Senior Finance Manager

Ivy Rock Partners are proud to be working with Action For Children in recruiting a new Senior Financial Manager.

This role will offers hybrid working, requiring 2/3 days per week in the Watford head office, and the rest remotely.

JOB TITLE: Senior Finance Manager

REPORTS TO: Head of Treasury and Financial Accounts

DEPARTMENT: Financial Accounts

Our vision is that every child and young person in the country has a safe and happy childhood. To help us achieve this, the role will:

As the organisational lead to utilise financial reporting expertise of SORP and FRS 102 to ensure the production of timely and accurate monthly accounting information to complete year end reporting to achieve a clean audit report and to also develop and exercise a robust control environment and delivery of a high standard of service to all AFC business partners, managers and internal and external stakeholders. As the organisational lead on all VAT matters, including VAT reporting and accounting to ensure an optimised VAT position.

Action for Children protects and supports children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard, and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. To help us achieve this job will:

1. Lead on the production of monthly subsidiary financial statements format under SORP and FRS 102 and work closely with the Head of Treasury and Financial Accounting (HOTFA) to deliver the monthly balance sheet reconciliation and analysis to ensure a clean consolidated balance sheet.
2. Lead on ensuring that AFC is compliant with any new changes to VAT legislation and also providing VAT training/induction to new staff.
3. To provide advice on VAT treatment of new services/contracts/bids.
4. Complete quarterly VAT returns, ensuring that VAT accounting and control accounts reconciliations are completed correctly and in a timely way to meet year end processes.
5. Ensure the day-to-day financial accounting of transactions are right first time through the provision of accurate, technical advice and guidance on financial accounting aspects of key transactions. To also review and manage the rolling monthly Cash Flow forecast process ensuring accuracy working with FP&A team and Treasury.
6. Ensure that a robust control environment surrounds the Financial Accounting framework and advice / recommendations from internal auditors are effectively integrated into the function.
7. Guide and direct members of the Financial Accounting and Treasury team, adhering to Action for Children’s policies, and also building and developing effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, through the provision of appropriate support and solutions where required and instilling trust in the Financial Accounting team.
8. Ensuring all queries received from AFC operational teams, external and internal auditors and HMRC, are dealt with in a professional and timely manner.
9. Assist with the generation of accurate and timely Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and Working Capital reports for the Month End Management Information Report, updating schedules and providing commentaries.
10. Develop financial policies and procedures and ensuring compliance and to take ownership of the Fixed Asset register and advising on capitalisation policies, along with assisting with embedding new workload and process/system improvements and the delivery of financial best practice across the business.
11. Plan and lead the year end process and audit; preparing the SORP year-end financial statements, building strong relationships with external auditors and ensuring all transactions reflect accounting standards.
12. Proactively oversee the Balance Sheet reconciliation process, ensuring that all Balance Sheet accounts, including bank reconciliations, are accurately reconciled monthly, ensuring the GL ledger is kept in order and up to date, removing obsolete entries.
13. Adhere to, and maintain, the financial services timetable for monthly, quarterly and annual routines surrounding month end close, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow reporting and forecasts, reconciliations, period end and year end. Produce related reports on a timely basis and ensure all deadlines are met.

Everyone who works at Action for Children should:

1. Demonstrate a commitment to Action for Children’s defining statement, ‘safe and happy childhood’, and promote and incorporate Action for Children’s Participation Standards as appropriate to your role.
2. Achieve the highest standards of safeguarding, whether through direct care provision or support activities to the children and young people who come into contact with our services, or by appropriately reporting concerns about any child or young person.
3. Promote our equality and diversity strategy locally, including linking with local equality and diversity frameworks to ensure best practice and to inform and develop appropriate action plans.
4. Demonstrate a willingness and ability to operate within a constantly changing environment and as such work priorities and targets may change.
5. Recognise that management reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the job purpose and accountabilities.
6. Undertake such other duties that occasionally arise, which will always ensure that children across the country have a safe and happy childhood and the foundations they need to thrive.
7. Work with other departments and countries to ensure that Action for Children’s values (passionate, ambitious, collaborative and inclusive) are delivered.
8. Be familiar and compliant with health, environmental and safety policies and procedures. In the event of any serious risk, take immediate action to reduce this risk and inform senior management.

Internal contacts:

Treasury, Finance Operations, Finance Business Partners, FC, CFO, Executive Leadership Team and Directors

External contacts:

Bank, Investments, Internal auditors, External auditors, Pensions, HMRC

Job dimensions:

• Number of direct line reports: 1
• Overall staff responsibility: 1
• Income target