Finance Officer

We're supporting a well-established education organisation (a Multi Academy Trust) to appoint a Finance Officer on a contract basis. Working closely with a senior finance lead, you'll help ensure robust financial controls, accurate month-end reporting, and strong compliance across a group of schools.This is a hands-on role suited to someone who is confident with reconciliations, journals, and management accounts, and who can support stakeholders with finance queries and policy guidance.Key responsibilities Management reportingProduce management accounts for allocated sites/schools.Contribute to reporting of income and expenditure across the organisation.Support financial reporting activities to maintain service levels across the finance function.Budgeting, forecasting & grantsMonitor budgets for allocated schools/sites and support reforecasting.Provide guidance to budget holders with queries.Maintain grant spend trackers to ensure reporting aligns with funding terms and conditions.Payroll / VATComplete payroll reconciliations and ensure budgets are updated accordingly.Support VAT reconciliations/submissions and associated reporting.Team support / process improvementAllocate and oversee day-to-day tasks for a finance support colleague (where applicable), assisting with more complex queries.Support onboarding of new sites (systems implementation, training, and policy understanding).Contribute to ongoing improvement of finance systems and processes.What we're looking for EssentialProven experience in a finance role with strong reconciliations / month-end capabilityConfident producing or supporting management accountsStrong Excel skills and comfort working in finance/accounting systemsHigh attention to detail and ability to work to deadlinesClear communication style (able to advise non-finance stakeholders on policy/process)TPBN1_UKTJ