Finance Officer Apprentice

Monday to Friday 9 - 5.30 Flexible, 31 hours per week

Description on Company

Ark is an education charity committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to an excellent education and real choices in life. We believe that, with the right support and approach, every school can succeed, even those facing the most challenging circumstances. Today, Ark Schools has grown into a network of 39 schools nationwide and is recognised as one of the highest-performing academy groups in the country. Our ambition extends beyond our own schools. Ark and Ventures was created not only to support pupils within Ark schools, but also to improve education systems more widely. Our ventures tackle some of the most complex challenges facing children today, including poor numeracy, inadequate support for pupils with dyslexia, and shortages of high-quality social workers. Ark's Finance team plays a vital role in enabling this mission. The team supports a diverse portfolio of ventures focused on improving education outcomes, by providing strong financial stewardship and strategic support.

Duties and Responsibilities

Day to Day Finance Transactional Responsibilities (all Ark and Venture entities)

• Monitor and maintain finance mailboxes and resolve issues raised.

• Responsible for processing of purchase orders, supplier invoices and employee expenses

• Responsible for daily cashbook updates for all bank accounts across all entities

• Prepare weekly payment run for suppliers and employee expense claims

• Process donor income received on Beacon and liaise with the fundraising team to reconcile donor income with forecasts.

• Create and issue sales invoices to customers and inter company rechargers

• Reconcile supplier statements and follow up on queries or overdue payments

• Monitor and update supplier and customer account details

Finance Projects & Process Improvements

• Support the implementation of the new finance system

• Assist the finance team with ad hoc project work, month end and year end

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across finance processes

Other Information

Our flexible working model offers the best of both worlds, balancing in person collaboration, in our state of the art West London office with the flexibility of remote working.

Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments.

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.

Full office closure between Christmas and New Year

As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to.

Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform.

Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.