Operational Lead for Finance in Bury St Edmunds

• Operational Lead for Finance (The Sycamore Church of England Trust Wide Services)
• Working Patterns: Full-Time;
• Application Deadline: Sunday, 26th July 2026
• Interview Date: 31st July 2026
• Expected Working Start Date: 1st September 2026
• Is a Shared Job: No

About us

It is a great privilege for me to lead The Sycamore Church of England Trust.

Our aim is to be 'the trust of choice' for both faith based and community schools who share in our vision and values.

We have at the centre of our mission and purpose the belief that every child has a right to educational excellence through the provision of high-quality schooling.

Our trust maintains a clear focus on collaboration, raising standards, encouraging innovation, and strengthening our distinctive ethos to ensure that we have a positive impact on the young people and in the diverse communities that we serve.

Our trust has a strong and unique identity where the values of inclusion, compassion, aspiration, resilience and excellence lie at the heart of everything we do.

These values are embraced by our team of trustees, leaders, teachers, staff, parents, and children alike.

We place great importance on what we do and how we do it.

Our values underpin our interactions with each other and strengthen our sense of family.

Children are placed at the heart of everything we do.

Our central team is committed to serving schools in a manner that enables them to be great schools, doing great things that enable every child to both flourish and succeed.

If you would like any further information on our Trust, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for taking the time to look at this role within our trust, Ian Young – Trust Leader.

• Core Responsibilities
• Lead and manage the day-to-day delivery of the Trust’s finance operations, ensuring accuracy, consistency and compliance across all academies.
• Ensure effective financial controls are in place and operating in accordance with the Trust’s Financial Regulations, Scheme of Delegation and Academy Trust Handbook.
• Oversee transactional finance activity, ensuring timely and accurate processing of income, expenditure, payroll and balance sheet items.
• Act as the senior operational point of escalation for finance-related queries, issues and risks, escalating appropriately to the CFO.
• Support school leaders with budget monitoring, forecasting and financial planning.
• Ensure financial procedures and controls are applied consistently in line with the Trust’s Scheme of Delegation and Financial Regulations.
• Monitor Trust cashflow and escalate any risks or concerns to the CFO.
• Financial Planning, Management and Reporting
• Prepare financial reports, analysis and supporting schedules for Trustees, auditors and external agencies as required.
• Produce timely and accurate monthly management accounts for the Trust and its schools, including variance analysis and narrative explanations for review by the CFO.
• Support school leaders with budget monitoring, forecasting and financial planning, providing appropriate challenge and advice where required.
• Coordinate the annual budgeting process across the Trust, ensuring school budgets are prepared inline with Trust assumptions, expectations and timescales.
• Maintain rolling forecasts to support medium-term financial planning and sustainability.
• Manage relationships with external HR and legal advisers, ensuring advice is used effectively and strategically.
• Procurement and Value for Money
• Support the CFO in the day-to-day operational delivery of the Trust’s procurement framework, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, delegated authorities and public procurement requirements.
• Maintain oversight of procurement activity across the Trust, providing guidance to schools to ensure consistency, compliance and value for money.
• Maintain and monitor Trust-wide contracts register, ensuring contracts are appropriately documented, reviewed and renewed in line with agreed timescales.
• Support tendering and quotation processes at an operational level, including documentation, evaluation moderation and audit trails, in line with Trust policy.
• Identify opportunities to aggregate purchasing, standardise contracts or improve procurement efficiency across schools.
• Monitor spend against contracts and approved suppliers, escalating non-compliance or risk to the CFO as appropriate.
• Compliance, Audit, Payroll and Pensions
• Ensure day-to-day compliance with Df E, and Academy Trust Handbook requirements, escalating any concerns promptly to the CFO.
• Work collaboratively with school leaders, administrators and other central teams to ensure finances supports educational priorities.
• Prepare audit working papers and act as a key operational contact for internal and external auditors.
• Oversee payroll and pension administration, ensuring accuracy, compliance with statutory requirements and adherence to agreed timetables.
• Support year-end processes, including accounts preparation, returns and statutory reporting, inline with Df E deadlines.
• Systems, Processes and Improvement
• Ensure effective and consistent use of the Trust’s financial management and reporting systems across all schools.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, value for money and financial resilience across the Trust.
• Support the CFO with the implementation of new financial systems, process changes or Trust-wide initiatives as required.
• Contribute to the development, review and embedding of Trust-wide financial policies and procedures.
• Leadership, Support and Partnership Working
• Line manage members of the central finance team, setting clear expectations, providing coaching and supporting professional development.
• Promote a supportive and customer-focused finance culture aligned with the Trust’s Christian ethos and values.

We are proud to offer a supportive, values-driven working environment where staff are genuinely valued and developed.

A values-led organisation

As a Church of England Multi Academy Trust, our work is rooted in strong values, with a commitment to serving our communities, supporting one another, and enabling both pupils and staff to flourish.

We promote a culture of collaboration, trust, and shared responsibility across all our schools and central services.

A supportive and inclusive culture

We believe that people do their best work when they feel supported.

We work closely across our schools and central team to share expertise, provide practical support, and reduce unnecessary workload wherever possible.

Staff wellbeing is a key priority, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel listened to and respected.

Wellbeing and staff support

All staff have access to a comprehensive and confidential wellbeing package through Education Mutual, alongside occupational health support, and additional wellbeing resources.

We actively promote a healthy work–life balance and take a proactive approach to supporting staff through periods of change or challenge.

Professional development and career progression

We are committed to developing our people.

Staff have access to high-quality CPD through The National College, offering a wide range of professional and personal development resources.

We also provide Trust-wide development opportunities and encourage collaboration across schools to support career progression and leadership development.

• Consistent and fair employment offer
• Generous terms and conditions

We offer competitive terms and conditions, including

• Access to Local Government or Teachers’ Pension Schemes
• Generous annual leave for support staff
• Occupational sick pay and family-friendly policies
• Clear and fair pay progression arrangements
• Part of something bigger

Working within a Multi Academy Trust provides opportunities to collaborate beyond a single school, share best practice, and contribute to wider improvement across multiple settings whilst retaining a strong sense of community within each school.

• Desired Criteria
• Currently holds or is working towards or willing to work towards a relevant management level qualification/affiliation from a recognised professional body, such as ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA.
• Experience supporting procurement or tendering activity within a school, MAT or public sector organisation.
• Experience maintaining or using contract registers.
• Experience of working across multiple schools or sites.
• Experience of line managing or supervising staff.
• Currently holds an AAT (Level 4) Qualification.
• Currently working in an education finance environment.
• Evidence of relevant and recent professional development with a willingness to continue.
• Strong understanding of financial processes and controls within an education or public-sector environment.
• Knowledge of academy finance requirements, including Df E compliance.
• Understanding of school-based budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience of operating within financial regulations and delegated procurement thresholds.
• Understanding of value for money principles in a public sector or education environment.
• Significant experience in an education finance or similar public-sector setting.
• Experience of producing management accounts and working with budget holders.
• Experience of supporting audits and ensuring financial compliance.
• Willingness to travel across Trust schools as required.

For full list of essential criteria, please refer to the Recruitment Pack.

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