Work with us: Finance and Reporting Officer

Young Sounds UK is recruiting for a full‑time Finance and Reporting Officer to join our team.

Reports to: Finance and Operations Director

Contract: Initially 12 months, to be extended by mutual agreement. There will be a three‑month probation period.

Hours: Fulltime (35 hours per week), pattern to be agreed within core organisational hours of 09:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday.

Annual Leave: 26 days per year, plus bank holidays.

Salary: £35,000 per year, plus statutory pension contributions as applicable.

Location: Home working with some travel for meetings and events. Any travel and accommodation costs will be reimbursed.

Role Overview

The Finance and Reporting Officer will be responsible for the effective day‑to‑day running of the charity’s finance function, by processing transactions accurately, maintaining robust financial records, carrying out month‑end activities, and providing financial information to budget holders and senior staff. Alongside this, the role has an important part to play in data management and activity reporting. Working with the Data Officer you’ll assist with the maintenance and interrogation of programme monitoring data, ensuring information is accurate and timely. You’ll need to be organised and have great attention to detail.

Working relationships and expectations

You’ll report to the Finance and Operations Director, but work closely with colleagues throughout the organisation including:

• Area leads, as budget holders and data stakeholders.
• Colleagues in the Development team who lead on fundraising.
• Our part‑time Data Officer, who leads on our data visualisation tools.
• Trustees, particularly members of the Audit and Risk Committee.
• You’ll also work closely with external stakeholders including suppliers, partners, and auditors.

Key tasks

• Process purchase invoices, ensuring correct authorisation and coding, and resolve queries with suppliers and internal staff.
• Prepare and process payment runs, ensuring appropriate authorisation and supporting documentation.
• Process company purchasing card transactions, ensuring appropriate authorisation and supporting documentation.
• Raise sales invoices (where applicable) and manage credit control.
• Process income receipts, including notifying the Development team and sending reports as needed.
• Complete regular bank reconciliations, posting transactions as necessary.
• Maintain accurate general ledger postings, including accruals, prepayments and other journals.
• Process monthly payroll using Xero, including actioning changes, ensuring appropriate authorisation.
• Check draft payroll reports, coordinate payment approvals and confirm payments are released on time.
• Maintain payroll records and documentation securely, including year‑to‑date and year‑end records.
• Respond to payroll queries from staff.
• Submit statutory returns and related payroll administration e.g. RTI submissions and end‑of‑year processes.
• Coordinate pension auto‑enrolment submissions and any required communications.
• Post payroll journals and reconcile payroll control accounts.
• Carry out month‑end processes, including reconciliations.
• Support budget holders in managing their budgets, sharing routine reports, reconciling budget sheets and meeting to discuss budget positions.
• Assist with the preparation of monthly management accounts by preparing supporting schedules.
• Assist with cash‑flow reporting by preparing cash‑based actual reports and assisting with forecasting.
• Draft delegated funder financial reports and support grant claims by compiling figures, reconciling to the finance system, and maintaining a clear audit trail.
• Maintain finance records and filing in line with internal finance controls policies, audit requirements and retention schedules.
• Coordinate and service quarterly internal audit procedures.
• Support year‑end audit preparation by providing documentation, reconciliations and responding to auditor queries.
• Support the production of wider monitoring and management information reporting, working with colleagues to ensure reports are timely and accurate.
• Liaise with the Data Officer and area leads to coordinate the collection of data related to the organisation’s programme activities in line with the reporting timetable.
• Support the Finance and Operations Director with the implementation of new reporting mechanisms, as needed.
• Undertake data audit activities including data cleansing and quality checks in Salesforce (or other systems) as requested.
• Manage the finance inbox.
• Attend the weekly team call on Mondays 10:00 to 10:30 where possible, and an in‑person all‑day meeting every two months.
• Be responsible for team meeting minutes from time to time: this is shared across the whole team.
• Attend the monthly online Audit and Risk Committee meeting.
• Be responsible for the minutes of the Audit and Risk Committee monthly meeting.
• Handle all financial and personal data appropriately, in line with best practice and the organisation’s GDPR and Safeguarding policies.
• Contribute to the organisation’s ongoing development, by engaging in discussions as appropriate and undertaking training as requested or in pursuit of personal development.
• Contribute to the organisation’s strategic priorities, including equity, diversity and inclusion, ensuring that this informs all activities.
• Work in a flexible manner in line with the organisation’s objectives and be willing to occasionally undertake other duties as reasonably requested.

Person Specification

Key Skills

• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Ability to work to high levels of accuracy, with attention to detail while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to prioritise competing needs.
• Strong numerical, verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in accounting software (ideally Xero), Microsoft Office suite (especially Excel), and with customer relationship management (CRM) tools and databases.

Personal Qualities

• Proactive, with the ability to work remotely from home and to manage own workload efficiently without direct supervision.
• Highly motivated with a commitment to and understanding of good finance and data practices, including understanding the importance of clear audit trails.
• Inquisitive but pragmatic, enjoys interrogating information while meeting reporting deadlines.
• A good collaborator who enjoys problem solving.

Experience

• At least 3 years working in an all‑round finance role for a charity or other non‑profit.
• Experience of running payroll for a small to medium team.
• Experience working with a range of stakeholders, including communicating financial information to non‑financial colleagues.
• Proven experience of working to multiple competing deadlines.

The following would also be desirable

• An accountancy or bookkeeping qualification.
• Experience of reporting non‑financial monitoring data.
• Experience of working with sensitive data together with an understanding of current data legislation GDPR.
• Enthusiasm and passion for music in all forms!