Financial Controller

• Responsible for providing up-to-date financial information and technical advice to Director of Finance and Procurement, Ark Schools management team and the wider academies network
• Responsible for the co-ordination of the year-end audit files and preparation of statutory accounts for the Group and subsidiary entities
• Oversee the maintenance and consolidation of fixed asset ledgers, including year-end capital accruals, write offs, disposals, and capitalisation thresholds
• To support the Director of Finance and Procurement in maintaining and developing an environment of robust financial control as the network develops

• Experience in building effective teams, developing staff and managing external business relationships
• Strong, hands on, statutory accounts experience
• Knowledge of the latest Charities SORP and Companies Act. Knowledge of the Academy Trust Handbook and Academies Accounts Direction 2025 is desirable
• Audit and VAT experience with the latter ideally in a charity context
• Must have advanced level IT skills and ability to make effective use of standard software packages, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Ability to use Excel at an advanced level including the use of macros etc. You will be an excel superuser

•  Educated to degree level or equivalent
• CCAB Accountancy qualification with at least 3 years post-qualified experience
• A record of recent and relevant Continued Professional Development
• Right to work in the U.K.

• Our hybrid working model aims to offer the best of both worlds, striking the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will work a minimum of two days per week in our state-of-the-art office in West London allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely, or in the office over the remaining days
• In addition to our current hybrid working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad
• 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. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year
• 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

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.