The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts (SFCT) is the operating office of independent grant-making trusts and operational charities established by members of three generations of the Sainsbury family. We exist to provide economies of scale in the management of the organisations' activities. Each organisation is an independent legal entity with its own separate and autonomous board of trustees, actively led by an individual member of the Sainsbury family.

This role will be focused on working with Ashden Climate Solutions. You will be helping us to continue to provide outstanding central services support for their charitable activities, centred on accelerating transformative climate solutions.

Job Purpose:

To oversee the day to day finance activities of the Ashden Climate Solutions finance team, working with the Senior Finance Partner to support the financial and overall strategic direction of the organisation.

Duties & Key Responsibilities:

-Active finance partnering for a new multi million-pound restricted grant, which will double the income of the organisation for the next 3 and a half years. Active partnering includes but is not limited to:

• Understand the vision and objectives of the project. Support due diligence requirements where necessary.

• Cashflow management, including investment in short term deposit accounts.

• Meeting with key stakeholders including the Head of Let’s Go Zero, Project Manager and others on a regular basis to check on progress/changes. Attendance at regular meetings with the funder.

• Ensure internal departmental coding structure is utilised to maximum effect, ensuring actuals are accurately monitored against budget.

• Flex project budget for actual delivery. Suggest updated tranche drawdown amounts to Senior Finance Partner and Head of Let’s Go Zero for approval every six months.

• Creation of project reporting using business analytics and other appropriate software. Ability to build on current reporting of other restricted funds to suit the size and scale of this project.

-Ensure project budget and staff utilisation is accurately fed into quarterly budgeting and forecasting for the full organisation.

-Responsibility for all restricted funds reporting. This includes but is not limited to:

• Sign off initial contracts/funding proposals, working in collaboration with the Development team.

• Regular check ins with both budget holders and the Development team on a regular basis to check on progress.

• Review of monthly project reporting.

• Review of funder reporting before this is communicated externally.

-Overall responsibility for the delivery of year end accounts and acting as the primary point for queries from external auditors.

-Preparation of high level balance sheet reconciliations, particularly those between Ashden and other SFCT organisations on a periodical basis. Preparation of quarterly VAT returns for review by the Senior Finance Partner. Responsibility for reviewing the reconciliation completed by other members of the team.

-Oversee budgeting/forecasting process for the organisation on a quarterly basis. Collaborative working with the Development team for income and staff utilisation information.

-Preparation of trustee papers for quarterly Board and Finance and Operations Committee meetings. Attend meetings if the Senior Finance Partner is unable to do so.

-Responsibility for the delivery of management accounts by the 10th working day of each month. Present to the Executive Management team on the 3rd Monday of every month.

-Update day rate charges for restricted funding projects on an annual basis. Ensure that all personnel changes, including and promotions or changes to working hours are accurately reflected in the budget/forecast.

-Update financial policies and procedures manual on a periodical basis. Completion of additions or appendices as required on an ad hoc basis.

-Support the strategic direction of Ashden-support the vision agreed by Senior Finance Partner with the Executive Management Team. Converting blue sky thinking into practical application within existing support structures.

Person Specification:

Experience

• Experience working either in an audit firm with third sector clients, or in house at a charitable organisation in a semi-senior role essential.

• Experience of overseeing the day to day activities of a small team essential. Experience reviewing the work of others and providing constructive feedback.

• Experience working with IRIS Financials (formerly PS Financials) and Smartview would be highly desirable.

• Experience working with multiple software systems essential. Such systems include but are not limited to CRM, accounting, timesheet, staff expenses and business analytics software. Experience with manipulating data for importing and exporting desirable.

• Experience with restricted grant agreements and contractual arrangements desirable but not essential.

Skills & Abilities

• Project management skills desirable, or experience in leading on project delivery.

• The ability to think creatively and adapt to new situations, sometimes at short notice.

• Desire to continually seek improvement in systems and ways of working. Ability to translate these into compelling business cases for the Executive Management Team to deliberate.

• Ability, or desire, to communicate financial information to non-finance individuals is highly desirable.

• Ability to step back from the day to day to identify trends, suggest training opportunities or similar to help the finance team grow.

Knowledge & Education/Training

• Recently qualified in a recognised CIMA accounting qualification or equivalent. Proven significant experience in a similar environment will also be considered.

• Working knowledge of SORP is essential.

• Working knowledge of complex charity VAT considerations including partial recovery and overseas trading desirable.

Personal attributes and other requirements

• Highly motivated and enthusiastic individual who wants to work towards delivering a charitable objective.

• Works well in a complex team, with a willingness to work in a hybrid environment across multiple time zones.  Experience of working in a matrix structure desirable.

• Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities. An ability to apply awareness of diversity issues to all areas of work.