Finance Officer

Job Description

Reports to: Finance Manager
Directorate: Operations
Salary: £33,457 per annum
Location: London – EC4Y 8EE (hybrid working)
Contract: Permanent, full-time (31.5 hours over 5 days)

Job Purpose The finance team is a core part of our Operations Directorate, and although we’re a small team we have a huge impact on the effectiveness of our organisation. The team provides support and guidance to all staff members on how to process invoices, expenses, and generally manage their budgets effectively. The main purpose of the Finance Officer role is to provide key support to the finance team with our finance processes, supporting staff members across the organisation, helping with any queries on a day-to-day basis, as well as supporting our members and suppliers with queries. The Finance Officer ensures all financial transactions are processed in accordance with BSR’s procedures and processes and in line with data protection regulations. You don’t need to have worked in the charity sector previously. Continual professional development is vital for us as a team, and so we’re happy to support you if you’re interested in completing a professional finance qualification.

Main responsibilities

Purchase Ledger

• Receive all supplier invoices (including member expenses), checking correct finance codes with relevant nominal, department, project, VAT and fund codes are on all invoices, and that the necessary authorisation is present
• Scan and file all finance related documents (e.g. bank statements)
• Set up fortnightly supplier payment runs for review by the Finance Manager

Sales Ledger

• Work with budget holders and project leads to produce sales invoices
• Liaise with budget holders to ensure correct coding of all invoices (nominal, department, project, VAT, and fund codes)
• Credit Control – dealing with customer queries and chasing for payments fortnightly

Other Finance Responsibilities

• Manage monthly credit card process including posting in Dext and reconciliation in Xero
• Assist the Finance Manager with preparing for year end and audit fieldwork
• Reconcile purchase ledger payments with the bank transactions
• Run new starter finance inductions for budget holders and set up new staff on finance systems
• Maintain process documents for all finance systems
• Suggest and support relevant finance system and process improvements where identified
• Be the first point of contact for finance systems and internal system integrations

Payroll

• Ensure new starters are processed by HR
• Process leavers
• Exported payroll reports and ensuring that they are filed in the correct place
• Run the monthly payroll with Finance Manager
• Submission of EPS and FPS to HMRC
• Pensions administration

Committee Management

• Minute-taking for Finance & Risk Committee meetings
• Administrative support relating to committee management

Please note: Interviews are scheduled to take place Tuesday 16 December.

Person Specification

1. Desire to build a career in finance
2. Experience of computerised accounting financial systems and CRM
3. Experience in purchase and sales ledger management
4. Experience in running or supporting payroll and pension administration
5. Good organisation and time management skills
6. Commitment to professional and personal development
7. Excellent attention to detail
8. Ability to explain finance processes to colleagues effectively using a business partnering approach
9. Willingness to gain an in-depth understanding of what we do at BSR, to enable all colleagues to do their best work

Benefits of working at BSR

We offer a wide range of benefits, most of which start from day one of joining us. Our benefits fall into four main areas: Wellbeing, Time- based, Learning and development, and Financial. Just some of them include:

Wellbeing:

• Free period products in our office
• Free flu vaccinations
• Mental Health First Aiders
• BUPA healthcare scheme- we offer a cash plan, which you can add children or partners to
• Employee Assistance Programme. This is a free, confidential counselling service to all staff, as well as a general advice service provided by BUPA
• WeCare offers access to a 24/7 virtual GP, as well as a mental health support service, a get fit programme and an online portal with lots of helpful resources
• Our enhanced sick pay offer is:
  • Up to two years’ service: 4 weeks full pay and 4 weeks half pay
  • After two years’ service: 12 weeks full pay and 12 weeks half pay
• We work in a social environment with a range of activities, both virtual and in person, run by our Social Squad. This includes an organisation- wide volunteering day.

Time-based:

• We offer 30 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays
• All staff can request sabbaticals at any point, which are considered on a case-by-case basis
• We also offer an extra day for moving house
• Bank holiday swaps- you can swap a bank holiday day for another day’s leave (entitlement remains 1:1 days)
• We’re a 4 day week employer, which at BSR means working your fulltime hours (31.5 each week) over 5 days

Learning and development

We will help you develop your career by supporting your personal development and encouraging internal progression. This includes recognising individuals’ achievements through our internal staff awards. We offer a huge range of learning opportunities, both in-house and externally. This includes a thorough induction programme when you join us, as well as development opportunities aimed at line managers, and wellbeing-based learning sessions. And if professional membership is a required part of your role, we’ll cover the cost of that.

Financial:

• Income protection scheme
• You’ll be enrolled on our pensions scheme with Aegon (via Second Sight). Our current pension match is 5% employer contribution if you contribute 4% (9% contribution in total).
• Our life assurance policy pays three times your basic salary
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Ride-to-work scheme
• Interest-free loan scheme
• We also provide generous enhancements within our parental and family leave policies.
  • Our maternity/shared parental/adoption offer is 6 weeks at full pay, 33 weeks at half pay, followed by 13 weeks at the statutory rate.
  • Our paternity leave offer is 6 weeks at full pay.