Financial Assistant

Pattern: Part time (37.5 hours per week term-time only)

Interviews: w/c 10/08/2026

Full-Time Salary: £24,637 to £29,000 (depending on experience)

Time-time only salary: £21,188 to £24,940 (depending on experience)

About The Role

We are looking to recruit a committed Finance Assistant to join our schools in the North London Region. You will have an important role to play in day-to-day financial management, ensuring compliance, high standards of financial probity and value for money across the academy. You will be responsible for resources ordering across the schools and liaise with senior leaders and the finance team to establish best practice.

We are looking for someone who has experience working with financial procedures, cash handling, and maintaining cash security, preferably within a school, public sector, or charitable organisation. The ideal candidate will possess strong skills in spreadsheets and computerised accounting software, with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

Key Responsibilities

• To take responsibility for the processing of financial transactions within the academy, including purchase orders, invoicing, credit card reconciliation, BACS payments and petty cash
• To undertake monthly bank reconciliations
• To achieve for the academy the most competitive pricing for goods and services in compliance with current and relevant procurement legislation and Ark policy
• To maintain the finance filing systems, ensuring that records are suitable for audit purposes
• To accurately administrate and manage the school resources ordering system across both primary and secondary phases
• To ensure procurement best practice is adhered to
• To work with the Senior Finance Manager to achieve the most competitive pricing for goods and services in compliance with current and relevant procurement legislation
• To assist the North London Region, with the day-to-day financial processes and procedures required of the academy, ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Academies Financial Handbook
• To ensure high standards of financial probity and value for money within the academy
• To work in collaboration with Ark, and counterparts in other Ark academies

Key Requirements

• Right to work in the UK
• Experience of financial procedures, cash handling and cash security
• Experience in a school, similar public sector environment or charity (desirable)
• Excellent literacy and communication skills, including written and oral
• Highly developed skills in spreadsheet and computerised accountancy software
• Excellent numerical and financial skills
• Highly competent computer skills, in particular using Excel, Internet, Email and financial databases
• Has good planning and organisational skills
• Understands the importance of confidentiality and discretion
• Strong attention to detail
• An interest in learning about finance and procurement
• Demonstrates resilience, motivation and commitment to driving up standards of achievement
• Commitment to the safeguarding and welfare of all pupils
• 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. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• 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 is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.

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. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

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. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

For any questions, please contact recruitment@arkonline.org.