Address
Form of work
SalaryAre you passionate about using your professional financial skills and experience to create meaningful impact with marginalised communities? Are you ready to bring your initiative to contribute to the growth of a small, dynamic charity, whilst also learning and growing professionally too?
We are looking for an experienced Finance manager to join our passionate and dynamic team at an exciting time for the organisation.
We strongly encourage applications from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people.
Who we are
London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT) is an organisation which challenges social exclusion and discrimination, working for change in partnership with Gypsies and Travellers. We work with families across London Boroughs, living on council caravan sites, roadside camps, with those living in bricks and mortar housing, and those experiencing homelessness. We work together with Gypsies and Travellers to build the capacity of individuals and their communities to influence the decisions that affect their lives through our front-line support services, growing youth mentoring programme, community development projects, campaigns and policy work. We are a small, committed and collaborative team (currently 10 staff members), embarking on an exciting period of growth and innovation in our work.
Our organisational values are important to us in the way we deliver our mission: Collaborative, Supportive, Passionate, Campaigning, Representative, and Rooted in the Community.
For more information please visit our website.
Job purpose
This role is pivotal in ensuring the financial sustainability and integrity of LGT, developing resilient foundations for our front-line services, community development, policy and campaigns work to grow in scale and impact.
Working closely with the CEO, Project and Team Leads, you’ll lead all aspects of financial management from budgeting, accounting and compliance, financial management of grants, to reporting to the Finance Committee to support the Board of Trustees and leadership with financial planning and decision making. Finance is the core of the role, however you’ll also use your data management and organisation skills to help us maintain and develop our workflow and data management systems and processes, and oversee other core operational functions delivered by our Business Operations Administrator.
We are a small, collaborative and committed team, with ambitious plans to grow the impact of our work and to diversify and grow our income in the coming years. As a newly created role, sitting within our senior leadership team and reporting to the CEO, there’s huge scope to contribute your experience and ideas to the strategic and operational development of the organisation - and invest in your own professional development too. There is some flexibility in both how the role is fulfilled, and the level of essential and desirable skills, knowledge and experience set out in the role description so please do get in touch if you are wondering if this is the role for you.
How to apply
Please submit a CV and a cover letter with concise answers to these questions:
1. Please outline the skills, knowledge and experience you will bring to the role as described in the role description?
2. Why would you like to work with London Gypsies and Travellers?
Applications without a cover letter may not be considered.
Closing Date for Job applications: Sunday 21 April 2024
Date for interviews: Thursday 2 May
Are you interested, or wondering if this is the role for you? If you would like to talk to us about our organisation’s work or chat informally about the role, please get in touch using the info email address on our website.
Role responsibilities
1. Financial leadership: Strategic finance leadership including financial modelling, meeting reserves targets, contributing to long term funding strategy, income diversification and risk management.
2. Budget management: Lead timely and detailed budget setting, monitoring and reporting across the organisation including management accounts.
3. Finance systems: Manage and develop the end-to-end finance system including day to day bookkeeping processes for the organisation, keeping track of income and outgoings, reconciliations and maintaining efficient systems and processes.
4. Banking and payments: Supervise outsourced payroll and pensionsprovider, administer internal payments processing and maintain all relevant banking administration and other relevant online accounts.
5. Grant management: Lead financial reporting for multiple grants, keeping track of deadlines, delegating tasks and preparing budgets for new grant and commissioning opportunities.
6. Compliance: Ensure appropriately robust financial controls, including compliance with Companies House, Charity Commission requirements, preparation and liaison for annual audits with our accountant.
7. Governance: Prepare budget and Finance information for the Board of Trustees, also liaising with and servicing the Board Finance Committee.
8. Operations: Oversee a Business Operations Administrator fulfilling core operational functions including payroll, procurement, contracts with service providers and outsourced functions including IT.
9. Data and organisational systems: Play a leadership role championing efficient workflow management, reporting systems, and the continuous improvement of data capture, storage and analysis across the organisation.
10. Supervision and teamwork: Collaborateeffectively with all colleagues, with frequent delegation, potential for supervision of line-reports, and support with occasional coaching on financial systems and requirements.
11. Learning and personal growth: Contribute to a supportive and courageous learning environment organisationally and commit to personal professional growth.
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
Essential
1. Experience of working in a finance management role in a charity or social impact-driven context.
2. Ability to operate strategically, proactively flagging and acting on opportunities and risks for the organisation.
3. Experience of delivering and managing all core finance and accounting processes to support budgeting, reporting which supports sound financial management and decision making.
4. Experience of financial management for grants and restricted funds, including drafting project budgets and financial reporting.
5. Experience of identifying and implementing improvements to financial controls, processes and operational systems.
6. Experience of short and longer-term financial planning to support financial resilience building.
7. Good Excel skills to support full cost recovery and income diversification strategies.
8. Experience using database/CRM technologies to store and analyse data.
9. Excellent organisational skills with a demonstrable track record of managing competing priorities and meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
10. Good written and oral communication skills with ability to communicate and present complex finance information in a clear and simple way to a range of stakeholders including funders, Trustees, to auditors and colleagues.
11. High levels of personal integrity and a commitment to equality and challenging discrimination.
12. Strong IT skills including advanced Excel knowledge and experience using Xero or similar accounting software.
13. A resilient attitude to work, embracing change and approaching challenges with positivity, creativity and perseverance.
14. Effective delegation skills to colleagues at all levels and external consultants.
15. Ability to work flexibly to respond to changing needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities and the organisation.
Desirable
16. A professional finance/accounting qualification e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, AAT or qualified by experience.
17. Experience of lead responsibility for management accounting.
18. Familiarity with the requirements and processes for statutory bodies e.g. Companies House, Charity Commission and annual independent audit.
19. Knowledge of GDPR requirements and best practices in data management and protection.
20. Knowledge of VAT considerations and requirements for charities or small companies.
21. Line-management experience.
22. Knowledge of workflow management tools and processes.
NB: The role responsibilities and tasks are subject to review as the requirements of the organisation evolve and to support ongoing personal professional development of the post-holder.
