Finance Manager

ABOUT SMART WORKS
Smart Works is a female employment charity that dresses and coaches women for interview and job success. Our purpose is to inspire and empower all women who need help getting into work. We listen to our clients and use the power of high-quality clothing and one-to-one coaching to help them see their true potential and succeed at interview. 

After visiting Smart Works, 72% secure a job within a month, gaining financial independence and transforming their lives.

The Smart Works service is delivered in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and Leeds. Over the past eight years, Smart Works has helped over 25,000 women. It is our mission that any woman who needs our service should be able to find her way to a Smart Works centre.

This is a hugely exciting time for Smart Works as we look to expand our reach and double the number of women accessing the Smart Works service each year. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an exceptional Finance Manager to join our dynamic finance team at a time of significant growth for the organisation. This is a newly created role, working closely with another Finance Manager and Director of Finance to safeguard the financial health of Smart Works Charity and its network of seven centres across the UK. 

The Finance Manager will ensure financial systems and processes are followed, financial tasks are completed before deadlines and key stakeholders receive the financial information they need to make sound decisions. 

An important part of the role is to build excellent working relationships with non-financial employees working across Smart Works, so that information needed by the finance team is obtained in a timely fashion. The successful candidate will also identify opportunities for process improvements and automation. 

Smart Works is growing rapidly and this is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious candidate to learn and grow their career alongside the charity. Where relevant, the charity will support the successful candidate in their continued study, CPD and qualification - and the Director of Finance will mentor the Finance Manager in their role.

The role would be based in the one of the following centres: London, Birmingham, Reading, Newcastle or Glasgow. 

These locations are part of Smart Works Charity. There will be some travel to and liaison with the HQ team in London to support induction, training and participation in regular meetings, phone calls and conferences with other Smart Works centres across the UK.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Comply with all financial systems and control processes for Smart Works Group. 
• Support the Director in completing submissions, filings and returns in a timely manner. 
• Support the Director in successful completion of the annual audit and production of strategy accounts, including preparation of year end lead schedules. 
• Support the forecasting process across the Smart Works group. 
• Produce monthly income and expenditure reports, balance sheets, management accounts and assist with financial board papers for Smart Works Charity and each local centre. 
• Supporting the Director in ensuring all members of staff for allocated centres are paid correctly and on-time. 
• Deliver improvements to financial systems to drive efficiencies across the finance function. 
• Establish and maintain a strong and productive relationship with local treasurers and other relevant stakeholders, acting as the 'go to' for day-to-day financial queries. 
• Oversee the timely and accurate transaction processing and reconciliation for expenditure for allocated centres, providing hands on and technical support to the Finance Assistant when needed,
• Completion of timely and accurate transaction processing and reconciliation for income for allocated centres. 
• Responsible for ensuring all payments are made and invoices are raised in an accurate and timely manner. 
• Investing time in upskilling and developing junior members of the team. 

The successful candidate will build strong working relations with our Smart Works HQ team, Chair and Board of Trustees as well as teams across Smart Works centres in the U.K. We are a community that shares a passion to empower women to thrive in work and life, determined to meet our aim of helping as many women as we can back into work.

ABOUT YOU

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA CIPFA part qualified (or equivalent, e.g. AAT qualified). 
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Proven ability to produce quality accounts and accurate financial work under pressure and to tight deadlines. 
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel. 
• A strong accounting background and hands on experience using accounting software. Experience using Xero is preferable but not essential. 
• Good analytical skills and professionally sceptical mindset. 
• A strong desire to learn, a willingness to share knowledge and a strong team ethic. 
• Enthusiastic, diligent and energetic with a flexible approach in a rapidly changing environment. 
• A proven track record of providing exceptional service and establishing and maintaining strong relationships. 
• High level of attention to detail; ability to produce reliable, accurate work. 

We promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace and make recruitment decisions by matching the Charity’s needs with the skills and experience of candidates. These decisions are made irrespective of age, race (including colour, nationality, ethnicity and national origin), disability (including hidden disabilities), sex, gender identity or gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. We are keen to encourage a diverse range of perspectives, skills, experience and knowledge within Smart Works Charity. We are also proud members of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant.