Finance Team Leader in Luton

Supported Housing | Squared Homes

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £33,000 - 35,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 37 hours per week (Monday to Friday)

Location: Luton. Squared is committed to agile; therefore you will work from any of the Squared sites or remotely as appropriate to business need.

About Squared

Squared is a not‑for‑profit housing association supporting communities across Luton and South Bedfordshire since 1962. We are a welcoming, inclusive organisation where people feel valued, supported and empowered to make a real difference.

Benefits:

• 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays), increasing with service (up to 38 days)
• Option to buy or sell up to 5 days leave
• Free Health Cashplan (after probation)
• Canada Life WeCare Employee Assistance Programme
• Pension scheme (Squared contributes 1.33% of employee contribution up to 8%)
• Life Assurance
• Personal Accident Cover
• Staff benefits portal with shopping discounts
• Essential Car User Allowance (in addition to mileage payments)
• Flexible, supportive working approach

About the Team

Our Finance and Digital Services department is a vital division of Squared. The finance and digital services’ role is to protect the wealth of Squared’s assets, capital, staff and money, and develop and implement our digital transformation agenda.

The Other Functions:

• Payroll‑wages, pension and staff benefits
• Petty cash
• Rent and sales ledgers
• Purchase ledger
• Annual budget and business plans
• Monthly, quarterly and annual accounts for stakeholders
• Regulatory information

About The Role

You will play an important role at Squared in the Finance Department, working closely with the Financial Controller (your line manager) and the Management Accountant (responsible for reporting). Your role will ensure the smooth running of all processing including sales ledger, purchase ledger, banking and nominal ledger. You will also set expectations of when regular work is to be completed each day, week and month and ensure the department achieves those targets. It should be noted, this is not merely a supervisory role; you will also have your own workload and daily tasks to manage.

These are the things you’ll need to do in your role. You may be asked to achieve additional objectives and tasks in order to respond to the needs of the developing service, as part of your own personal development or as the role evolves.

The Role Evolves:

• Responsible for maintaining monthly cashbooks and undertaking bank reconciliations for all the association’s bank accounts, ensuring that rents received per the computerised rent accounting reconcile with the cashbook and rent statements.
• Responsible for posting all necessary journals to maintain the nominal ledger.
• Responsible for day‑to‑day supervision and target setting of all sales ledger related invoicing and posting, supporting any queries and working with other departments or management, as needed, to solve issues.
• Responsible for day‑to‑day supervision and target setting of all purchase ledger related invoices and posting, supporting any queries and working with other departments or management, as needed, to solve issues. This includes ensuring proposed payment runs are prepared on a timely basis.
• Responsible for day‑to‑day supervision and target setting of all rent collection activities, ensuring reconciliations take place on a timely basis.
• Assist in maintaining the fixed asset register for the association.
• Assist staff members with finance related problems, or when necessary, liaise with relevant suppliers.
• Comply with the requirements of the Financial Regulations.
• Assist in collating and distributing papers for Board and other company meetings.
• Understand and follow Squared’s policies and procedures at all times, including Health and Safety, Fairness, and Business Continuity Planning.

About You

We’re looking for someone who is driven, amicable, and influential to work with and supervise finance staff in a collegiate way that develops a sense of trust and team. You should be capable of negotiating and decision‑making. You’ll be proactive, motivated, hard‑working, a self‑starter, organised, efficient, able to delegate and work quickly and accurately under pressure while maintaining professionalism at all times. Needless to say you’ll be willing to go the extra mile to get the job done. You will provide an excellent service to the Financial Controller (and Finance Team) ensuring that the reputation and work of the department is of a high standard. You will be proactive in identifying and recommending areas for improvement and be self‑motivated, taking responsibility for initiating and checking your own output.

Essential Criteria

Education / Qualifications:

• Educated to GCSE/'O' Level standard in English and Mathematics.
• Qualified by experience in Finance.

Knowledge / Experience:

• At least 2 years' experience working within a busy accounting office environment.
• Experience of using accounting software and payroll programmes.

Skills:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation.
• Proficiency in the use of spreadsheets and word‑processing applications.
• Ability to learn relevant software quickly and confidently.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and use own initiative.
• Ability to manage time effectively, prioritise workload, and plan ahead to handle multiple tasks simultaneously without losing sight of priorities.
• Ability to adopt a methodical approach and work within established systems and procedures.
• Ability to handle sensitive data and maintain clear and accurate records.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Strong reconciliation skills.

Desirable Criteria

Education / Qualifications:

• Part‑qualified accountant studying towards a recognised accounting qualification.

Knowledge / Experience:

• Experience of working within a Social Housing environment.

What Will Make You Stand Out

We're looking for someone who combines strong finance knowledge with the ability to lead by example. You'll be proactive, highly organised and confident managing your own workload while supporting and motivating a small team to meet deadlines. If you enjoy improving processes, building positive working relationships across the business and take pride in accuracy and attention to detail, you'll thrive in this role. Experience in a busy finance environment, excellent reconciliation skills and a passion for delivering outstanding service will set you apart.

Why Work With Us?

At Squared, you’ll be part of a values‑driven organisation where your work has genuine impact. If you’re looking for a role where you can make a difference, develop your skills and work within a supportive and forward‑thinking team, we’d love to hear from you.