Head of Accounts and Payroll – Epinal Way Care Centre in Loughborough

As a Head of Accounts with Rushcliffe Care Group, you will be responsible for leading the day-to-day financial operations of the organisation. Your role will have a direct impact on financial control, reporting accuracy, and the organisation’s ability to operate safely and sustainably across all services.

About Rushcliffe Care Group

You will be joining Rushcliffe Care, a company with over 35 years of experience in offering the highest levels of care to our most vulnerable in society. Across our services, we support people to live safer, more fulfilling lives, with dignity, choice, and consistency at the centre of everything we do.

Our work is guided by clear values. These are not slogans. They shape how we treat people, how we work together, and what we expect from each other.

We employ over 1,300 staff across our network of care homes, independent hospitals, and specialist support services. Our portfolio includes mental health rehabilitation hospitals, nursing and dementia care homes, services for people with learning disabilities, and a neuro-rehabilitation unit for people recovering from brain injury. We also operate a specialist independent school for children and young people with autism.

Our Head Office in Loughborough supports the financial, administrative, and governance functions for all services across the Group, managing a substantial multi-site operation with varied income streams from local authorities, NHS partners, and private placements.

About the Role

As Head of Accounts, your primary responsibility will be to lead and manage the finance function on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that all financial activity is accurate, controlled, and delivered in line with organisational requirements. This is a primarily office-based role, but you will be expected to travel to our Services to assist local management with controlling budgets.

You will oversee key finance processes including sales ledger, purchase ledger, payroll input, banking, management accounts, credit control, and financial reporting. You will also support the Managing Director and senior leadership team by providing clear, reliable financial information to support decision-making.

This is a hands-on role. You will be expected to maintain strong financial controls, identify and address risks, challenge discrepancies, and ensure that finance systems and processes are operating effectively across all services.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and overseeing all day-to-day finance operations across the organisation.
• Producing monthly management accounts with clear commentary and variance analysis.
• Maintaining accurate and auditable financial records across Sage 200, Sage 50 Payroll, and associated systems.
• Managing cashflow, credit control, debt recovery, and financial reconciliations.
• Supporting budget setting and ongoing financial performance monitoring.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, including HMRC, pensions, and financial reporting obligations.
• Leading year-end preparation and liaising with external accountants and auditors.
• Managing and supporting the finance team, ensuring accountability, structure, and performance.
• Working closely with operational teams to improve financial understanding and cost control at service level.

What Our Values Mean in Practice

• Reputable Care - Maintaining accurate, reliable financial information that supports safe and effective service delivery.
• Respect and Compassion - Supporting colleagues and services in a way that promotes stability and clarity.
• Robust Communication - Providing clear, accurate financial information to support decision-making.
• Real Commitment - Taking responsibility for delivering accurate work within required timescales.

What You’ll Need

• A qualified or part-qualified accountancy qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent experience).
• Significant experience in a senior accounts or finance management role.
• Strong working knowledge of management accounts, payroll, and financial reporting.
• Experience managing finance processes across multiple sites or cost centres.
• Strong knowledge of accounting systems, ideally Sage 200 and Sage 50 Payroll.
• Experience managing and supporting finance staff.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to present financial information clearly.
• Experience within health and social care.
• Experience working with Local Authority or NHS funding models.
• Experience improving finance systems and processes.

What We Offer

We provide structured support and clear expectations to enable you to lead the finance function effectively. You will have the opportunity to work closely with senior leadership, contributing to financial control, reporting, and organisational performance. The role offers the opportunity to influence how financial processes operate across a growing organisation, with a focus on consistency, accountability, and improvement.

33 Days Annual Leave Entitlement (inclusive of Bank Holidays)

All roles are subject to an enhanced DBS check, the cost of which is covered by Rushcliffe Care.

Rushcliffe Care Group is committed to being an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, in line with the Equality Act 2010. We encourage applications from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Employment decisions are based on individual merit, qualifications, and the needs of the service.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can support you.