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Location: Office based – most of your time will be spent behind the scenes in our offices on Bristol Harbourside, though there will be lots of opportunities to spend time in the venue.
We’re happy to support flexible working – both through hybrid working and your working pattern. You just need to be able to attend key meetings, have some cross-over with the rest of the Finance team and deliver the responsibilities of the role.
Department: Finance
Report to: Finance Manager
Salary: £34,000 - £36,000 per year
Contract: Permanent
Working hours: Full time, 37.5 hours a week.
About We The Curious
We The Curious is an educational charity and one of the UK's leading science centres.
We produce experiences that bring people together to play, get creative with science and explore different ideas.
We work with partners, locally and nationally, supporting people to be inquisitive, develop new skills and improve their wellbeing.
We are progressive, inquisitive, collaborative, playful and creative.
Our Why, What & How
Our vision
What if everyone is included, curious and inspired by science to build a better world together?
Our mission
To connect and empower people through sharing creative experiences which celebrate unknowns in science.
Our pledges
_Cultivate Curiosity
_Strive for Sustainable Futures
_Include Everyone
_Build Resilience
_Open Up Science
You can find out more about these in our Manifesto.
Our Values
_Inquisitive - Asking questions
_Progressive - Thinking about what's next
_Playful - Embracing the unexpected with a sense of fun
_Creative - Generating and testing new ideas
_Collaborative - Being inclusive, connecting and valuing
Our Strategic Priorities
/SP 1 We are a playful space to explore emerging ideas in climate, health and technology
/SP 2 We are challenging educational inequality by creating opportunities for young people to see themselves in science.
/SP 3 We are developing a resilient and decarbonised operating model in an uncertain world
About the role
Working within a small forward-thinking finance department, you will be responsible for making sure that all the day-to-day financial transactions are recorded correctly on the ledger. This includes management of the sales and purchase ledgers, month end postings, fixed asset register and supporting the payroll process. This is a varied role with lots of scope for development of existing knowledge and skills as well as tackling new projects.
The Finance team is a small but friendly team of four staff, who work with the wider organisation to make sure that all financial operations run smoothly.
What will you do in this role?
Role specific responsibilities:
_Maintain the sales ledger including raising sales invoices for school visits, venue hire clients and car park season tickets. Carry out the credit control function and liaise with internal staff as needed.
_Carry out a pre-approver check of the weekly payment run.
_Ensure booking system revenues are imported to the finance system and are reconciled on a weekly basis. Post car park revenue on a weekly basis and reconcile with car park system and control accounts.
_Support the month end process by producing aged debtor and creditor reports and reconciliation of key balance sheet accounts.
_Assist the Finance Manager with monthly accounts reviews with internal staff as well as the organisational budget and forecasting processes.
_Support the monthly payroll process, working closely with our People Team.
_Review periodic BACS direct debit runs. We do BACS direct debit runs for our regular membership income, and at times this will require review from the Finance Team and close liaison with the Ops Admin team.
_Keep the fixed asset register up to date - recording the cost of newly-acquired assets, tracking existing assets, recording depreciation and any disposals.
_Assist with preparing the organisational cashflow.
_Work with the Development team to aid grant reporting, including setting up and monitoring of grant budgets on the finance system.
_Prepare the quarterly VAT return ready to be reviewed by the Finance Manager.
_Prepare necessary work for external auditors as part of the year end process.
_Help with any internal queries regarding invoice and purchase order approvals, as well as dealing with any ad hoc queries in the shared finance mailbox.
_Assist with the administration of the finance system workflows and chart of accounts setup.
_Provide holiday cover for the Finance Administrator as required – purchase ledger processing, bank reconciliations & payment runs.
General responsibilities:
_Safeguarding – Responsible for carefully following safeguarding policies and procedures and raising any concerns to manager/Designated Safeguarding Officer.
_Fundraising - Support the Development team on any funding bids and reports which require financial input.
_General responsibility for own compliance with GDPR.
_Support the rest of the Finance team with projects when required.
What we're looking for from you
_You will be AAT qualified or currently studying, with a desire for further studying (e.g. ACCA/CIMA). We are able to support with time off required for exams and a contribution towards studying fees.
_You will have previous experience working in a finance department, and therefore have a good understanding of the balance sheet and profit and loss account.
_You will have experience with accounting software and Microsoft Office applications.
_You will have Intermediate excel skills such as the ability to perform vlookups, pivot tables and sumifs.
_You will have a good standard of numeracy and literacy, along with an attention to detail.
_You will be approachable and able to communicate with staff at all levels
_You will have the ability to time manage and have previous experience of juggling various tasks at the same time
Application process
Deadline for applications: 11:59pm on Sunday 30th August
Interview dates and location: Week of 14th September
Start date: From 5th October 2026
Application process:
If you would like to apply, please complete the two application questions and upload your CV.
All CV’s will be anonymised prior to shortlisting.
The application questions are:
_ Please tell us why you'd like to work for We The Curious. (300 words)
_ Please tell us why you think you would be suitable for the role. (400 words)
We appreciate interviews can be stressful, so we try to make them more of a conversation and a chance for you to tell us about how your skills and interests make you the right person for the role.
If you are invited for an interview, we'll send you the questions that you'll be asked beforehand so that you have time to prepare.
If you have any particular needs or requirements, please do let us know so that we can make the required adjustments.
If you would like to talk about the role or the application process, please email [email protected]
Support during the process
We The Curious is a Disability Confident Employer and we welcome applications from candidates who self-assess themselves as having a disability. We will guarantee an interview to applicants who advise that they have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy. To help you, under the Equality Act 2010 a person is defined as having a disability if a) they have a physical or mental impairment, and b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Please note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example: where there are extremely high numbers of applications. In these circumstances we will select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria.
We want to work with you to ensure the recruitment process is accessible for you.
If you are disabled, neurodivergent, or if you have a long-term health condition, we’ll be happy to make reasonable adjustments to our processes for you.
You’ll have the opportunity to let us know about any adjustments you may need throughout the application and selection process. We’ll continue this conversation if you join us as a staff member, and we’ll work with you to make sure you have the adjustments you need to succeed in your role.
Examples of adjustments could include:
_providing alternative formats at every stage
_options to apply
_extra time for tasks
_providing some extra information about what to expect
_office orientation before an in-person interview.
Including everyone
We value the positive impact greater representation will have on our organisation, programmes and culture. It’s our goal to become an inclusive place to work and for our teams to better reflect our city and the people who visit us.
We welcome applications from people of all lived experiences and particularly those that are not well represented* in the science centre sector.
*By not well represented we mean people with lived experience including but not limited to:
_African and African-Caribbean heritage
_South Asian and East Asian heritage
_Global Majority
_Disabled
_Neurodivergent
_Visually Impaired
_Deaf community
_LGBTQIA+ and/or non-binary
_Working class background
_Didn’t go to university or first in your immediate family to attend University
Working with us
We value the people that work with us. Our staff have access to the following:
Wellbeing & support
_Flexible working
_Hybrid working (if suitable and stated for role)
_Cycle to work scheme
_Free yearly flu jabs and eye tests
_Paid sick leave for physical and mental health
_Mental Health First Aiders
_Confidential advice & counselling through the Employee Support Programme
Leave
_25 days in addition to bank holidays (all pro-rata).
_A day of extra holiday for every 5 years' service
_An amount of paid leave for emergency dependent care, domestic emergency leave and compassionate leave
New Parent Policy
We are proud to be a family friendly organisation, which is why we work to develop our people practices in line with that value. We have recently introduced a non-gendered approach to Maternity and Paternity, re-branded as our “New Parent Policy”. There are eligibility criteria and terms and conditions, but the key take away is that anyone who is due to become a new parent, regardless of their gender, can take 1 year off work, and we’ll pay your full salary for the first five months.
Facilities & discounts
_Free tickets to the venue for you and up to four guests, plus 12 additional entry tickets per calendar year to give away.
_15% off in the We The Curious café
_20% off in our shop
_Range of discounts with local businesses and free entry to other local attractions.
_Social events
_Secure cycle storage
Pension
_We offer a pension scheme with 5% company contributions.
Death in service benefit
_Four times your annual salary.
Pay: £34,000.00-£36,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Enhanced maternity leave
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Free flu jabs
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Bristol BS1 5DB
