Head of Finance

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Finance to join our Trust in the Central Finance Team, to lead the Finance transactional team, oversee KPIs and financial reporting, drive new finance projects, as well as play a key role in supporting new schools joining the Trust. This role is expected to start in Spring term 2025.

This is a Grade 14 post, working 35 hours per week, all year round. The salary is £67,481 per annum.

Main purpose of the job

The Head of Finance (HoF) for the Prospere Learning Trust will be a member of the Trust’s Strategic Leadership Team and will provide oversight and day to day support on all finance and resource matters relating to the Trust. They will work closely with the COO to ensure the smooth running of the Trust.

The HoF will lead on matters relating to finance for the Trust and provide oversight, advice and guidance to individual academies in the Trust; ensuring there is effective and efficient financial management across the Trust and that Trust mission and values are embedded in financial practices.

The HoF will play a lead role in the financial development of the Trust Strategic Plan and plan and lead in the design, development and implementation of systems, policies and procedures to ensure compliance in all relevant financial legislation relating to the Trust.

Key relationships

The postholder will be part of the central trust team, working closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Headteachers, and Headteachers. In addition, the postholder will work closely as the line manager of the central Finance team and maintain effective working relationships with all operations staff throughout the Trust.

Externally, the postholder will work with allocated suppliers on major Trust contracts and with key contacts in the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Working for us 

Great schools thrive because of the great people in them.  

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do.  

Prospere Learning Trust offers a variety of employee benefits, including;  

• a commitment to continuous professional development for all colleagues  
• membership of Bupa Level 1 Health Plan which allows employees to claim money back for a range of health expenses such as prescriptions and dental treatments  
• access to counselling, financial, legal and personal advice provided through either our free Bupa or Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) including confidential 24-hour support  
• access to Cyclescheme   
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) contributions and Teacher Pension Scheme (TPS) contributions 
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 31 days with 5 years' service.
• We’re happy to talk flexible working where possible to help employees achieve a healthy work life balance.  

The closing date for applications is 27 October 2024, with interviews to take place shortly after.

Applying to work for us 

Applications will only be accepted on the TES application form and references will be applied for at the shortlisting stage. Applications may not be considered if they are incomplete, you must provide information on all employment since leaving full time education and an explanation for any gaps. We cannot accept CV's. We encourage early applications and reserve the right to close this vacancy before the planned closing date.  

Please note that guidance in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 requires us to carry out an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted candidates. This to enable us to identify any incidents or issues which have happened and are publicly available online which we might want to explore at interview. Once shortlisting has taken place, this search will be carried out for all candidates who will attend an interview. 

All applicants must be permitted to work in the UK and hold a relevant work permit where necessary. This is not a role in which the Trust sponsors a visa application. If you have lived or worked outside of the UK in the last 5 years, the Trust will also require additional information in order to comply with safer recruitment requirements. Any job offer will be conditional on the satisfactory completion of the necessary pre-employment checks including receipt of satisfactory references. Whilst we offer flexibility where possible, we acknowledge that certain roles require a specific environment or on-site presence to meet operational requirements. 

Safeguarding Children 

All schools within the Trust 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. 

Equality Statement 

At Prospere Learning Trust we are committed to creating a community of belonging. This means we continually celebrate the diverse communities within our schools and the communities we serve. As an equal opportunity and disability confident employer, we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.  

If you would prefer to request an application pack by email or post, or should you require any additional support in completing your application, please feel free to contact us on 0161 527 7953 or via e-mail at jobs@prospere.org.uk