Achieving for Children Hiring for Finance Business Partner Job at Maidenhead, England Full Time

About the role

This post involves significant collaborative work and business partnering with colleagues from across operational service areas as well as other support service functions. The successful postholder will be proactive in building productive relationships with budget managers and develop a sound knowledge of their service areas over time.

Core responsibilities include:

• setting and monitoring budgets
• closing the area at the end of the financial year
• financial returns
• identifying and delivering continual improvements and developments to the finance support function
• work collaboratively with colleagues from across the company to deliver high quality children’s services in a cost effective way

For further information about this role, please contact James Norris by email [email protected] for an informal discussion.

About you

The successful candidate should ideally be a fully qualified accountant with active membership of a reputable accounting body (CIPFA, ACA, CIMA, ACCA). This is desirable but applications from candidates qualified by experience are also encouraged. The successful candidate will need to provide expert support and advice within their area of responsibility, but also provide challenge to managers when appropriate. He or she will need to be a highly effective communicator, with the ability to explain things clearly to non-financial managers. It is also vital that he or she is hands on, with excellent technical skills.

They should be able to demonstrate:

• experience in working as a Finance Business Partner or Management Accountant in a large and/or public sector organisation. Experience of working with the Dedicated Schools Grant and in particular a detailed understanding of the High Needs Block would be an advantage but not essential
• experience of successfully working within a finance function in a large complex organisation with substantial budgets would be an advantage
• experience of successfully building & maintaining positive partnerships/relationships within a complex business
• experience of budget setting and forecasting
• experience of process/cost improvements
• an ability to work flexibly and independently with limited management oversight
• the ability to work under pressure with competing demands on their time

About our benefits

We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:

• 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years.
• Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
• Stable and supportive leadership
• Hybrid and mobile working (between home and work) with latest technology to facilitate this
• Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
• Flexible working options – helping to keep a good work life balance
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• A range of staff benefits and discounts
• An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway

To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children

Important Information

Start dates: Achieving for Children have set start dates meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.

Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.