Head of Finance

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Head of Finance

Salary: £50k - £60k depending on experience

Closing date: Monday 25th November at midnight

Location: Smart Works London Centres/with some hybrid working

About Smart Works

Smart Works is a dynamic, high profile and fast-growing UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women for success at their job interview. We empower each woman by giving her the clothes and the confidence she needs to succeed.

After visiting Smart Works, 63% of clients secure a job within a month, gaining financial independence and transforming their lives.

The Smart Works service is delivered in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Newcastle, Reading and Leeds. Over the past eleven years, Smart Works has helped over 40,000 women. It is our mission that any woman who needs our service should be able to find her way to a Smart Works centre.

In April 2022, Smart Works launched a new Three-Year Plan that will see the charity double the number of women helped annually from 5,000 to 10,000 women a year. We are on track to achieve this by expanding the reach of our existing centres and opening new centres in areas of need including Bristol; set to open in early 2025.

Smart Works has been voted Social Action Charity of the Year.

More information about who we are can be found on our website.

About the role

We are looking for a proactive and enthusiastic Head of Finance to join our dynamic finance team at a time of significant growth for the organisation. This is a newly created role, working closely with the Finance Managers and Director of Finance to safeguard the financial health of Smart Works Charity and 12 centres across the UK.

The Head of Finance role shall provide financial leadership, alongside the Director of Finance, through proactive engagement with each Smart Works Centre. This role will be responsible for the overall day to day financial management of Smart Works Centres, monitoring and challenging financial decision-making in context of the Three-Year Plan, to help make key decisions across the Smart Works Group.

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant able to lead by example and get things done through their own drive and determination. They will be responsible for timely reports including the production of monthly management accounts. They will have strong communication skills and play a crucial part in liaising with our regional centres, building strong relationships with colleagues across the charity. This is a hands-on role, and the incumbent should thrive on working in the details but also be able to articulate in a clear and concise manner to senior management. The role would be based in one of the London centres and will have some hybrid working.

Please see the attached job pack for a diagram of the department structure.

Duties and responsibilities

Reporting to Director of Finance, the successful candidate will lead a range of activities, including:

• Responsible for the year end process, annual budget setting and external audits for all Smart Works Centres with a team of three part time finance managers to assist.
• Produce monthly management accounts, reports and variance analysis for one of the Local Boards and oversee the other management accounts and reports for all other Local Boards
• Oversee the preparation of quarterly performance reports and forecasts for the Local Boards
• Monitor and report on reserves and cashflow for the Local Boards.
• Management and submission of tax submissions, payroll, bank accounts and ensuring compliance with statutory financial and legal requirements for all Smart Works Centres.
• Assist the Director of Finance with the consolidation of monthly management accounts, other timely reports and with the statutory audit for Smart Works Charity and all the Subsidiary Companies.
• Assist the Director of Finance with the Smart Works Group budget and multi-year financial forecasts
• Assist the Fundraising and Partnerships team with all necessary financial info for the grants applications and other fundraising activities.
• Overall responsibility for the Smart Works Group payroll including liaising between Group HR and the payroll provider.

The successful candidate will build strong working relations with our Charity 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.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Fully qualified Accountant status: ACA, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA or equivalent.
• Proven experience in a senior financial management role, ideally within the charity sector
• Proven ability to produce quality accounts and accurate financial work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Good analytical skills and professional sceptical mindset.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• A strong desire to learn, a willingness to share knowledge and a strong team ethic.
• 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.
• 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 preferrable but not essential.
• Enthusiastic, diligent and energetic with a flexible approach in rapidly changing environment.

We promote equality, diversity and inclusion in our workplace and make recruitment decisions by matching Smart Works 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.

General duties of a Smart Works staff member

• Represent Smart Works entrepreneurial drive and focus on tangible outcomes, helping to deliver big results from a small staff team.
• Work collaboratively and cooperatively with all team members and take an active part in staff meetings and discussions.
• Adhere to our policies and procedures and be an ambassador for our charity.
• Play your part in ensuring that each woman who comes through our door is treated with respect and empathy.

Benefits, terms, and conditions

• Full-time role, based in one of the London Centres
• Monday-Friday with typical working hours 9 am -5 pm.
• Reporting to the Director of Finance
• Salary of £50k - £60k depending on experience
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and discretionary leave between Christmas and New Year.
• Positive, supportive working environment with opportunities for practical training and progression
• All successful applicants must provide references and complete a Basic DBS check.

How to apply

To apply, please submit a CV and cover letter (no longer than two pages) and answers to the questions listed below through our recruitment system by Monday 25th November. Your application should be addressed to Director of Finance, Mehala Manimohan.

Questions:

1. Why are you interested in the Charity Sector?
2. Looking at the latest Annual Report for Smart Works Charity, summarise the financial position of the Charity (max 300 words)

The first round interviews will be held virtually the week commencing 2nd December and the second round interviews will be held in London the week commencing 9th December.