We are seeking a diligent and organised Finance Officer to support the day-to-day financial operations within a Multi-Academy Trust environment. This role is central to ensuring accurate processing of financial transactions, maintaining robust financial controls, and supporting budget holders across multiple schools. The successful candidate will work closely with school leaders, budget holders, and the central finance team to ensure invoices, payments, reconciliations, and ledger postings are processed accurately and in line with financial procedures.

Key Responsibilities

Role information:

• Hourly rate: £17 per hour
• Contract type: 2 month temporary to permanent
• Start date: May 2026
• Location: Croydon

Purchase Ledger & Invoicing

• Process supplier invoices, ensuring accuracy, correct coding, and appropriate authorisation
• Resolve invoice queries by liaising with suppliers, schools, and internal stakeholders
• Maintain accurate records of outstanding invoices and supplier statements
• Support timely payment runs in line with agreed terms and Trust procedures

Purchase Orders & Procurement

• Raise purchase orders in line with approved budgets and delegated authorities
• Ensure purchase orders are correctly authorised prior to commitment
• Monitor purchase order balances and follow up on outstanding or incomplete orders
• Support budget holders with procurement queries and compliance with purchasing policies

Banking & Reconciliations

• Perform regular bank reconciliations, investigating and resolving discrepancies promptly
• Process banking transactions including receipts, payments, and transfers
• Maintain accurate cashbook records across Trust bank accounts

Ledger Journals & Financial Processing

• Prepare and post journals to the general ledger, including corrections and reallocations
• Ensure transactions are accurately coded to the correct cost centres and accounts
• Support month-end processes through timely posting of financial transactions

Budget Holder Support

• Act as a key point of contact for budget holders on routine finance queries
• Provide guidance on budget availability, coding, and financial processes
• Support schools and departments in understanding financial procedures and controls

Compliance & Record Keeping

• Ensure financial records are maintained in accordance with Trust policies and public-sector regulations
• Support internal and external audit requests by providing transactional evidence
• Assist with year-end processes by ensuring transactional data is complete and accurate

Systems

• Use finance systems such as IRIS Financials or similar accounting software
• Maintain accurate documentation and digital records within finance systems

Person Specification

• AAT qualification or studying towards AAT
• Strong experience with purchase ledger, invoicing, and bank reconciliations
• Experience using accounting systems and Excel
• Experience working within the education sector in a finance capacity
• Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload
• Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this role