Trust Finance Officer in Bury St Edmunds

The Tilian Partnership is seeking a highly motivated finance professional with excellent communication and IT skills to join our busy central MAT team on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. The Tilian Partnership is a Trust that is passionate about ensuring that every child reaches their potential, whilst developing their excitement for learning and exploring the world around them, creating opportunities and experiences designed to help them discover and flourish.

Reporting to the Chief Finance Officer and working in tandem with the trust’s existing Finance Officer, you will have operational financial oversight of a portfolio of our primary schools. You will be supported by our trust Finance Assistants, who will work closely with you to ensure the schools within your portfolio are offered a high-quality finance support service.

You will already have experience of working in the education sector, with strong financial skills to ensure our trust and its schools are working within realistic and balanced budgets. You will be instrumental in the preparation of monthly management accounts, annual budgets and supporting our schools in maximising efficiency and best value for money.

This is a flexible hybrid role, combining remote working with regular attendance at the Central MAT office based at Bardwell, near Bury St Edmunds as the work requires.

You will:

• Lead the preparation of management accounts and forecasts for your portfolio, and support the schools’ understanding of their financial results.
• Lead the annual budget process for your portfolio.
• Prepare and process weekly BACS payments.
• Process payroll journals, allocating payroll costs to each location and reviewing budget system data.
• Prepare and submit monthly VAT claims.
• Reconcile the central MAT Bank accounts.
• Visit MAT schools on a cyclical basis or as and when required.

You will have:

• Practical experience of using a computerised financial accounting system for recording income and expenditure transactions, processing payroll and general journals, BACS payments, bank reconciliations and VAT returns.
• Experience of working in a school/academy office setting.
• Experience of working with budgets including budget setting, monitoring, and forecasting.
• Practical experience of creating spreadsheets to analyse financial information.
• The ability to self-motivate, work independently with acute attention to detail.

We will offer you:

• A unique rewarding opportunity to be part of a growing, friendly, and supportive team, with the ability to help shape future strategy, processes, and procedures.
• A commitment to your professional development.
• A flexible approach to working.
• A commitment to your personal well-being.

How to apply: Please complete the Application Form and email to HR@tilian.org.uk. Covering letters are acceptable but CVs are not. Closing date: 1 pm, 9 February 2026.

Statement on Child Protection and Safeguarding: The Tilian Partnership is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our pupils. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In our schools we create a culture of safeguarding which is the responsibility of all staff. When applying for a post at one of our schools you will be subject to a safer recruitment process as follows:

• If you are shortlisted, you will be required to complete a self-disclosure, which you will need to bring with you to the interview (in an envelope marked confidential).
• During the interview process, the interview panel will explore your skills, experience and attitudes and the questions asked will include questions about safeguarding of children.
• If you accept a post at one of our schools, you will be required to complete an enhanced DBS.