Senior Finance Assistant

DRET - Finance & Payroll; Loughborough; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

31 days annual leave

Health & Wellbeing Programme

Awards & Recognition Scheme

Flexible working pattern

Discounts platform

Job summary

The David Ross Education Trust is recruiting a Senior Finance Assistant for our finance team at the Head Office in Loughborough, with hybrid working options. The role involves shared responsibility across two finance teams, including debt chasing, reconciliations, budgeting support and reporting using IMP.

You will work with the FP&A Manager on budgets and forecasts, maintain dashboards for academies, and act as IMP systems administrator.

Qualifications

• GCSEs including English and Maths at Grade C or above.
• AAT or CIMA/ACCA Part Qualified.
• Experience in a finance role focusing on controls and reconciliations.
• Excellent Excel skills; knowledge of Power BI.
• Good organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Process and chase all debtor accounts and manage bad debt.
• Review and post deferred income.
• Proactively manage income inbox.
• Own the clear down of specific control accounts.
• Reconcile bank accounts; investigate and resolve issues.
• Support FP&A Manager with annual budget and in-year forecasts.
• Prepare monthly dashboards for Primary and Secondary Academies with commentary.
• Be a systems expert in IMP budgeting/forecasting software with scenario analyses.
• Systems Administrator for IMP.
• Perform monthly labour cost reconciliations using multiple data sources to understand variances.
• Investigate discrepancies with HR, finance colleagues and schools.
• Roll forward of primary and secondary budget files - CBBs for the business partners

Skills

Data analysis

Reconciliations

Excel skills

Organisational skills

Deadline-driven

Education

GCSEs including English and Maths

AAT or CIMA/ACCA Part Qualified

Tools

Excel

Power BI

IMP

Job description

The David Ross Education Trust (DRET) is recruiting for a Senior Finance Assistant to join our friendly finance team. The role is based at our Head Office in Loughborough, but with the opportunity for some hybrid working. This is a dual role with time spent each month in two different finance teams. This makes this role truly varied and a great opportunity to experience and learn about different areas within finance.

Permanent - 37 hours per week, 52 weeks a year

• Process and chase all debtor accounts and manage bad debt.
• Review and post deferred income.
• Proactively manage income inbox
• Own the clear down of specific control accounts.
• Reconcile assigned bank accounts, investigate and resolve any issues arising.
• Support the FP&A Manager with the preparation of the annual budget and in-year forecasts.
• Prepare and maintain the monthly dashboards for the Primary and Secondary Academies, working with the Finance Business Partners to ensure that commentary is accurate and insightful.
• Be a systems expert in IMP which it the Trust’s budgeting and forecasting software, with the ability to perform scenario analysis and create insightful reporting.
• Systems Administrator for IMP.
• Perform monthly labour cost reconciliations, using multiple data sources to understand variances between actual and forecast cost, and identify and implement changes required for the next forecast update.
• Investigate discrepancies and work closely with HR, finance colleagues and schools to resolve issues in a timely manner.
• Roll forward of primary and secondary budget files - CBBs for the business partners

About our Function

The David Ross Education Trust is a network of unique and diverse academies, committed to becoming one of the top-performing multi-academy trusts. The Trust’s network comprises 36 primary and secondary schools across the country, with a combined annual income and expenditure of over £100m.

The Trust places significant importance on strong financial management within each academy and across the network. This post will play a key role in this, working with both finance staff in the central team and non-finance staff across all the Trust’s academies.

Salary & Benefits

• Access to Local Government Pension Scheme
• 31 days annual leave plus statutory holidays
• Commitment to employee Health and Wellbeing including dedicated Employee Assistance Programme
• Awards and Recognition Scheme
• Flexible working pattern
• Benefits Platform : holiday discounts : cinema tickets : restaurant booking discounts : Cycle to Work Scheme

Who we are looking for

GCSE’s including English and Maths at Grade C and above (or equivalent).

AAT or CIMA/ACCA Part Qualified

Experience of working in a finance role with a focus on controls and reconciliations.

Knowledge of accounting principles, standards and procedures.

Experience of data analysis and performing reconciliations.

Excellent excel skills - (Lookups, pivot tables etc.)

Knowledge of Power BI

Good organisational skills.

Ability to work to deadlines and manage multiple priorities.

Ability to be flexible as part of a small team

About The David Ross Education Trust

The David Ross Education Trust’s mission is to give every child attending one of our schools a world-class education.

We are a network of unique and diverse academies across the country, committed to delivering a world-class, knowledge-rich education that empowers pupils to reach their fullest potential. Spanning North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire, North-East Lincolnshire, the East Midlands and London, our network of 36 academies serves over 14,600 pupils and employs 2,300 dedicated staff.

Our family of schools includes 24 primaries, 10 secondaries, an all-through school in London’s Olympic Park, and a special school in Lincolnshire supporting pupils aged 2-19 with a broad range of special educational needs. As one of only 11 system leaders nationwide, we are recognised for our unwavering commitment to educational excellence, our innovative curriculum, and ability to drive sustained school improvement at scale. At the heart of our Mission is a deep belief in the transformative power of education. We are committed to ensuring that every child - regardless of their background - has access to an exceptional academic experience enriched by extensive co‑curriculum opportunities. From small rural primaries to large urban secondaries, our academies benefit from the strength of a collaborative, values-driven community, in which expertise is shared, best practices are embedded, and each school retains its distinctive character.

We broaden the horizons of young people by inspiring students to become their confident, academic best via an education that creates academically gifted, confident, well‑rounded young people in the classroom, the workplace and in their communities.

We are driven to provide our young people with access to a world-class education and enrichment experiences. Our students benefit from a wealth of opportunities to develop, learn and lead. From the classroom to cultural visits, sports, music and arts and engaging with our local communities, the rich and varied experiences we create help fuel ambition and unlock potential. The education and experiences we offer equips our young people with the leadership skills, team spirit, resilience and confidence to become outstanding citizens.

Whatever your role you will contribute towards creating a rich and exciting learning environment that also offers our students an unrivalled package of sporting and cultural enrichment.

We are incredibly lucky to be able to work alongside outstanding organisations and individuals who are happy to share their expertise and skills in supporting the David Ross Foundation's vision to give children better life chances through access to the best education and support we can give them.

The David Ross Education Trust is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff.

It is our objective to ensure that job applicants and staff are treated solely on the basis of their merits, abilities and potential. We do not discriminate against any applicants on the basis of any protected characteristics.

Risk management is everyone’s responsibility: comply with policies and procedures, and promptly elevate issues, incidents and concerns to management.

The David Ross Education Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo vetting appropriate to the post, including a social media presence check and Enhanced DBS check. The successful applicant will be expected to adhere to all safeguarding, welfare and health and safety policies and procedures of the Trust.

All pre-employment checks are in line with "Keeping Children Safe in Education" statutory guidance.