Finance and Operations Officer

Job Title: Finance and Operations Officer

Reports to: Head of Finance and Administration (HoFA)

Based at: Head Office, 26 Lyndhurst Gardens NW3 5NW

Travel to other sites in London will be required

Hours of Work: Full-time, Monday- Friday, 09:00-17:00

Annual Salary: £40k-£50k depending on experience and qualifications

Closing Date: 10th September 2025

Please send CV along with a personal statement (no more than two pages) to [email protected]. The personal statement is a vital part of the application process. Applications submitted without this will not be considered.

The Finance and Operations Officer position plays a central role in managing MMI (Maria Montessori Institute) financial processes and operational responsibilities. It supports health and safety compliance, premises management, and general operations, while also providing trusted financial oversight across budgeting, reporting, and internal controls. The role involves hands-on ownership of accounts receivable/payable, credit control, reconciliations, and audit preparation, as well as liaising with suppliers, overseeing facilities, and ensuring regulatory compliance. It is a dynamic post that supports the smooth and compliant functioning of the organisation.

The Role - Key Responsibilities

Financial:

• Provide trusted financial and operational support to staff throughout the organisation

• Support HoFA to prepare and deliver accurate and regular management accounts, budgets and

forecasts, one-off finance reports, and grant reporting

• Contribute to MMI financial policies and procedures ensuring appropriate internal controls

• Ownership of AR: Produce sales invoices, monitor and process incoming payments, ensuring

accurate allocation to customer accounts

• Ownership of AP: Process supplier invoices and ensure timely payment in line with agreed

terms and internal controls

• Ownership of credit control: ensure timely and accurate collection of all receivables

• Prepare payment runs and provide timely Bank and Balance Sheet Reconciliations

• Monitor expenditure to ensure value for money is obtained and expenditure is within budget

• Manage financial records of MMI including Sage 50

• Provide financial oversight of the operations and financial advice to the HoFA

• Assist with annual statutory accounts and audit schedules ready for audit, liaising with the

auditors to complete the year end process

• Be vigilant to financial and operational risks and to report and mitigate such risks, contributing

to formal risk assessment and reporting

• Keep up to date and comply with financial, data protection and other relevant legislation and

codes of practice and good standards

• Support the HoFA in development of funding proposals, grant management, and reporting

• Provide training on expense and invoicing processes to new members of staff and generally act

as the first point of contact for all staff on any finance procedure questions

• Liaise with course and school administrative staff to ensure accurate information is maintained

on relevant databases and on the financial systems

Operations:

• Oversee facilities management, ensuring the maintenance and security of all buildings. Ensure

timely resolution of issues and liaison with contractors and suppliers as needed

• Manage property planning and refurbishment projects

• To liaise with school sites and the Training Centre to ensure that equipment and furniture is

maintained and repaired

• To oversee the ordering of furniture, computer equipment and other equipment for the school

as required in liaison with Senior Staff

• To ensure adequate maintenance contracts are in place

• Assist in lease negotiations for new and existing premises

• Monitor and implement the Institute’s policy to comply with the requirements of health and

safety legislation

• Support the HoFA in overseeing operational matters such as office administration, maintaining

the asset register, and insurance renewals

• Act as point of contact for suppliers and service providers, including property managers, utility

companies, couriers and cleaners; purchasing office supplies & equipment and ensuring

adequate stock levels are kept

• Oversee Early Years Funding (EYF) for all school sites

• Coordinate financial assistance review by requesting required documents and issuing response

letters post–Steering Committee evaluation

• Update session changes for each term in the system

• Ensure MMI complies with all data protection legislation, including GDPR

• Be responsible for personal learning and development and keep up to date on relevant

legislation, policy and practice, and other literature relevant to the role

• Manage keyholder records, ensuring an accurate log of staff with key and fob access to the

office

• Monitor and respond to shared mailboxes, ensuring timely and appropriate handling of

enquiries or redirecting them as needed

Health & Safety:

• Work with School and Training Centre staff to carry out risk assessments where appropriate and

monitor all sites to ensure that they are carried out and comply with risk assessments

• Review the risk assessments and S1 forms carried out by the school health and safety lead

• To ensure the Organisation complies with the requirements of health and safety legislation

• To ensure a schedule of safety checks and statutory obligations is maintained and implemented

(e.g. gas safety, legionella)

• To monitor, advise and implement the appropriate physical security measures within the School

and Training Centre for protection of staff, pupils and visitors

• To manage the installation and maintenance of equipment for the detection, warning,

protection and escape from fire ensuring the necessary fire risk assessments are carried out

• To attend the termly Health & Safety Committee and issue minutes of that meeting.

Person Specification

We have set out the skills and experiences most important for this role below, and how they will be assessed via the application (A), interview (I) and a task related to the role (T).

ESSENTIAL

* Commitment to MMI mission and values, including passion for education

A

I

* Ability to hold yourself and others accountable and always remain open to learn from others

A

I

* Trustworthy and able to handle confidential information with care

A

I

* Must demonstrate exceptional professionalism and maintain strict discretion at all times

I

* Highly comfortable with learning new software and systems

A

* Strong numeracy skills and confidence handling financial information, with experience of bookkeeping or finance systems (e.g., Sage 50) or a willingness to learn

A

I

T

* Strong IT skills e.g. MS Office, proficient in Excel

A

T

* AAT qualified or working towards a recognised accounting qualification (e.g. ACCA, CIMA)

A

I

* Previous experience in Accounts Payable (AP) and/or Accounts Receivable (AR) is required

A

T

* Familiarity with GDPR requirements, policies, processes and organisational compliance

A

I

* Problem-solver who enjoys troubleshooting and demonstrates a ‘solution-oriented’ approach

I

* Excellent interpersonal skills: ambitious, optimistic, tenacious and supportive team member and ability to manage external stakeholders effectively

I

* Excellent communication skills (including written and verbal skills)

A

I

T

* Organised, excellent time management, highly flexible and can work well independently

A

I

T

* Committed to safeguarding the young people we work with via compliance with safer recruitment practices, safeguarding frameworks and keeping confidential/sensitive information secure

I

* Highly motivated to maximise impact, at an individual and organizational level

A

I

* A strong understanding of health and safety compliance and building maintenance standards (e.g., regulatory compliance with UK legislation such as fire safety, asbestos management, and accessibility under the Equality Act 2010)

A

I

DESIRABLE

*Previous experience in the education or not-for-profit sector

A

I

*Previous experience with Sage50 (or similar finance software)

A

*Previous experience in facilities and premises management

A

I

*Experience with grant management processes: track record in overseeing the full grant lifecycle including bid submission, eligibility checks and post award management

A

I