Salary: £68,952 per annum, dependent on skills and experience
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Contract: Full-time, permanent, whole-school role
The Opportunity
The Head of Finance is the School’s senior finance professional, responsible for leading a high-quality, responsive and forward-looking finance service across The Grange School. The postholder will provide clear financial leadership, robust stewardship and insightful analysis to support the Chief Operating Officer, the Head of The Grange, the Executive Leadership Team and Governors in making well-informed decisions.
The role combines strategic financial planning with strong operational control. It has oversight of all School income, whether fee-related or non-fee-related, and will ensure that income, expenditure, cash, assets, liabilities, payroll and pensions are accurately controlled, recorded, forecast and reported. The postholder will lead the Finance/Bursary team and will be a visible partner to budget holders and service leads across both the Junior and Senior Schools.
Key current priority: to lead the further development, optimisation and embedding of iFinance so that it becomes the School’s authoritative, well-controlled source of financial information, workflow and reporting.
Purpose of the Role
- Provide professional leadership of the School’s finance function and ensure that financial services are efficient, accurate, customer-focused and appropriately controlled.
- Safeguard the School’s financial sustainability through strong budgeting, forecasting, cash-flow management, scenario planning and risk management.
- Ensure Governors and senior leaders receive timely, accurate and accessible financial information, advice and challenge.
- Maintain a robust control environment that protects the School’s income, assets and reputation and supports compliance with charity, company, tax and accounting requirements.
- Lead and develop the Finance/Bursary team, promoting accountability, continuous improvement, service standards and effective succession planning.
1. Strategic financial leadership and governance
- Advise the Chief Operating Officer and senior leaders on the financial implications of strategic and operational decisions.
- Lead the annual budget-setting process and maintain an integrated multi-year financial plan, including income, staffing, operating expenditure, capital expenditure, cash flow, reserves, borrowing and covenant considerations.
- Prepare scenario and sensitivity analysis to support decisions on fees, pupil numbers, remuneration, pensions, capital investment, commercial activity and other material financial risks.
- Produce clear, concise and decision-focused reports for the Executive Leadership Team, Finance & Resources Committee and Governing Board, including management accounts, forecasts, key performance indicators, variance analysis and recommended actions.
- Support the development, review and consistent application of the School’s financial policies, scheme of delegation, procurement controls and delegated authority framework.
- Provide constructive financial challenge while working collaboratively with budget holders and senior colleagues.
2. Oversight of all income
- Hold end-to-end oversight of all School income, ensuring complete, accurate and timely billing, collection, allocation, reconciliation and reporting.
- Oversee fee-related income, including tuition fees, deposits, fees in advance, bursaries, scholarships, discounts, sibling and loyalty arrangements, supplemental charges, examination fees, trips, transport, catering and other pupil-related charges.
- Oversee non-fee income, including commercial and trading activity, facility hire, catering sales, transport income, clubs, events, donations, grants, investment income, insurance recoveries and other ancillary income streams.
- Ensure appropriate cut-off, deferred income, restricted fund and intercompany accounting, with a clear audit trail between underlying records, iSAMS/iFinance and the general ledger.
- Monitor aged debt and collection performance, ensure early and proportionate intervention, maintain appropriate payment arrangements, provisions and write-off controls, and report material risks promptly.
- Work with commercial and operational leads to improve income forecasting, pricing, margins, cost recovery and the financial evaluation of new initiatives.
3. iFinance and financial systems development
- Own the continuing development and effective operation of iFinance as the School’s core finance platform.
- Develop the system roadmap in partnership with the Chief Operating Officer, Finance/Bursary team, IT provider and software supplier, prioritising control, automation, data quality, usability and management insight.
- Complete and optimise relevant modules and workflows, including billing, purchase-to-pay, approvals, budget-holder access, fixed assets, reporting, integrations and interfaces with iSAMS and third-party systems.
- Ensure system roles, permissions, approval routes and segregation of duties reflect the School’s delegated authority framework and are reviewed regularly.
- Establish and monitor data-quality controls, reconciliations, exception reports and month-end disciplines so that iFinance is relied upon as the authoritative financial record.
- Develop accessible dashboards and reports for budget holders, senior leaders and Governors, reducing avoidable spreadsheet dependency and manual processing.
- Ensure users receive effective training, guidance and support, and that system changes are documented, tested and implemented through sound change-control arrangements.
- Maintain appropriate business continuity, record-retention and finance-system access controls in collaboration with the School’s outsourced IT provider.
4. Financial control, accounting and reporting
- Lead accurate and timely monthly, termly and year-end close processes, including journals, accruals, prepayments, depreciation, provisions, control-account reconciliations and balance-sheet substantiation.
- Prepare high-quality management accounts and forecasts, providing clear commentary on performance, emerging trends, risks and corrective actions.
- Maintain oversight of bank accounts, cash management, investments, financing arrangements, bank reconciliations and payment controls.
- Ensure purchasing, accounts payable, expenses, income processing and payment runs are completed accurately and within approved procedures and authority levels.
- Maintain the fixed asset register and ensure appropriate capitalisation, depreciation, verification and disposal controls.
- Ensure appropriate accounting for restricted, designated and unrestricted funds and for the School’s trading subsidiary and associated intercompany transactions.
- Maintain orderly, complete and secure financial records capable of supporting management scrutiny, statutory reporting, internal review and external audit.
5. Payroll, pensions and third-party provider oversight
- Provide senior financial oversight of payroll delivered through the School’s appointed third-party payroll provider, while recognising that accountability for accurate pay and statutory compliance remains with the School.
- Maintain a clear payroll governance timetable, defined responsibilities, service standards and escalation routes with external providers and internal HR colleagues.
- Ensure all starters, leavers, contractual changes, variable payments, deductions, benefits, salary-sacrifice arrangements and pension instructions are properly authorised and submitted accurately and on time.
- Review and approve payroll control totals, variance reports and exception reports before payment, ensuring payroll is reconciled each month to HR records, cash payments, pension submissions and the nominal ledger.
- Oversee PAYE, National Insurance, statutory payments, benefits reporting, year-end returns and other payroll obligations, obtaining appropriate evidence that submissions and payments have been completed.
- Oversee pension administration and reporting across the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the School’s defined contribution arrangements, including contribution reconciliations, annual certificates and liaison with scheme administrators, auditors and advisers.
- Monitor provider performance, data security, business continuity, accuracy and value for money, promptly addressing errors, control weaknesses or service failures.
6. Tax, statutory accounts, audit and compliance
- Ensure accurate VAT accounting, partial exemption and recoverability treatment, preparation and submission of VAT returns, and maintenance of supporting records.
- Coordinate preparation of the annual statutory accounts for the School and its subsidiary in accordance with applicable law, UK accounting standards and the Charities SORP.
- Lead the external audit process, ensuring agreed timetables, high-quality working papers, prompt responses and completion of agreed management actions.
- Coordinate other finance-related assurance work, including Teachers’ Pension Scheme certification and any internal audit or targeted reviews.
- Ensure accurate and timely finance-related returns and filings to HMRC, Companies House, the Charity Commission, pension bodies, lenders and relevant sector or membership organisations.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge of financial, tax and regulatory developments relevant to independent schools and advise on their implications. External support will be made available.
7. Team leadership and service delivery
- Lead, manage and develop the Finance/Bursary team through clear objectives, regular supervision, performance management, coaching and professional development.
- Ensure resilient team structures, documented procedures, cross-training and appropriate separation of duties.
- Establish and monitor proportionate service standards for internal colleagues, parents, suppliers and other stakeholders.
- Promote a culture of accuracy, professional curiosity, constructive challenge, confidentiality and continuous improvement.
- Build effective working relationships with budget holders and provide training and guidance that improves financial ownership across the School.
8. Risk, fraud prevention and safeguarding assets
- Maintain effective financial controls designed to prevent and detect fraud, error, income leakage, cyber-enabled payment fraud and inappropriate override of controls.
- Ensure supplier bank-detail changes, payment instructions, refunds and other higher-risk transactions are subject to robust independent verification and approval.
- Contribute to the School’s risk-management framework, identifying and reporting material financial, liquidity, income, payroll, tax, systems and provider risks.
- Support regular review of insurance, banking, investments, procurement and key finance contracts to demonstrate value for money and appropriate protection of School assets.
- Report suspected irregularity, control failure or financial misconduct promptly in accordance with School policies.
- Develop the School’s internal Financial Handbook.
Pay: £68,952.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
