Finance Manager

The Finance Manager will be part of the core operations team; working closely with the CEO, Office and Digital Communications Manager, and Development Manager to manage the charity's finances, to handle all bookkeeping and reconciliation to allow our accountant to complete VAT returns and company accounts, and to ensure prompt and smooth running of all Open City's financial processes. They will also work with the wider team to help with financial modelling, resourcing, costing and establishing sponsorship and partnership funding requests.

We are seeking an organised and detail-oriented person with excellent knowledge of charity finances and an ability to turn our existing programmes into efficient and clear financial models that can be updated regularly to reflect changing costs, inflation and other trends.

Salary: up to £40,000 per annum pro rata
Contract: Permanent
Location: London - North Greenwich, Design District
Hours: 2-3 days a week; 0.4-0.6 FTE, 15-22.5 hours
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer, Open City
Starting Date: As soon as possible

Key responsibilities:

• Developing, maintaining and managing Open City's finance management policies, systems and procedures including bookkeeping, managing creditors and debtors, reserves, payroll, pension and VAT returns
• Ensuring the monthly reconciliation of bank accounts, Pleo cards, Shopify and any other expenses via QuickBooks, Xero or similar
• Preparing and reviewing monthly management accounts with budget holders
• Working with budget holders to improve financial literacy, specifically around budgeting and forecasting
• Ensuring the staff team understand financial controls and procedures
• Accurately tracking and allocating restricted grant funding for spending and reporting purposes
• Working closely with the CEO and Development Manager on all financial reporting required for trusts and foundations as well as cost modelling for sponsorship and partnership proposals
• Monitoring, managing and reporting cash flow
• Working with the accountant to produce regular financial reports for the CEO and Board of Trustees quarterly and as necessary
• Maintaining the record of income and expenditure for Open City via QuickBooks, Xero or similar and ensuring it syncs with Shopify and Open City's various bank accounts
• Producing fee letters and raising invoices
• Checking invoices are paid on time and chasing unpaid invoices where necessary
• Working with the accountant to produce accurate record keeping for VAT returns
• Ensuring payments to HMRC for PAYE and VAT are made timely and via Direct Debit where possible
• Overseeing the management and distribution of Open City's payroll provided by the accountant to all employees, ensuring it is accurate and timely, checking timesheets, financial codes, HMRC updates and processing new starters.
• Overseeing the management of pensions including auto-enrollment, postponement, opt-in/opt-out and the payment of contributions
• Managing the administration of any Open City benefits at the point of payslip
• Managing processes for payment of freelance / consultant invoices
• Managing petty cash, Pleo expense management software, payment cards, and employee expenses as required
• Processing Gift Aid
• Managing any audits of charity finances

Person Specification

• You do not need to have experience in every aspect of the areas below, but if you believe your career and lived experience has prepared you well for this role, we encourage you to apply, and demonstrate your transferable skills.

Experience, qualifications and attributes for the role include:

• Financial administration: Experience working with financial policies, processes and charity finances
• Software and systems: Knowledge and experience of working with Quickbooks, Xero or similar accounting software along with good IT skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel) and Google Workspace
• Budgeting and planning: A strong understanding of budgeting, resource allocation and funding opportunities and constraints to assist with strategy and planning across programmes
• Detail-oriented: Excellent organisation skills, patience, reliability and precise attention to detail
• Communication: Strong communication skills (both written and oral)
• Multi-tasking: Capacity to effectively manage and prioritize multiple tasks
• Experience: 5+ years of bookkeeping experience in a small company
• Qualifications: AAT qualified or equivalent

Our commitment to diversity
As part of our ambitions to improve equality and diversity, we welcome applications for this role from those who identify under any of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include race, age, disability, gender, religion or belief, and sexual orientation and from those who identify as being working class.

Application Process
How to apply:

If you are inspired by the work of Open City and would like to be considered for the role of Finance Manager, we would love to hear from you. Please note, this is a 0.4-0.6 FTE role.

The successful candidate must have permission to work in the UK by the start of their employment.

Applicants are asked to submit a CV and cover letter, saved as a single .pdf with the title Open City Finance Manager application_your initials.

Your CV should be no more than 2 sides of A4, and the cover letter should be a maximum of 500 words.

Applications should be submitted to .

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 15 January 2025 at 12.00pm