Finance Director in Lincoln, Lincolnshire

The Finance Director leads the school's financial management and controllership activities, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and strong alignment with strategic priorities. This includes budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, internal controls, compliance, cash flow oversight, and strategic decision support. The role works closely with the School Leadership Team, Regional and Group Finance to provide high-quality financial insights, enable effective decision-making, and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Responsibilities include managing financial statements, statutory accounts, and audits in accordance with internal policies and regulatory requirements (IFRS, and Group standards). A key focus is maintaining robust financial controls, safeguarding assets, driving operational efficiency, and ensuring reliable financial systems, budgeting, forecasting, and processes. The Finance Director also leads cost-optimization initiatives, vendor and contract management, tax compliance, and working-capital management.

Job Responsibilities:

• Lead the month-end close and ensure timely, accurate management accounts, financial statements, and performance reports for the School Leadership Team, Regional Finance, and Group Finance.
• Oversee statutory accounts in compliance with local GAAP, IFRS, and Group policies, ensuring full regulatory alignment.
• Manage all internal and external audit processes, including planning, documentation, communication with auditors, and follow-up on findings.
• Regularly assess and strengthen financial and compliance controls to enhance governance, reduce risk, and ensure the integrity of financial information.
• Prepare and review key financial reports (month end closing, capex, cash collection, KPIs, variance analyses) to support operational and strategic decision-making.
• Maintain high standards of documentation, data quality, and process discipline to ensure accuracy, auditability, and operational efficiency.
• Prepare and lead the school's budgeting, forecasting, and multi-year financial planning processes, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, long-term sustainability, and proactive identification of risks and opportunities.
• Analyze financial performance against budget and forecast, identifying risks, opportunities, and required actions to support informed decision-making by the School Leadership Team and Regional Finance.
• Implement and maintain strong financial controls to safeguard assets, ensure data accuracy, and support compliance with internal policies, Group requirements, and local regulations.
• Oversee cash-flow planning and working-capital management, ensuring liquidity, efficient resource allocation, and operational continuity.
• Drive continuous improvement by enhancing financial processes, tools, and reporting capabilities, improving efficiency, reducing manual work, and strengthening internal controls.
• Oversee procurement and contract management, ensuring transparency, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with Group and Regional policies.
• Build strong partnerships with the School Leadership Team, Regional Finance, Group Finance, and budget holders, providing timely and accurate financial insights to support strategic and operational decisions.
• Act as a trusted advisor to academic, operational, and administrative departments, clearly communicating financial implications, business cases, and cost considerations aligned with school priorities.
• Liaise professionally with parents, staff, auditors, and external stakeholders on financial matters, ensuring transparency, responsiveness, and a high standard of service.
• Coordinate required inputs for Group Tax, Legal, and Treasury teams, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and adherence to corporate expectations.
• Lead, develop, and mentor the Finance team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and strong service orientation across all financial processes.
• Ensure full compliance with financial procedures, accounting standards, local regulations, and Group policies, maintaining high levels of governance, control, and accuracy across all financial processes.
• Continuously evaluate and enhance financial processes, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows, improve efficiency, strengthen internal controls, and reduce manual activities through automation and system improvements.

Personal Specifications:

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in accounting, controllership, or financial leadership, preferably in an educational or service-based organization.
• Strong experience with statutory compliance in the country, including audits.
• Solid knowledge and practical experience with IFRS and local-to-IFRS adjustments.
• Experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, consolidation, and cash-flow management.
• Proven ability to implement process improvements, automation, and strong internal controls.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or related field; CRC is a plus.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate complex financial data into clear insights for non-finance stakeholders.
• Proficiency with financial systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics/Navision) and strong Excel/financial modeling skills.
• Experience in procurement and contract management, including vendor evaluation and negotiation.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with academic, operational, and administrative teams.
• Ability to interact with parents and external stakeholders with clarity, professionalism, and empathy when needed.
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and relationship-management capabilities.
• Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and maintain accuracy and composure.
• High level of ownership, integrity, and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Adaptability, learning agility, and alignment with the values and culture of Nord Anglia Education.

Personal Attributes:

• Collaborate with Empathy: You are a team player who shares your knowledge to help colleagues and students learn and grow.
• Communicate with Impact: You communicate openly, with transparency and kindness.
• Make Considered Decisions: Your decisions are made with the best interests of students, school communities, and the wider organisation in mind.
• Embrace Change: You are effective at working in changing environments and embracing change.
• Drive Growth: You are entrepreneurial and think strategically.

At Nord Anglia Education, we are an equal opportunities employer dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce.