Finance & IT Operations Manager

Why Access Social Care Exists

Every day millions of older and disabled people are denied the social care they need. Most local authorities can t meet the growing demand for care, and none are confident they can meet their legal duties in the future. This affects all of us - we will all need care at some point in our lives.

We all have a right to hold public bodies to account, but most of us cannot afford lawyers so rely on legal aid. The 92% drop in legal aid cases since 2010 means that we have nowhere to turn. Without access to justice, our rights do not exist.

What we do

Access Social Care ( ASC ) provides legal advice and information for people with social care needs, helping achieve a better quality of life. We work with communities to increase knowledge of the law and our rights. We highlight the gap left by cuts to Legal Aid and provide advice for those who can t afford it.

Our network of lawyers and caseworkers provide access to justice when things go wrong. We collaborate with social services whilst ensuring legal obligations are met. We are working towards a future where social care is adequately funded, and we all get the support we need.

We provide rights awareness training to front line managers, and legal advice and casework support to families and individuals. As well as providing access to justice, our aim is to drive system level change through evidence-led influencing and strategic casework.

This is an exciting time to join ASC. We have a new strategy. We are dedicated to the people who need our help, and we care deeply about our team. We think that work should be an exciting and satisfying place to be.

About the role

The Finance & IT Operations manager ensures effective financial management and control throughout ASC overseeing financial administration, reporting and compliance.

The role provides guidance and support on financial matters to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) in areas such as cash flow, audit and tax whilst ensuring that budget holders across ASC are well supported with tools and skills. The role also helps develop and implement the charity s IT strategy, including managing the external IT provider and service level agreement.

Responsibilities

1. Financial Management and Reporting

• Provide the Chief Operating Officer (COO) with accurate, regular and comprehensive financial information reports to guide effective and sound financial decision making.
• Monitor financial activity against approved annual budget, reporting any anomalies or unusual activity to the COO.
• Develop, implement and operate monitoring systems for financial forecasting and re-forecasting to support sound decision making.
• Support the COO in the co-ordination of the annual budgeting and planning process ensuring that information is collected, compiled and reported in a consistent and robust manner.
• Co-ordinate and produce year end Charity SORP financial statements, including the Trustee Annual Report, providing external auditors with the necessary documentation and support to audit the financial statements.
• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, liaising with the charity s external auditors in preparing the SORP financial statements.
• Partner with budget holders, providing monthly expenditure against budget reports and supporting their understanding and decision making.
• Preparing financial statements for funder reporting and supporting the COO in designing budgets and financial models for new fundraising bids and other commercial offerings.
• Produce VAT and corporation tax returns and manage ASC s relationship with HMRC.
• Oversee the payroll process, ensuring accuracy, compliance and timely submission to the outsourced provider.
• Oversee accounts payable and receivable.
• Establish a detailed cashflow planning process and manage the flow of capital between ASC s and its chosen banks, recommending any changes as appropriate.
• Manage all banking relationships.

2. Policy and Procedures

• Collaborate with the COO to establish effective processes and controls to ensure efficient and effective financial management is delivered and maintained.
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of effective procurement policies, procedures and systems ensuring best value is achieved across all activities.

3. IT, Contracts & Data Protection

• Support the COO to review current accounting and finance systems recommending and implementing upgrades and improvements where agreed.
• Support the COO in drafting and implementing ASC s IT strategy.
• Tender and manage SLA and relationship with external IT provider.
• Review outsourced arrangements and systems and work with the COO on tendering for fit for purpose systems to match organisational strategy and direction.
• Lead on the annual insurance renewal process, ensuring appropriate cover is in place and general administration of the charity s insurance policies is enacted.
• Manage and review business interruption and disaster recovery plans, using regular simulation testing to ensure robustness.
• Keep existing portfolio of client and supplier template contracts under review, recommending risk-based strengthening.
• Oversee ASC s data protection infrastructure, co-ordinating departmental Data Protection Champions to ensure that policy & practice is robust
• Work with COO in response to reactive data protection issues and incidents

4. People Management

• Provide line management to the Finance Assistant, using ASC s management processes to ensure they are supported, motivated and able to work effectively.
• Plan and oversee the Finance Assistant s workload, ensuring tasks are allocated appropriately and completed to required standards.
• Contribute to creating a collaborative team culture aligned with ASC s values.

5. Other Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and implementation of team development work within the Finance & IT Operations Team in collaboration with the Chief Operating Officer and the Business Support Manager.

This list of tasks is not exhaustive and will be reviewed from time to time in discussion with the post holder.

Person Specification

All staff at ASC are expected to share and demonstrate our values:

Trustworthy

Recognised for excellence, we will be the best we can be in everything we do. We will be truthful, independent and outcomes focussed.

Fair

We believe in treating people with kindness and compassion in a way that is right, reasonable and just.

Fearless

We will do what is right, not what is easy. We will bravely challenge injustice.

Inclusive

Our beneficiaries voices will influence our thinking and decision making at all levels of our organisation. Collaborative in our thinking, we will work with others to achieve our goals.

Positive

We will be constructive and progressive in our challenge. We will optimistically and dynamically drive for change.

In addition to our values, you will also need to be able to demonstrate or tell us about the following areas at your interview:

Personal attributes you will have

Essential:

• Purpose driven with a commitment to our mission and values
• Commitment to working within the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
• Self-aware, solutions focused and able to generate goodwill with collaborators and colleagues.
• Demonstrates integrity and an ability to hold and respect confidential and sensitive information.
• Dependable, resilient with the ability to remain composed and effective under pressure.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and proactive in taking initiative.

Experience you will have

Minimum

• Experience of preparing management accounts, monitoring budgets and producing financial reports for senior leaders.
• Experience of contract and SLA management, including reviewing and monitoring provider performance.

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of financial management within a multi-stakeholder environment, including familiarity with charity accounting and SORP principles.
• Line management experience supporting the performance and development of team members.
• Experience of overseeing IT services or outsourced IT support arrangements.

Desirable

• Experience of managing or coordinating insurance, risk, business continuity and/or disaster recovery processes.

Skills you will have

Essential

• Strong numerical and analytical skills to effectively analyse financial reports
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, able to engage effectively with diverse groups and senior professionals.
• Able to manage multiple tasks, prioritise effectively and meet competing internal and external deadlines.
• Able to produce accurate and reliable work.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills, able to convey complex information clearly and accessibly to both financial and non-financial audiences.
• Strong IT skills including demonstrable proficiency in MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Sage 50 Accounts.

Knowledge you will have gained

Minimum:

• Working towards qualification in ACA, ACCA . click apply for full job details