About Us
Sussex Alternative Provision College (WSAPC) is one of the largest and most diverse registered Alternative Provision organisations in the country, supporting hundreds of children and young people across West Sussex every year.
Our work spans primary, secondary and post-16 education, supporting pupils who are permanently excluded, at risk of exclusion, unable to attend school due to medical needs, experiencing significant barriers to learning, or requiring specialist intervention to successfully access education. We operate across multiple sites and services throughout the county, working in partnership with schools, families, health services and local authority teams to ensure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.
At Sussex APC, we believe that every child deserves a sense of belonging, regardless of their starting point or the challenges they face. We are ambitious for our pupils and committed to helping them develop the confidence, skills and resilience needed to achieve positive futures.
We are looking for people who share our values and believe that relationships, compassion and high expectations can change lives. In return, we offer a supportive and collaborative working environment where professional development is encouraged, innovation is welcomed and every member of staff plays an important role in improving outcomes for children and young people.
If you are motivated by purpose, committed to inclusion and want to make a genuine difference every day, WSAPC offers a unique opportunity to be part of something special.
Job Details
West Sussex Alternative Provision College is looking for an experienced and confident Finance Manager with a strong background in school or education finance to provide leadership across our College-wide finance function.
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this is a key role within our Central Business Team with significant responsibility for the financial management, reporting, compliance and assurance that underpin our organisation. We are looking for someone who can combine strong technical finance skills with leadership, professional judgement and the confidence to drive improvement. You will take ownership of the day-to-day leadership of the finance function, ensuring our systems are robust, our financial information is accurate and meaningful, and that leaders and budget holders have clear and timely information to understand their financial position and make well-informed decisions.
As a publicly funded organisation, probity, transparency and accountability are central to this role. You will play a key part in ensuring our financial reporting and controls provide appropriate assurance, statutory and regulatory requirements are met, and public funding is managed responsibly, transparently and with a clear focus on best value.
This is an office-based leadership role, based within our Central Business Team in Burgess Hill. It is not a remote position, although the postholder will work across our organisation and will need to travel between WSAPC locations when required.
About the Role
This is not simply a transactional finance role. The Finance Manager will lead and develop the finance function across WSAPC, working closely with the COO to provide strong financial management, reporting, compliance and assurance across a large and complex educational organisation.
A significant part of the role will be ensuring that our financial position is clearly understood at every level. You will lead the production of accurate and timely accounts, budget monitoring, variance analysis, forecasting and financial risk reporting, translating complex financial information into clear and meaningful information for those responsible for oversight and decision-making.
You will establish effective reporting arrangements for budget holders, supporting and appropriately challenging colleagues to understand expenditure, manage their budgets and take ownership of their financial responsibilities. You will also have a key role in maintaining our financial compliance and assurance framework, including audit and year-end processes, statutory and regulatory requirements, procurement and contract management, financial controls and the continued development of our financial systems.
Alongside this, you will lead and develop the finance team, creating clear systems of delegation and building the team's capacity to provide an efficient, responsive and professionally accountable finance service.
What You Need to Succeed
Key Areas of Responsibility
- Lead budget preparation, monitoring, forecasting and management reporting across the College.
- Produce accurate and meaningful financial reports, including variance analysis, outturn forecasting and financial risk reporting.
- Establish effective reporting arrangements for budget holders, supporting colleagues to understand and manage their financial responsibilities.
- Provide clear financial analysis, advice and assurance to support organisational oversight and decision-making.
- Maintain oversight of income and expenditure across multiple funding streams, grants and ring-fenced funding.
- Ensure compliance with relevant financial regulations, statutory requirements, audit expectations and internal schemes of delegation.
- Lead financial preparation for audit, year-end accounts and external financial reporting.
- Maintain robust financial controls, reconciliations, systems and data integrity.
- Drive effective procurement, tendering, contract management and demonstrable best value.
- Identify financial risks, pressures and opportunities, ensuring these are appropriately reported and managed.
- Lead and develop the finance team, setting high professional standards and building capacity.
- Continually review and improve financial systems, processes and ways of working across WSAPC.
About You
You will be an experienced finance professional with school or education-sector finance experience and a strong understanding of the financial frameworks, accountability and operational realities of working within education. You will have strong experience of budget management, financial reporting, controls and compliance, alongside the analytical ability to understand what sits behind the numbers and what they mean for the organisation. Just as importantly, you will be someone who is prepared to ask questions, appropriately challenge and improve practice. You will be comfortable taking professional ownership, identifying where systems or controls need strengthening and following issues through to resolution.
You will be able to work confidently with senior leaders, budget holders, auditors, external partners and colleagues across the organisation, explaining complex financial information clearly to those who may not have a finance background.
You will be organised, solutions-focused and professionally curious, with high levels of integrity, discretion and accountability.
A professional finance qualification, or progress towards one, such as AAT, CIPFA, DSBM or equivalent, alongside relevant senior finance experience, will support success in the role.
Further Information
About WSAPC
West Sussex Alternative Provision College is a large and diverse educational organisation supporting children and young people across West Sussex who may have been excluded, are at risk of exclusion, or are unable to access education because of health or other complex barriers.
Our size and breadth are part of what makes us different. We work across multiple settings and services, supporting children, families and schools across the county. Behind that work is our Central Business Team, providing the strong systems, infrastructure and professional support that enable our frontline teams to focus on delivering the best possible education and opportunities for our young people.
We are an organisation that continues to develop and improve, and we want our Finance Manager to be an active part of that journey.
This is an opportunity to shape systems, influence practice and lead a finance function across the whole College, while ensuring that every pound of public funding is properly accounted for and used responsibly and effectively.
If you are an experienced school or education finance professional who is values-driven, professionally curious and ready to take a significant leadership role within a complex organisation, we would love to hear from you.
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to visit WSAPC prior to application. This is a great opportunity to meet the team, understand more about our organisation and discuss the role and its responsibilities.
Safeguarding Statement
West Sussex Alternative Provision College and West Sussex County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. All successful candidates will be subject to an appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service check along with other relevant employment checks, including satisfactory references.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to pre-employment checks, including references, social media check and Disclosure & Barring Service check.
WSAPC is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications for all vacancies from appropriately qualified persons regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion or belief.
The closing date is a guide only. We intend to review applications as they are received and call those shortlisted for immediate interview. An early application is advised, as once we have appointed, we will close the recruitment process.
How to Apply
To apply for this role please download the job description and application form below.
Please complete the application form and ensure that you outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills in the job description).
Once complete please return this to [email protected]
Should you have any questions regarding the role or the application please feel free to email us or contact us on 01444 232771
NOTE TO CANDIDATES - Please do not select the ‘Apply online’ button as the School processes your applications directly rather than through this site.
The reference number for this role is SCHO02936.
