancies and account queries.
• Maintaining accurate financial records and income reports.
• Creating and issuing nursery and wraparound care invoices on time.
• Applying funded hours, discounts and fees using attendance data.
• Managing parent and carer accounts and new user setup.
• Communicating charges, invoices and balances clearly to families.
• Monitoring outstanding balances and debt recovery records.
• Escalating arrears per academy procedures and supporting leaders.

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Management Information Systems

Job description

To discover more about our culture, ethos and what it is like to work here, visit the Why Work For Us page.

ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for a Primary Compliance Assistant to support the effective financial administration of nursery and wraparound care provision, delivering an excellent service to academies, parents and carers while ensuring accuracy, compliance and strong financial controls.

The actual salary for this role will be £25,541 (37.5 hours per week, 40 weeks per year).

MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

• Reconciling payments received through ParentPay and other approved payment systems, ensuring accurate allocation across parent, pupil and service accounts
• Investigating and resolving payment discrepancies, refunds and account queries in collaboration with academy colleagues and families
• Maintaining accurate financial records, producing income reports and monitoring outstanding balances
• Following financial procedures and maintaining clear audit trails for all transactions
• Creating, checking and issuing nursery and wraparound care invoices accurately and on time
• Applying funded hours, discounts and fee adjustments using attendance and booking information
• Managing parent and carer accounts, including setting up new users and maintaining accurate records
• Communicating clearly with parents and carers regarding charges, invoices, payments and account balances
• Processing booking amendments and updating charges promptly and accurately
• Monitoring outstanding nursery and wraparound care balances and maintaining debt recovery records
• Contacting parents and carers regarding overdue payments in a professional, sensitive and consistent manner
• Managing agreed payment plans and monitoring adherence to arrangements
• Escalating outstanding arrears in line with academy procedures and providing supporting information to leaders
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Good ICT skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel and management information systems
• Experience of working effectively with colleagues, parents and carers
• The ability to work independently, use initiative and solve problems
• A flexible and adaptable approach to changing demands
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of a team
• Strong time management skills and the ability to meet deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy in your work

WORKING WITH US

The founder and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We have, over the past thirty years, implemented ideas and initiatives that have transformed the opportunities of pupils from working class and disadvantaged backgrounds. Harris academies are widely recognised as a force for social mobility. We are immensely proud of the role that our alumni are now beginning to play in the world and of what we believe our current generation of pupils will go on to achieve.

We now have over 50 schools educating more than 40,000 young people across London and Essex, and employ over 5,000 staff across our academies and head office. With the majority of our academies located in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage, a high-quality education is key to the futures of the pupils we serve.

As a provider of employment and education, we value the diversity of our staff and students, and all our staff are equally valued and respected. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

Our work will impact many generations to come, and our staff come from all backgrounds and walks of life, coming together to inspire young minds. We promote an inclusive culture that embraces the valuable and enriching contribution that all of our community make. We continue to be proactive in uplifting and supporting all voices at Harris., A reminder to check your junk mail for our email communications and add us to your safe senders list to ensure all future email communication is received.

OUR VISION & VALUES

Our vision, from the start, has been to provide the structure and services needed for our schools to amount to more than the sum of their parts, and to free-up our teachers and leaders to focus on one thing and one thing only: the outstanding education of all their pupils. Our young people and communities are at the heart of everything we do. Our core mission has always been to close the educational gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. Our ambition is one where every child in London, no matter their background, has equal access to high quality education, giving them the same opportunities and potential to succeed.

We know there are many challenges facing our young people and the communities we serve, and that's why we need determined people like you to help us tackle those inequalities. Whilst each of our academies has their own unique cultures and values; as a whole Federation, we have four core values which are central to successfully achieving our vision: Excellence, Collaboration, Support, and Innovation. We are proud of our values because they guide us in how we work allowing us to achieve the best possible outcomes for our young people, communities, and colleagues.

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONSafeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Harris has a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

• Excellent opportunities for continuous professional development and career progression
• Annual loyalty bonus
• Pension scheme (Teachers' Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contribution
• 26 days' annual leave (inclusive of our Christmas Eve closure day) plus bank holidays, rising to 27 days after 2 years' service, or equivalent for staff on term time contracts
• Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan including cover for routine and specialist healthcare
• Employee Assistance Programme for free and confidential advice
• Cycle to work salary sacrifice scheme
• Wide range of shopping, leisure, and travel discounts
• 20% off at Tapi Carpets, exclusive to Harris employees
• Interest-free ICT and season ticket loans