Interim Head of Finance
Posted Today by Jobserve
Negotiable
Undetermined
Undetermined
Wakefield, Yorkshire
Summary: The Interim Head of Finance for a Multi-Academy Trust will provide essential support during a transitional period, focusing on enhancing financial controls, ensuring audit readiness, and maintaining continuity in finance operations. This role requires collaboration with the Head of Finance and involves overseeing various financial processes and compliance measures. The position is temporary, lasting between 4 to 6 months, and is critical for the operational stability of the Trust. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in finance management within the education sector, particularly in Multi Academy Trusts.
Key Responsibilities:
- Work closely with the Head of Finance to map duties, deadlines, controls, and key contacts
- Document file locations, system processes, and review points
- Develop and maintain a live handover and process log
- Oversee month-end close processes, including journals and reconciliations
- Manage bank authorisations and checks
- Ensure robust financial controls and maintain a clear audit trail
- Take ownership of the audit evidence tracker
- Allocate requests and proactively chase responses
- Review completeness and coordinate audit activity to meet timelines (including mid-October deadlines)
- Manage VAT claims, General Annual Grant (GAG) and other funding reconciliations
- Oversee payroll and pension documentation
- Ensure compliance with related-party disclosures and governance requirements
- Support implementation and testing of a new purchase ledger system
- Ensure new processes are thoroughly documented and understood by the wider team
- Reduce single-person dependencies by sharing knowledge across the team
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Produce practical process notes to support ongoing operations
Key Skills:
- Proven experience in a Finance Manager or senior finance role within the education sector - ideally Multi Academy Trusts
- Strong understanding of financial controls, audit processes, and compliance
- Experience with systems implementation and process improvement
- Ability to work autonomously and manage multiple priorities in an interim environment
- Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
Salary (Rate): £60,000 yearly
City: Wakefield
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Interim Multi Academy Trust Head of Finance - 4-6 months
A Multi-Academy Trust is seeking an experienced Interim Finance Manager to provide critical support during a period of transition. This role will focus on strengthening financial controls, supporting audit readiness, and ensuring continuity across finance operations.
Key Responsibilities
- Knowledge Capture & Handover
- Work closely with the Head of Finance to map duties, deadlines, controls, and key contacts
- Document file locations, system processes, and review points
- Develop and maintain a live handover and process log
Core Finance Controls
- Oversee month-end close processes, including journals and reconciliations
- Manage bank authorisations and checks
- Ensure robust financial controls and maintain a clear audit trail
Audit Readiness & Coordination
- Take ownership of the audit evidence tracker
- Allocate requests and proactively chase responses
- Review completeness and coordinate audit activity to meet timelines (including mid-October deadlines)
Funding, VAT & Compliance
- Manage VAT claims, General Annual Grant (GAG) and other funding reconciliations
- Oversee payroll and pension documentation
- Ensure compliance with related-party disclosures and governance requirements
Systems & Process Transition
- Support implementation and testing of a new purchase ledger system.
- Ensure new processes are thoroughly documented and understood by the wider team
Team Coordination
- Reduce single-person dependencies by sharing knowledge across the team
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Produce practical process notes to support ongoing operations
Candidate Profile
- Proven experience in a Finance Manager or senior finance role within the education sector - ideally Multi Academy Trusts.
- Strong understanding of financial controls, audit processes, and compliance
- Experience with systems implementation and process improvement
- Ability to work autonomously and manage multiple priorities in an interim environment
- Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
Why Apply?
- Opportunity to make an immediate impact within a growing MAT
- Key role influencing financial governance and operational stability
- Collaborative leadership team and purpose-driven environment