Finance Assistant

Real Group has an exciting opportunity for a financial role in our growing company. It is a great time to join our team, make a positive difference and impact our growth. We offer flexibility in how you work: up to 40% of your time can be worked from home if desired.

Study support would also be considered to support your professional ambitions.

About the role:

The purpose of the role is to support the Finance Director to provide required financial reconciliations, reporting, and analysis to support the timely review of results and support business decision-making. Partner with the FD to complete the annual plan, and required re-forecasts. Have ownership of key financial transactions, reconciliations, and processes to ensure they are complete and accurate, and undertaken as per required monthly deadlines.

Key tasks and responsibilities include:

• Support the preparation of monthly management accounts for the Company - helping review, investigate and provide an understanding of variances to plan for Directors;
• Produce and maintain monthly management financial reports that provide Hds of, and other Budget Holders with the spend vs budget info needed, to manage their costs effectively, and help investigate and build an understanding of variances to plan;
• Support the month-end close process as required to ensure costs/revenue are recorded accurately and completely; Work to ensure that accruals, prepayments, provisions, and journal adjustments are booked as required, in the general ledger.
• Undertake monthly bank reconciliations, and model the expected future cashflow position
• Support the annual plan and rolling financial forecast process for all entities.
• Take ownership of Credit Control across the company, reviewing routinely the debt position across the group, producing analysis that informs FD of the changes in the debt position, the reasons for this, prioritising debts that are to be resolved, and undertaking required actions to control and resolve debts outstanding;
• Ensure monthly payments to our delivery team of tutors are calculated correctly, and in line with expectations, and paid out timely, then authorised in a timely;
• Review and set up all required new direct debit mandates, and resolve any failed payments, to ensure that delegates can start courses as and when planned;
• Support and lead on ad-hoc finance projects, as the business needs;
• Support additional monthly financial, and year-end, tasks as needed.

About you

The ideal candidate will have a background in finance, qualified by experience, with either an accountancy degree or be part way through potentially an accountancy qualification.

You have a passion for data accuracy & detail, with advanced excel skills to assimilate & produce high-quality financial information. You are able to collaborate well with colleagues across the organisation to improve the understanding and accuracy of financial data, and reports.

Person specification

The successful applicant will be able to demonstrate:

• High attention to detail, strong numeracy, uses initiative, has good self-discipline;
• Good verbal communication, interpersonal and team working skills;
• Advanced excel skills and the ability to multi-task across various applications and systems;
• Good decision making skills to escalate as appropriate for issue resolution, or for required direction, and guidance;
• Ability to successfully meet deadlines and timescales;

About us

We are a dynamic, growing organisation with an established reputation for providing CPD training, SEN consultancy, and direct psychological services. We develop and deliver training for teachers within the UK and internationally. We currently have teachers in over 100 countries studying with us. We are proud of our innovative training approaches that combine psychology, education and technology. Our courses enable educational psychology to have an impact in classrooms across the globe. Our values are embedded in the work that we do and they underpin our business culture.

Our Values:

• Inclusivity - valuing others, respecting others, recognising and celebrating the contribution of all
• Positivity - taking a positive outlook to challenges and embracing change and opportunity
• Curiosity - seeking to reflect, learn, ask questions and challenging orthodoxies
• Integrity - acting fairly, honestly, and consistently
• Growth - seeking growth and positive change for individuals and organisations
• Sustainability - helping regain ecological balance.

We are an equal opportunities, flexible employer with offices in Greenwich, Canterbury and Staines. Real Group has a strong culture of ethical business practice and values diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

We build our team with talented, positive-thinking and experienced individuals from diverse backgrounds. Working at Real Group brings many benefits including:

• Flexible working within a friendly, supportive team
• Competitive salary
• Pension
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Health and dental plan
• Access to free mental health support
• Salary sacrifice options for purchasing a bicycle or leasing an electric car.

Real Group is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from all.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification and job description