Start date: 1 July 2025 (or as soon as possible after – subject to pre-start checks)
Contract term: Permanent
Working hours: 37 hours per week. Our normal office opening hours are 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Thurs, 8.30am-4pm Friday, but we can be flexible on the work pattern to suit the right candidate
Weeks per year: Year-round contract or working school term-times plus 3 weeks in the school holidays (depending on the candidate’s preference)
Grade: 11
Salary range (per annum): Support staff salary points 28 – 34
£37,938 to £43,693 (year-round contract)
£35,938 to £41,389 (term time plus 3 weeks contract)
With a pay award pending
Location: Twynham Learning Core Services office (co-located with The Grange School, Redvers Road, Christchurch, BH23 3AU)
Reports to: Trust Finance Manager

ABOUT THE POST

Please look at the Vacancies section on our website to see the full job description for this post: https://www.twynhamlearning.com/187/staff-vacancies
This is a rare and exciting opportunity for a new Lead Finance Officer to join our professional and friendly trust Core Services Finance team. Our Core Services team is comprised of specialists who work together to support and advise our schools in areas including estates, finance, governance, HR, IT, risk, safeguarding/inclusion and school improvement. The Lead Finance Officer will provide technical financial expertise for essential processes across our trust, ensuring the monthly and annual cycles of activity run smoothly and accurately. They will also support our Trust Finance Manager in bringing together financial information maintained at school/business unit level to provide a consolidated picture, as well as supporting colleagues across the trust to adopt standardised processes which ensure compliance and efficiency.
Twynham Learning is a growing multi-academy trust based in Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole. Our trust currently consists of Christchurch Infant School, Christchurch Junior School, Poole High School, Stourfield Infant School, Stourfield Junior School, Twynham School, Twynham Sixth Form, The Grange School and Twynham Primary School. Plus, Bournemouth Bay Teacher Training Partnership (SCITT), The School Sport Partnerships (SSPs) and CPD provision through Two Rivers Institute (TRI).
This is predominantly an office-based role, with occasional homeworking possible, if desired.

We are looking for an outstanding individual who will relish the opportunity to:

• Prepare consolidated monthly management reporting and termly benchmark reporting, including KPIs and trend/variance analysis
• Take a lead on financial control processes across the trust
• Coordinate budgeting and forecasting across the trust, including both challenging and supporting schools/business units through the process of budget setting and ongoing review
• Run the financial aspects of payroll through the monthly download and journal processing cycle
• Support the Trust Finance Manager with the preparation and liaison associated with audit activity and as a back-up for payment run loading and authorisation
• Promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people in accordance with our Safeguarding and Child Protection policies.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We would love to hear from you if you:

• have strong technical accounting ability and preferably experience within school finance, specifically within the academy sector
• have a proven track record of producing high quality reporting for senior management
• have a collaborative approach to ensure good practice and sound decision-making
• possess the following strong skills: IT, organisation, writing and verbal communication. Experience of using the Xero, Planergy and IMP systems is also desirable.
• can travel independently across Twynham Learning sites and to external meetings as required
• hold GCSE Maths grade C or above (or equivalent qualification/grade)

You will also be keen to live our Twynham Learning employee values which are:

• Aim high
• Keep improving
• Don’t leave anyone behind
• See the bigger picture

Please refer the Job description for details