Finance Manager
Valence School, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1QN25 days remaining to apply
Start date details
ASAP - ideally by 26 May 2026
Closing date
13 April 2026 at 12:59am
Date listed
19 March 2026
Job details
Job role
- Administration, HR, data and finance
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time
Contract type
- Permanent
Full-time equivalent salary
- £38,304.00 Annually (FTE) 37 hours per week : Permanent : All Year Round
Finance Manager job summary
We are seeking to appoint a highly organised and detail-oriented Finance Manager to lead the day-to-day operational management of the school’s finance function.
Working under the strategic direction of the School Business Manager (SBM), you will take responsibility for ensuring that financial processes are delivered accurately, efficiently and in full compliance with regulatory and audit requirements. You will act as the key operational link between the finance team, senior leadership and external partners.
This is a pivotal role within the school, combining hands-on oversight of financial operations with responsibility for maintaining robust financial controls, supporting effective decision-making and ensuring strong financial governance.
The school operates an in-house payroll function, and you will play a key role in overseeing payroll processes. This includes reviewing payroll changes, validating reports and ensuring appropriate authorisation and compliance, while maintaining clear separation between payroll processing and approval.
Key Responsibilities
You will lead the day-to-day operation of the finance function, ensuring that income, expenditure, reconciliations and payroll-related transactions are processed accurately and on time. A core part of the role is to maintain and strengthen financial controls, ensuring that all activity is compliant with financial regulations, internal procedures and audit expectations.
Working closely with the SBM, you will support budget setting, forecasting and financial planning, producing high-quality management accounts and analysis to inform decision-making. You will monitor financial performance, identify risks or anomalies, and ensure that appropriate action is taken.
You will also take responsibility for overseeing the school’s in-house payroll processes at an operational level. This includes reviewing payroll reports, ensuring that changes are accurate and appropriately authorised, and providing assurance prior to final sign-off. While the Finance Officer will undertake payroll processing, you will ensure robust checking, validation and compliance.
The role includes line management of finance staff, providing clear direction, support and oversight to ensure consistency, accuracy and continuity of service. You will allocate workloads, develop staff capability and promote best practice across the function.
In addition, you will play a key role in audit and compliance, acting as the main point of contact for auditors and external finance advisors, and ensuring that all financial records, systems and documentation are maintained to a high standard.
About You
We are looking for a finance professional with a recognised qualification or equivalent experience, and a strong background in financial operations ideally within a complex organisation.
You will have a thorough understanding of financial controls, compliance and audit processes, along with experience of budget monitoring and financial reporting. You will be confident in reviewing and interpreting financial information, and able to challenge and support others constructively.
Strong organisational and analytical skills are essential, along with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail. You will be able to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines, while maintaining a consistent and professional approach.
You will also be an effective communicator, able to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues, and to work collaboratively with managers and senior leaders.
Experience of supervising or supporting staff is important, as is the ability to maintain confidentiality and professional integrity at all times.
Experience within a school, academy or public sector setting, and familiarity with school funding or local authority systems, would be advantageous but is not essential.
What we offer:
- Generous pension scheme & life cover
- Staff well-being sessions and support
- Retail discounts and subsidised meals
- Free on-site parking and refreshments
Why Join Us
This is an excellent opportunity to take on a key operational leadership role within a supportive and collaborative school environment. You will have the opportunity to influence financial practice, strengthen systems and processes, and contribute directly to the effective running of the school.
We will be reviewing applications as they are submitted, therefore we strongly recommend applying early. Please be aware that the advert may close before the specified date depending on the number of applications received.
Valence School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every student and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We value diversity and promote equality for all. For shortlisted candidates references will be taken up before interview and online checks undertaken. The successful applicant will require an enhanced DBS check (this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act)
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on external website (opens in new tab)About Valence School
- School type
- Special school, ages 4 to 19
- School size
- 132 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Valence School website
We are proud to share with you the excellent work we do with children and young people who have physical disabilities and complex medical needs. Our school is unique within the maintained sector in the whole of southern England. We cater for students aged 4 to 19 and have both day and boarding places. We have a large site with high quality teaching, social care and health care facilities. A staff team of over 200 people provides specialist teaching, social care, therapies and nursing care to an exceptionally high standard.
Our overall aim is to enable every child and young person to achieve meaningful independence. Students flourish in a supportive but challenging environment, making good educational progress and achieving a range of accreditation as they get older. There is excellent support to enable students to achieve functional communication, mobility and skills for daily living.
We are a Foundation Special School and are part of the Kent SEN Trust, a cooperative trust of ten schools working together to improve outcomes for all the children and young people attending the schools. In 2008 Valence became a specialist Sports College and this status plays a significant role in raising students’ achievements and their participation in high quality physical education and sport.
The School works proactively with parents and external professionals to provide holistic support for every child and young person. It is also developing high quality outreach support services to local schools and more widely for children and young people in Kent who have physical disabilities who are attending mainstream schools.
The School always places children and young people at the centre of all decisions it takes and it has a relentless focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for every student.
School location
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