Use your financial expertise to make a difference in education
Are you a qualified accountant who enjoys turning complex financial information into clear, practical advice? Join our Academy Finance team and help schools and academy trusts build financial resilience, strengthen governance and make confident decisions for the future.
This is a varied, client-facing role for an experienced finance professional who is comfortable working strategically with trustees, accounting officers, CFOs, CEOs and senior leaders. You will combine technical expertise with sound judgement, constructive challenge and a genuine commitment to excellent outcomes for education.
What you will do
- Provide strategic financial planning, analysis and recovery support to academy trusts and schools.
- Act as a trusted adviser and, where required, provide interim CFO support.
- Mentor finance leaders and help build capability, confidence and strategic impact.
- Lead complex accounting assignments, financial investigations and assurance reviews.
- Support academy conversions, trust growth, mergers and organisational change.
- Help shape new services and practical solutions in response to emerging sector needs.
What you will bring
- A recognised accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or ICAS.
- Strategic financial management experience and confidence advising senior leaders or boards.
- Experience of preparing or reviewing statutory accounts and leading complex financial projects.
- The ability to explain complex issues clearly and provide balanced, evidence-based advice.
- Strong relationship-building skills, professional curiosity and sound judgement.
- An organised, flexible approach to managing competing priorities across a portfolio of clients.
Academy trust finance, CFO, internal audit, forensic accounting, conversion or trust-growth experience would be valuable, but we welcome applicants who can demonstrate relevant transferable expertise.
Would you like to know more information about this opportunity? If so, further information can be found in the job outline. For an informal conversation, contact Lisa Holroyd on 07774183121 or email lisa.holroyd@hfleducation.org.
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- 28 days annual leave (rising to 31 following five years’ service) plus bank holidays
- A range of additional leave (compassionate, emergency, pregnancy related sickness, and disability leave for appointments)
- Pension scheme (10% employer contribution)
- Life assurance
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Learning and development opportunities including academic sponsorship
- Occupational sick/maternity/adoption pay
- Access to HFL Extras, our online platform with a wide range of savings, discounts and cashback opportunities
- Paid leave entitlement to undertake voluntary work; we especially encourage school governors
- Hybrid flexible working with support on commuting expenses
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which provides advice and support, including a counselling service
- Access to Mental Health First Aiders
- Modern office facilities
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To apply, email hfl.recruitment@hfleducation.org with a detailed CV along with a supporting statement to include responses to the following questions, alternately apply via our website below:
- Give an example of how you influenced a significant strategic financial decision at board or executive level. What was the challenge, what advice did you provide and what was the outcome?
- Describe how you have identified and addressed a significant financial control weakness, inconsistency or risk.
- Explain how you would build a trusted relationship with a newly appointed CFO and support their development and strategic impact.
- What do you believe academy trusts will need most from external financial advisers over the next five years, and how would you help HFL remain a trusted strategic partner?
Please also complete and submit the HFL Equal opportunities monitoring form.
At a glance
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Contract: Permanent
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Hours: Part-time at 22.2 hours per week TTO+2 weeks per year
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Salary: FTE £44,000 - £47,000 p.a
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Location: Hybrid working consisting of remote working, with flexibility required to work across educational settings in Hertfordshire along with occasional visits to Bank House, Stevenage.
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Closing date: Friday 30th October
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Interview date: Wednesday 11th November, in Stevenage
Job outline
Contact us
We are a committed Disability Confident employer and a signatory of the BITC Race at Work Charter reflecting our continuing commitment to be unbiased across our recruitment and workplace practices.
We actively encourage suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply and to join us. We use an anonymous application process to ensure we always select candidates based on their skills and competencies. When two or more candidates have equal merit, the candidate with protected characteristics will have an advantage over others. This tie-breaker approach is described as positive action in the Equality Act 2010 and we believe strongly in the power of overcoming disadvantage.
If you are invited to interview, please be prepared to discuss the subject of unconscious bias with us. These conversations are extremely useful in giving us an idea of what working together will be like.
HFL is an equal opportunities employer, committed to building and celebrating an environment that is inclusive and equitable, in which everyone can flourish, regardless of race, age, sexuality, gender, disability, or status.