Finance Director, Ark UK Programmes

We are looking for a strategic finance professional to join the senior leadership team of Ark UK Programmes and support the sustainable growth and development of our traded programmes. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with strong commercial experience who is passionate about our mission and motivated by how different funding models and blended finance can enable us to create social impact at scale.

Within this role you will work closely with the Group Finance team, which is responsible for all the group financial processing and reporting, and supported by a group financial controller. We are looking for someone who will bring a firm understanding of the drivers of income and expenditure to support effective decision making across our programmes, ensuring that financial sustainability and mission impact are considered together and influence every part of the organisational strategy.

The Finance Director will own all the financial modelling underpinning this, managing forecasting and budgeting, and providing rapid and reliable assessments of the financial impact of business decisions. This role requires a curious and commercially minded approach, using a strong grasp of the economics of our ventures to identify risks and opportunities and deepen organisational understanding of key metrics such as subscription renewals.

Working closely with the Group Finance team, the Finance Director will ensure management reports provide an accurate view of performance and will oversee spend and income risks, ensuring corrective action is taken where needed. The role will also work closely with the Managing Director to develop new ventures, ensuring their underlying economics are sound. Reporting directly into the Managing Director of Ark UK Programmes, this role will also have dotted line reporting into the Group CFO who oversees all Ark’s financial activity, to ensure consistency and management of risk throughout the Ark Group.

This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time.

Key Responsibilities

• The financial performance of Ark UK Programmes, highlighting risks and issues to the Managing Director to ensure effective commercial decisions are promptly made.
• Developing the strategic plans for Ark UK Programmes including forecasting and budgeting.
• Developing a fully auditable, flexible financial model able to provide rapid and reliable answers about the impact of different decisions on the financial performance.
• Working with the Managing Director and product strategy team on developing new ventures, conducting robust financial analysis to support decision making and fundraising applications.
• Working with the Group Finance Business Partner responsible for Ark UK Programmes to obtain relevant and accurate monthly Management Accounts in a format that supports sound financial management.
• Present Management Accounts to the Ark UK Programmes senior leadership team.
• Responsible for compiling and presenting the quarterly report to the AC+ Programme Board.
• Work with the Group FD, FC and group finance team in making sure financial processes are efficient, processing is accurate, and that we make the most of the use of available technology.
• Work with the Managing Director of Ark UK Programmes to develop a fully auditable flexible financial model able to be interrogated to provide financial insights into the impact of different decisions on the financial performance and long-term sustainability of the ventures, and to use this to advise on proposed changes such as pricing, contractual terms and programme structures.
• As part of the senior leadership team, contribute to organisational direction and priorities that maximise long-term impact, ensuring financial sustainability is central to decision making.

Key Requirements

• Right to work in the UK.
• Professional Accounting Qualification, with a preference towards CIMA.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a senior finance role in complex organisations or start ups.
• Understanding the importance of strong financial modelling and experience building and interrogating models.
• Strong commercial management and project experience, including financial management experience in organisations that depend on trading income in highly competitive markets.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills including confidence in analysing large data sets and presenting important findings clearly.
• Experience operating at a leadership level, with the ability to work independently and to structure and lead complex projects.
• Strong relationship skills with enthusiasm for working in an entrepreneurial environment.
• Confident and highly credible with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels.
• Able to juggle multiple priorities and enjoy an environment which is constantly changing.

Benefits

• Our flexible working model offers the best of both worlds, balancing in person collaboration, either in our state of the art West London office or through visits to our schools, with the flexibility of remote working.
• In addition to flexible working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad.
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform.
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

About Us

Ark Curriculum Plus is a not-for-profit education venture set up by the Ark Multi Academy Trust to improve subject outcomes. We’ve now been going for over ten years, using what we learn in Ark to support over 1,000 schools nationally. Our mission is to empower teachers to give every young person, regardless of their background, the subject knowledge and skills that will allow them to succeed. We now have subject excellence programmes in English, Maths, Science and Geography, at primary and secondary. A team of subject experts work with partner schools to empower teachers to achieve subject excellence using an ambitious curriculum combined with CPD, teaching and assessment resources. Our programmes, including Mathematics Mastery and English Mastery, have been shown to have measurable impact in evaluations by the EEF, FFT and The Brilliant Club.

Diversity and inclusion

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective.

Safeguarding statement

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants. Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience. For any questions, please contact recruitment@arkonline.org.