School Finance Business Partner

Teaching vacancies; Stevenage; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable Trust organization is seeking a School Finance Business Partner to oversee financial management across multiple primary schools. This role involves strategic budget planning, financial reporting, and collaboration with key stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a strong financial background and extensive experience in managing school finances. You will work closely with the Executive Team and Headteachers to ensure best practices are followed and to drive financial efficiencies across the Trust.

Benefits

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Travel expenses reimbursement

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in financial management and budgeting.
• Ability to produce accurate month-end accounts.
• Strong understanding of trust protocols and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing financial and business performance across multiple Trust schools.
• Managing annual budget-setting processes and forecasting.
• Presenting financial reports to stakeholders.

Skills

Financial management

Budget management

Collaboration

Analytical skills

Commercial focus

Education

Relevant financial qualification

Tools

Excel

Financial software

Job description

Job details

• Job role: Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full‑time equivalent salary: £42,839.00 – £51,356.00 annually (FTE), Range M1‑2 – Starting salary will be agreed based on skills and experience

School Finance Business Partner job summary

Responsibilities: Responsible to: Headteachers, Trust CFO.

Liaising with: Trust Finance Team (Head of Finance, Assistant Management Accountant), Headteachers, Executive Director of Primary, Hub Operations Lead.

Hours of work: Full time (37 hours per week all year round). Attending certain governors meetings out of school hours during the year is expected.

Annual Leave: 28 days plus 8 bank holidays; mostly during school holidays, up to 2 weeks during term time in up to 1-week periods.

Location: Working base at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School (Stevenage) 2 days per week; remaining 3 days based at St Thomas More Catholic Primary School (Letchworth) or from home with agreement. Flexible across Trust schools as required. Travel expenses reimbursed.

Purpose: As a School Finance Business Partner, oversee the financial and business performance of up to five Trust schools, including:

• Financial Accounting: Producing monthly management accounts and ensuring accurate posting of month‑end adjustments.
• Budget Management: Managing the annual budget‑setting process and 3‑year forecasting to align with strategic objectives.
• Financial Reporting: Presenting monthly accounts to the Local Governing Board, Headteacher, and Central Trust; providing financial updates. Visiting member of the School's Senior Leadership Team.
• Collaboration: Working closely with Headteachers and other key stakeholders to ensure financial plans align with strategic objectives and budgets.
• Payroll: Responsible for accurate and timely administration of monthly payroll for allocated schools.

Your role will encompass working closely with the Hub Operations Lead who oversees facilities management.

You will play a pivotal role in supporting Headteachers and contribute significantly to the wider team linking in with the Executive team.

This role demands a strong commercial focus, emphasizing best value, identifying new income opportunities, and ensuring cost effectiveness.

Your time allocation across the schools will be agreed and reviewed regularly. Collaborate closely with the DoWAT central team and other Trust staff as necessary. The role evolves but you will work across up to five primary schools.

You will be expected to take a leadership role in specific areas of expertise, deliver trust‑wide improvement, business excellence, and build strong teamwork.

Key Responsibilities

Senior Leadership:

• To support the Executive Team and Headteacher in ensuring the schools’ budgets balance and deliver best value for money, ensuring financial management follows Trust protocols and the Academies Financial Handbook.
• Ensure allocated schools make best possible use of resources through effective planning, considering all financial and resource management implications. Report on monthly and day‑to‑day financial control performance.
• Responsible for strategic financial planning, forecasting and expenditure of allocated schools; advising Governors and the Executive on investment in developments and financial and reputational risk management.
• Contribute to and manage against supporting budgets and plans, working with the Executive Team, Headteachers and governors as appropriate.
• Monitor and evaluate progress against agreed objectives and targets, taking additional action as may be agreed.
• Ensure business development, a focused financial strategy and strong overall management directly affect educational outcomes for pupils.
• Represent the Trust and schools at relevant local and national networks.
• Promote and market Trust and schools’ specific services, seek sponsorship and generate additional income.
• Maintain and ensure regular review of data protection and GDPR, personnel, and ensure all required procedures are in place and observed. Maintain control of a contracts register that is capable of consolidation.

Operational, Financial and Risk Management:

• Produce accurate month‑end accounts; responsible for cashbook posting and month‑end adjustments. Post all charge‑card transactions. Complete month‑end journals, balance sheet reconciliations and management accounts.
• Check and (jointly) authorise monthly payroll runs across schools. Post the payroll journal.
• Provide a professional, innovative and entrepreneurial lead in relation to the schools’ financial health.
• Monitor and challenge performance against budget.
• Manage and authorise expenditure on behalf of allocated schools in line with role mandates and academy trust handbook.
• Ensure compliance within schools in line with Trust Policy and relevant regulations, supporting Headteachers with compliance relative to Financial Handbook, risk register, assurance documents.
• Ensure schools deliver good value for money.
• Manage school contract schedules and SLAs.
• Provide support, guidance, challenge and information to budget holders.
• Support each school in maintaining an operational risk log, and elevate significant current or potential future risks to the Trust central team.
• Liaise with other Trust business management staff to seek better procurement deals and commercial advantage.
• Contribute to development and implementation of a local ICT and cyber development strategy.

Facilities Management:

• Support Headteachers in decision‑making regarding school premises in line with budget provision and operational requirements, evaluating tenders to ensure best value.
• Develop and deliver building improvement projects liaising with key partners.
• Ensure accuracy, content and quality of submissions of relevant information to senior management, governing bodies and outside agencies, meeting all financial and statutory regulations and guidelines.
• Alongside Headteachers, ensure compliance with procurement legislation and frameworks, securing relevant sponsorship and partnership arrangements adding value to the school/Trust.
• Devise effective marketing and promotion strategies for the school, understanding the role of public relations with wider stakeholder groups. Oversight of all major events including student open days and teacher recruitment.
• Embed a culture of health and safety across the school or Trust, ensuring plans to deliver all statutory requirements.
• Take lead in expansion and development plans of the site/facilities, using Asset Management Plans to bid for major building funds to DfE to meet strategic vision.

The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that may from time to time be necessary.

Job Context

• Develops and implements school policies and procedures; analytic, judgemental, or creative skills required to interpret varied and complex information over the long term, including whole Trust/school budget preparation and planning, support service monitoring.
• Negotiates, advises, leads on behalf of school in external matters such as contracts, procurement, funding bids; regularly deals with complex Trust/school finance issues.

Problems, Demands & Decisions

• Negotiates, advises, leads on behalf of school in external matters such as contracts, procurement, funding bids; regularly deals with complex whole school finance issues.
• Develops and implements school policies and procedures; analytic, judgemental or creative skills required to interpret varied and complex information over the long term.

Physical Effort

• Requires normal physical effort, with a mixture of sitting, walking, and carrying minor loads.
• Travel between sites (reimbursed for any travel beyond base office).

Working Environment

Work normally carried out in an office environment and across schools.

We welcome and encourage potential candidates to reach out for an informal conversation prior to applications to discuss the role further. To arrange an informal Teams or phone conversation with the Trust CFO, Emma Gritten, please email: [e-mail].

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.

Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.

Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks

• Childcare disqualification
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
• Medical
• Online and social media
• Prohibition from teaching
• Right to work
• Satisfactory references
• Suitability to work with children

You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.