Financial Controller in Cheltenham

As a key member of the Support Management team, the Financial Controller plays a pivotal role in leading financial operations which combines strategic vision and influence with hands on delivery, ensuring robust financial governance and enabling key investment decisions that shape the future of College. The role is also responsible for leading, developing and mentoring the finance team, fostering a higher performing culture of collaboration and excellence.

Overall Role Objectives

• Drive and lead the College’s financial operations, ensuring full compliance with charity law, VAT legislation, and robust internal governance.
• Prepare accurate management and statutory accounts, delivering clear and accurate reports to the Trustees in line with FRS102 and SORP.
• Manage VAT compliance under PESM and Capital Goods Scheme, liaising with HMRC, and confidently representing College during inspections.
• Oversee treasury management and cultivate robust banking relationships.
• Drive and manage the annual audit process, maintaining strong internal controls and vigilance against fraud.
• Lead, manage and develop the Finance team.
• Deliver financial insights and modelling to support strategic projects and income diversification, working collaboratively with the FP&A Accountant and senior leadership.
• Act as a trusted partner to the Finance Director, collaborating on strategic planning and operational delivery.

General Management

• Lead the Financial transactional accounting team, ensuring clarity of responsibilities, high effectiveness, and that colleagues feel valued for their contribution to College.
• Enable effective forward planning and service delivery; lead by example in upholding high standards of performance and professionalism.
• Encourage debate and the implementation of best practice and effective change management.
• Recruit, induct, and conduct performance reviews and development plans for direct reports; address issues proactively and fairly.
• Provide accounting support to Guild (CLC’s Alumnae Organisation) including preparing termly and annual accounts.
• Provide accounting support to Friends of CLC in HK, an entity registered in Hong Kong, including preparing termly and annual accounts and supporting with the year end audit of this entity.
• Act as key owner of financial accounting systems and play a central role in future decision‑making regarding accounting software selection and implementation.
• Authorise invoices and process BACS payments.

Nominal Ledger

• Set up and maintain the account structures.
• Reconcile allocated balance sheet control accounts and review reconciliations prepared by the team.
• Regularly review and report on the trial balance.
• Assist the FP&A Accountant with detailed inputs for monthly budgetary reviews.

Credit Control / Fees Ledger

• Ensure that fee income and extras are billed accurately and on time.
• Ensure completeness of income, all fees/extras are charged for all pupils, and the fee ledger is correctly reconciled.
• Proactively yet sensitively manage debtors within the community, employing approaches aligned to College ethos and policy.
• Prepare the termly pupil number reconciliations.

Bursary

• Liaise with Bursary Administration Limited and the CLC admissions department to ensure all new applications and annual reassessments take place in line with agreed timelines.
• Ensure compliance with internal bursary policies and procedures.
• Accurately calculate the annual bursary fund by working with the FP&A Accountant and income from funds.
• Monitor and ensure the bursary fund is not overspent during the award process by supporting decision‑making for new bursary awards within the approved budget.
• Speak to bursary award holders parents as necessary to assist with any queries.

Management of the Fixed Asset Register

• Maintain and update the fixed asset register and calculate the charge for deprecation in line with policy.
• Review capital expenditure to ensure in line with College policy and accounting standards.
• Perform annual impairment review of all fixed assets and make adjustments as necessary.

Statutory Accounts

• Prepare the statutory accounts for College and its subsidiaries and consolidate the results for Council.
• Prepare the audit files for College and its subsidiaries and act as the main point of contact for College’s auditors.

Management Accounts

• Prepare the management accounts for College and its trading subsidiary, preparing for Council review on a termly basis.
• Prepare other financial information as required for Council meetings.

Direct and indirect Taxation

• Prepare and submit VAT returns and take responsibility for correct VAT accounting.
• Review and manage corporation tax returns for College trading subsidiary and alumni association.
• Provide inputs for the annual PSA and P11D process, working closely with the payroll manager and ensuring adherence to HMRC guidelines.

Banking & cash management

• Act as card administrator for College’s corporate cards.
• Act as a bank signatory on payments.
• Manage the day to day banking relationships.
• Manage the daily cash position for College.

BACs & Direct Debits

• Review and authorise payroll and purchase ledger BACS.
• Responsible for the accurate and timely collection of direct debits for pupil fees, Health & Fitness Centre memberships and Development donations.
• Ensure that direct debit collections are compliantly set up and in line with direct debit guarantee and BACS messages are acted on promptly.

Miscellaneous Returns/Trust & Appeal Funds

• Complete and return ISBA surveys, benchmarking surveys and support with National Statistic returns.
• Allocate income to prizes and restricted funds, managing the funds and ensuring expenditure in line with restrictions.
• Control fundraising income and reconciliation with the Development Office.
• Monitor and account for the income from Investment Managers.

As well as those duties outlined above, you are expected to perform any other tasks reasonably assigned. This job description will be subject to review / amendment during the performance review procedure or as appropriate by agreement between both parties in accordance with established practice.

College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and all staff are required to attend mandatory Child Protection training on joining, every three years thereafter and on other occasions for important updates; complete all allocated E-learning Training modules, within the timescales given; ensure familiarity with College’s Health, Safety & Wellbeing, Data Protection and ICT Acceptable Use Policies.