Finance & Administration Officer

September 2017

Finance & Administration Officer

Thank you for your interest in the role of Finance & Administration Officer. Please find attached a copy of the job description and person specification, a summary of the basic terms and conditions and an application form.

Please note that Early Education is moving offices and will be based in Watford Junction from 15 September.

More information about the organisation can be found on our website

Applications close on Monday 25 September at 5pm. Applications received after this time will not be considered. Applicants who have been shortlisted for interview will be notified by 5pm on Wednesday 27 September by email and telephone. Please ensure that you provide a telephone number on which you can be reached on that date. Interviews will take place at 54 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1DU on Thursday 5 October 2017.

An equality & diversity monitoring form is also downloadable from our website Please complete this and return it with your application.

Applications should be emailed to

Best wishes

Beatrice Merrick

Chief Executive

Job title:Finance & Administration Officer (full-time)

Job Description

To work as part of a small team, and with assistance from the Administrative Assistant, to be responsible for the following duties:

Finance

to manage all Early Education’s financial transactions using Quick Books software
to keep accurate records of income, allocating payments to the relevant account
to manage invoices for contracts and claims for grant payments liaising Training & Communications Manager and Chief Executive
to ensure that invoices for goods and services are prepared and sent out on time
to monitor the payment of invoices sending timely reminders and chasing late payments
to manage the banking of all cash and cheques
to keep accurate records of all expenditure, checking bills against quotations
to manage the online payment of bills by BACS ensuring that authorisation has taken place by two nominated signatories
to manage the payment of bills by cheque when BACS payment is unavailable ensuring two nominated signatories
to manage the petty cash account
to ensure that funds are in place in the correct bank account to cover outgoing expenses and to advise the Chief Executive or Operations Manager when funds should be transferred from one account to another ensuring that the balances in the current accounts do not exceed the required amount
to reconcile bank statements when received and provide regular information on the financial situation to the management accountant and treasurer
to complete VAT and other tax returns as necessary in conjunction with the Management Accountant
to undertake the annual stock take
liaising with the Management Accountant and Chief Executive, ensure that quarterly management accounts for Early Education are prepared in a timely manner
with support from the Chief Executive and Treasurer liaise with the Management Accountant to ensure that the annual accounts for Early Education are prepared for audit or independent inspection
to manage the payment of branch rebates and ensure the receipt of branch accounts for the annual accounts

Membership administration and support for local branches

promote membership and related products and services to new and existing members
proactively initiate follow up letters, emails and phone calls to members to maximise membership renewals, and monitor trends in membership data
ensure membership information is kept up to date on the contact database including processing new members and renewals
process membership payments, including raising invoices
operate monthly Direct Debits for membership subscriptions, submitting reports and maintaining confidential records
arrange termly postal mailings to members and others via the mailing house
support branch officers with branch administration including sending out email notification of branch events
obtain end of year branch reports and accounts and collate into a report
manage the distribution of branch rebates
keep branch guidelines up to date on the website

Event administration

Process bookings for training and conferences, including invoicing, sending confirmation and joining instructions
Working with the Chief Executive to provide support for the AGM/Autumn conference and the Annual National Conference, including liaison with the host branch
Working with the Training & Communications Manager to provide support for other meetings and events including arranging venues, equipment and refreshments and managing delegate sign-ins
Occasional attendance at events outside the office including the AGM, Annual National Conference and external conferences

Publications orders

Process orders for literature and resources including dispatch of publications
Ensure record keeping of orders and dispatch for follow up purposes
Manage on- and off-site storage of stock

Administration and office management

Answer phone and email queries and greet visitors to the office
Deal with the incoming and outgoing post
Monitor all supplies and manage the purchasing of stationery and office consumables
Working with the Chief Executive and external sources of expertise as needed ensure early education policies and procedures are kept up to date in response to changes in legislation and guidance, and in line with the annual cycle of reviews.

Ensure the successful management of all contracts with third party suppliers
Ensure that office facilities and practices are compliant with Health and Safety laws and best practice
Service committees including preparing the annual schedule of meetings, circulating papers, taking and typing up minutes and maintaining records of membership.

To undertake any other such tasks as the Chief Executive might reasonably require.

Person specification

Essential characteristics

Evidence of experience in a comparable role
Comprehensive knowledge of QuickBooks on-line.
Confident in IT with thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel.
Experience of maintaining complex records, including fast and accurate data entry.
Experience of using of databases to create reports and analyse data.
Experience of using BACS and Direct Debits for payments.
Knowledge of petty cash imprest system.
Able to communicate well orally, both face to face and by telephone, and in written form.
Good organisational skills with an eye for detail and an ability to manage a large workload and plan according to the work cycles of the organisation.
Ability to work flexibly as part of a small team as well as under own initiative.
Ability to build positive relationships with external contacts, eg members and customers, and a strong appreciation of the importance of customer service
Good analytical and problem-solving ability
Calm and professional disposition
A commitment to the aims of Early Education
A commitment to and an understanding of equal opportunities

Desirable characteristics

Working towardsAssociation of Accounting Technicians (AAT).
Understanding of Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005) Accounting and Reporting for Charities.
Experience of managing contracts and office purchasing.

Experience of organising events/training
Experience of marketing and promotion
Experience of committee servicing and minute writing
Experience and/or training in health and safety requirements

Job Title:

Finance & Administration Officer

Reporting to:

/ Chief Executive

Appointment:

Permanent, subject to 6 months’ probation

Salary:

£23,000 per annum; 7.75% pension contribution (subject to satisfactory completion of the probationary period)

Purpose:

/ This is a key post within our small, friendly team. The role is interesting and varied. You will be a highly organised, methodical and professional person able to perform all the financial tasks that underpin our day-to-day work. Your excellent admin skills will ensure that our membership and other services run smoothly and effectively. As you will play a key role as the first point of contact for telephone and personal callers, your communication skills will be first class. You will be highly skilled and confident in all aspects of IT, particularly accounting packages, databases and spreadsheets.

Hours:

/ 35 hours per week, plus one hour per day unpaid lunch. Standard office hours are 9am-5pm.

Leave:

/ In addition to normal public holidays, 25 days paid work days per year, plus three additional days which must be taken between the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Job location:

/ The position is office based and located in our Watford Junction.

Closing Date:

/ 5pm on Monday 25 September 2017

Interviews:

/ Applicants shortlisted for interview will be notified on Wednesday 27 September 2017.
Interviews will take place in Watford Junction on Thursday 5 October

About us

Early Education was founded in 1923. Over 90 years later we remain committed to supporting families and the professional development of all those working in early childhood education to ensure effective early childhood education experiences of the highest quality for all children across the United Kingdom.

We offer support toall early childhood education practitioners, including those in maintained settings, private, voluntary and independent provider and home-based childcare, as wellas staff in local authorities, colleges and universities who support and train practitioners. We deliver support through:

publications and online resources
training and consultancy
national events and conferences
local branch meetings.

In 2016-17 our activities included:

providing membership services for over 700 individuals and over 300 organisations
national training events attended by more than 500 attendees
events organised by our 18 local branches attended by 3200 attendees
275 days of in-house training and consultancy to over 80 different clients

We campaign to improve early childhood education policy. We represent our members' concerns to government, maintain dialogue with policy makers and campaign to raise awareness of key issues. We also undertake project work to trial new approaches and spread best practice in the sector.

We are a charity and company limited by guarantee, managed by a Board of Trustees drawn from our membership.

We have a small team of four staff based in our offices in Watford Junction, a team of 40 Associates who are contracted to deliver training and consultancy, and a network of volunteers who run our branches across the UK.

Reference Number (internal use only):
Job applied for: Finance & Administration Officer

PERSONAL DETAILS (BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE)

Title (Mr, Mrs Ms) / Surname/Family Name / First Name
Correspondence Address:
Postcode:
Telephone number:
Mobile: Daytime: Evening:
Email Address:
National Insurance Number:
Do you have the right to work in the UK?
Where did you see the job advertised?

WORK RECORD (Including waged and unwaged activities)

Name of current or most recent employer:
Address:
Post held:
Date started: Date finished:
Reason for leaving:
Brief description of duties:
Salary: Notice required:

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT/EXPERIENCE

Please list all relevant jobs and describe your duties. This includes paid and unpaid work. (Attach an additional sheet if necessary)

From
To / Name and full address of employer / Post Title/Brief outline of duties (including Salary/Grade) and reason for leaving

EDUCATION

Please give details of all secondary, further or higher education

Period
From To / Name and location of School/College/University / Main subjects / Qualifications

TRAINING

Please list relevant training courses completed or being undertaken

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Please list relevant professional qualification completed or being undertaken

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Please show how you meet the requirements shown in the Person Specification for this post, and how your previous experience and present skills will enable you to undertake the duties of the post as described in the Job Description (Please do it with headings). (Continue on a separate sheet if necessary but applications with more than two additional A4 pages will not be considered.)

CRIMINAL CHECK

Do you have any unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974? YES/NO
(It is our policy not to discriminate against people with criminal convictions unless these are relevant to the post. If you answer Yes to this, you will be questioned about it before any offer of employment.)

REFEREES

Please name two referees who may be approached (relatives/partners should not be included). One should be your current or most recent employer.

Referee 1
Name: Tel (work)
Organisation: Mobile:
Position held: Email:
Organisation Address:
Please specify in what capacity they know you:
Referee 2
Name: Tel (work)
Organisation: Mobile:
Position held: : Email:
Organisation Address:
Please specify in what capacity they know you:

Please contact us if you need the application form in an alternative format or if you need any adjustments for the interview.

DECLARATION

I hereby confirm to the best of my knowledge the details given in this application form are true:

SignedDate:

PLEASE RETURN to:

Julia Devote

Operations Manager

Early Education

Email: