Head of Finance

We are seeking a technically capable, qualified accountant with strong knowledge of the Charities SORP to provide effective stewardship and oversight of the Finance function at Kinship. You will be responsible for financial controls, management accounting and ensuring the effective delivery of ‘business as usual’ financial management.

As well as producing monthly management accounts, you will be responsible for running the annual budget and the year-end processes, preparing for the yearly external audit and ensuring that the organisation complies with statutory obligations.

You will prepare papers for and attend the quarterly Finance Committee meetings and will liaise with a range of stakeholders including auditors, the bank and investment managers. You will be the ‘go to’ business partner at the charity, supported by the Chief Operating Officer and Fractional Chief Financial Officer.

You will manage a team of two colleagues – a Senior Finance Officer and a Payroll Manager – providing them with guidance, coaching and support to enable them to perform effectively. You will also collaborate and work with Directors and senior managers across the organisation to inform them on performance against budget and conditions of funding, as well as supporting fundraising and commissioning bids.

You will have excellent communication skills and will be able to organise conflicting priorities around the monthly management accounts cycle, while supporting the achievement of our strategic objectives. You will be flexible and adaptable in your approach to supporting transformational change in our processes and systems, as well as dealing with, and leading on, the day-to-day financial management.

This is a broad and challenging role for a dynamic and systems-driven individual who wants to grow within the organisation, proactively problem solve and help colleagues to deliver on our mission.

Management accounting, reporting and analysis

• Ensure all necessary parts of month-end close are completed by the team and bookkeeping is up to date every month.
• Work with the team to maintain the fixed assets register as part of month-end close; account for depreciation and determine which assets should be capitalised.
• Work with the team to manage cashflow and ensure bank accounts remain in credit, highlighting concerns to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and/or other members of the Executive Team.
• Produce monthly income and expenditure accounts for budget-holders, making any necessary adjustments under generally accepted accounting practice.
• Produce informative and timely management accounts to facilitate Executive Team and Board decision-making, including key balance sheet metrics.
• Identify trends and provide appropriate reports to help analyse our financial management approaches and identify where we need/there is potential to improve.
• Provide financial analysis to support decision-making.
• Administer, attend and contribute to Finance Committee and other governance meetings, as required.
• Drive and support the annual budgeting process.
• Review and interrogate budget holders’ reforecasts and ensure all budget-holders are participating in the process.
• Support members of the Executive Team and the Development and Fundraising team to provide financial information for funders and commissioners and ensure restricted funds are accounted for and reported appropriately.

Financial year-end processes

• Complete year-end procedures including reconciling control accounts and reconciliation of year end management accounts to statutory accounts.
• Work with the team to prepare an audit file with supporting schedules and useful documentation for Grandparents Plus T/A Kinship.
• Manage the audit field-work process and ensure the auditors are made aware of changes to the charity, its procedures, income streams, any issues during the year and future plans.
• Manage the statutory accounts sign off process including audit close meeting, representation letters, responding to and acting on auditors’ report to Trustees in consultation with the COO and CFO.

Financial controls, sales/purchase ledgers and other expenditure

• Work with the team to ensure sales invoices and credit notes are raised accurately and promptly and appropriate credit control procedures are carried out such that debts are received on time; ensure that tidy up-to-date ledgers are maintained and income is recognised in the right time periods in line with the Charities SORP.
• Work with the team to ensure purchase invoices are correctly coded, checked and authorised, and are paid in a timely fashion through the purchase ledger; ensure supplier statements are checked and reconciled and that there is a proactive approach to resolving queries
• Ensure that prepayments and accruals are recognised correctly by the team in line with the Charities SORP on a monthly basis.
• Ensure all transactions through the ledgers and the bank are posted daily by the team such that the books of account are maintained up to date
• Ensure that appropriate online filing systems are maintained and kept up to date by the team so that they can be used to provide information, resolve queries and provide a necessary audit trail.
• Ensure that proper procedures are in place and are followed for staff and volunteer expenses claims and that expenses are paid in a timely way; ensure that expenses are entered and reconciled through a control account which is balanced every month.
• Ensure that proper procedures are in place and are followed for company credit/debit cards; ensure that credit card expenses are entered and reconciled through a control account which is balanced every month by the team.
• Ensure that all control accounts are reconciled each month and bring any issues to the attention of the Chief Operating Officer and Fractional Chief Financial Officer.

Financial policies and processes

• Ensure regular review and implementation of robust financial procedures, optimising the use of technology (including Salesforce for commissioning purposes) to ensure that they are effectively communicated and followed.
• Ensure appropriate controls are in place and monitored, in accordance with the internal Scheme of Delegation.
• Develop a monthly, quarterly and annual timetable for tasks and procedures in the Finance team.
• Work with the COO to update organisational finance policies.
• Support the management of day-to-day relationships with the bank, auditors, investment managers, and other professional advisers as appropriate.
• Oversee the Payroll Manager to ensure all payroll and pension deductions are calculated each month and queries resolved with the payroll bureau as necessary.
• Ensure the Payroll Manager and Senior Finance Officer make timely payments to HMRC and pension providers.
• Ensure the Payroll Manager reconciles all payroll control accounts on a monthly basis.
• Ensure the organisation complies with relevant tax legislation including PAYE, taxable trading and VAT as applicable.

Leadership and management

• Role model all of Kinship’s values.
• Coach, develop and support the Finance team, identifying developmental needs and supporting colleagues to perform effectively and efficiently.
• Drive high standards of compliance and financial probity through internal policies and procedures which set out performance expectations and through direct facilitation and support.
• Provide clear leadership, training and development to those tasked with managing budgets and financial performance – ensuring consistency of communication throughout.

Knowledge, abilities, skills and experience

Essential
The successful candidate will have:

• Fully qualified ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent
• In depth understanding of accounting principles, standards and the Charities SORP, and experience of applying these in a service delivery organisation
• Experience managing a Finance function in a charity with £1-10m annual turnover
• Experience of line management and developing a team using approaches that are empowering
• Experience of Business Central, or the ability to quickly learn a new accounting system
• Excellent Microsoft Excel skills with the ability to use Pivot Tables and other functions to analyse large data sets
• A collaborative and consultative approach while maintaining ownership of tasks
• Appetite to proactively solve problems and improve systems and processes
• A positive, ‘can do’, solutions-driven attitude that sets a clear culture for the team and helps them to excel in their roles.

Desirable, but not essential, criteria include:

• Lived experience of kinship care

General attributes:

• Willingness to understand kinship care and/or children and families who need support.
• Commitment to the values, aims and objectives of Kinship.
• Ability to apply Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Principles in all areas of work.
• Right to work in the UK.