Finance Manager | Glasgow

The Company

The High School of Glasgow is an independent, co-educational day school with around 900 pupils aged between 3 and 18 and its roots go back to 1124. The School motto is Sursum Semper, which translates as “ever upwards” encapsulating the constant and unwavering commitment to improving and enriching the lives of every child who walks through its doors.

Its strategic plan is to take inspiration from the successful endeavours of former pupils in keeping The High School of Glasgow alive in 1976 and recognising that the school is celebrating 900 years of continuous educational provision in 2024, its strategic plan articulates the vision and values of the school.

Its vision is to ignite the potential within every young person, so that they may enjoy more enriched lives and make a positive difference to others and their communities.

Its mission is to be the school of choice in the City of Glasgow and the West of Scotland; a beacon of learning, where the all-round capacities of young people are nurtured, challenged and realised within an inclusive and caring environment of mutual respect, positive relationships and obligations. To be a place of learning constantly in pursuit of excellence and all-around personal development, secured through high-quality teaching and learning, rich and wide-ranging opportunities, first-class resources and a nurturing supportive ethos.

The role

Reports to: COO/CFO

Direct reports: Purchase Ledger Clerk, Senior School Cashier, Fees and Payroll Officer

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Financial Management and Development:

• Deputise for the COO/CFO in respect of all financial matters with both the Senior Leadership Team and the Board
• Proactively manage the finances of the school and ensure compliance with all relevant accounting standards and applicable bodies, including the HMRC and OSCR
• Ensure that the accounting function of the school is up to date and best practice is always employed and to be proactive in this area
• Day-to-day management and development of 3 direct reports, providing support and mentoring, ensuring their continuous development
• Manage the accounting functions to ensure that all processes and procedures are reviewed and working efficiently
• Ensure reliable management information is provided and all deadlines are met timeously
• Prepare cash flow forecasts for monthly presentations to the Finance Committee
• Ownership of maintaining the general ledger within the finance system, PASS

Business Partnering:

• Produce the draft Annual Budget for review by and discussion with the COO/CFO
• Prepare budget reforecasts and seek out variance explanations as required
• Create and develop financial modelling and scenario planning to assist with decision-making
• Liaise and challenge Heads of Department and other budget holders regarding their departmental finances
• Provide financial training to non-finance managers

Operational Financial Management:

• Oversee the annual Bursary process and applications and prepare preliminary reports for the Bursary Award Committee
• Take responsibility for the financial management and administration requirements of both the Educational Trust and the HSOG Club
• Carry out any other ad hoc duties as required relating to the Finances of the School and liaise with school families and staff as appropriate

The Individual

The Finance Manager will bring best practice from previous roles to improve financial processes and will build positive and influential relationships across the organisation. The individual will be comfortable with and adaptable to change as the organisation continues to evolve.

A summary of the key candidate requirements are as follows:

• Qualified accountant (CA, ACCA, CIMA)
• Strong all-round accounts knowledge including experience in preparing management accounts and statutory accounts in accordance with OSCR accounting standards
• Excellent IT skills particularly experience in using Microsoft Excel at an advanced level
• Ability to problem solve effectively through asking appropriate questions and actioning accordingly
• Highly skilled in numeracy and focused on working efficiently, with an emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent decision-making skills, and confidence in making good judgements
• Ability to work well independently and in a team, delegating appropriately as required
• Excellent planning and organising skills, including the ability to work to deadlines
• Experience having line management responsibilities for a team or can demonstrate the capacity to do so
• Versatility to ‘flex’ between commercial thinking and day-to-day operational tasks, including routine journals, month-end close tasks, VAT
• Ability to form relationships and communicate with staff, stakeholders, and the wider community at all levels
• Experience in seeing tasks through from start to finish and following up to ensure such tasks are completed efficiently and in a timely manner
• Demonstrate proactive initiative, self-motivation and diligence to accomplish tasks unsupervised
• Experience in dealing with confidential and sensitive information

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