Internal Audit and Financial Accounting Officer

Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, Sutton, SM1 1DA

25 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  to be confirmed

• Closing date

  5 January 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  11 December 2025

Job details

• Job role:
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time: Full Time, Permanent – all year round, 36 hrs per week, 8.45am - 4.30pm Monday -Thursday and 8.45am - 4.15pm Friday.
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: S01/S02 (£37,130 - £42,057)

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are looking for an Internal Audit & Financial Accounting Officer to support the Head of Financial Accounting in producing statutory financial reports, managing audit requirements, and delivering high-quality information for senior leaders and external agencies. You will also lead the coordination of internal audit activities across the College and Trust, helping to ensure strong financial governance and compliance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Financial Accounting Support - Assist in the preparation of year-end financial statements, VAT returns, reconciliations, and other key balance sheet accounts, providing day-to-day support to the finance team and ensuring compliance with accounting standards and tax regulations.
• Audit Coordination - Lead the planning and coordination of internal and external audit activities, preparing required documentation, supporting auditors, and maintaining audit trackers and reports for senior finance staff and committees.
• Internal Controls & Compliance - Develop and monitor internal audit plans, perform routine checks across schools and centres, provide guidance on policies and procedures, and support fraud prevention and risk management initiatives.
• Reporting & Risk Monitoring - Prepare financial returns, track performance against internal audit KPIs, review risk registers, and highlight emerging issues or risks to senior finance colleagues and Audit & Risk Committees.
• General Duties & Development - Carry out tasks as requested by senior finance staff, maintain confidentiality, comply with organisational policies, and participate in training and professional development.

Key Requirements:

• Professional finance qualification or relevant experience with strong accounting knowledge.
• Experience in financial reporting and statutory accounts, including reconciliations, VAT, and audit processes.
• Knowledge of internal audit processes and compliance, with the ability to coordinate audits, monitor controls, and support risk management.
• Strong analytical and organisational skills, with attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to work collaboratively with finance teams, auditors, school staff, and senior leadership.
• Willingness to travel to multiple academy sites as required

What the school offers its staff

OHC&AT is an exciting, forward-thinking organisation, and we offer many benefits to attract and keep our staff, contributing towards maintaining and improving wellbeing, and encouraging our required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. Below is just a selection of the benefits available to our employees:

Rewards & Benefits:

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.

• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.

• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Upload additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

Internal Audit and Financial Accounting Officer - Job Description and Person Specification.pdf - 214 KB (opens in new tab)

About Orchard Hill College Academy Trust

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: Orchard Hill College Academy Trust website
• Email address: MollyKing@orchardhill.ac.uk
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/orchard-hill-college-academy-trust

Orchard Hill College (the College) and Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (the Trust) together form Orchard Hill College and Academy Trust (OHC&AT), a family of specialist education providers for pupils and students from nursery to further education across London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire. As an Outstanding provider (Ofsted 2019) and Academy sponsor, Orchard Hill College has a strong track record for making a positive impact within the local communities it serves.

Pupils and students within the OHC&AT family have a wide range of learning abilities and additional needs including autistic spectrum disorder; speech, language and communication difficulties; social, emotional and mental health; profound and multiple disabilities; and physical disabilities including multi-sensory impairment and complex health needs.

Our ambition is to contribute further to improving the education offer for all pupils and students in our communities, including those with SEND. The College offers specialist educational programmes for students aged 16 and over in College centres and satellite provision in London and the South. The Academy Trust enables us to build on and extend scope of our work in these geographical areas, so that Academy pupils can also benefit from our expertise and access a greater range of opportunities arising from our strong community and stakeholder networks.

Supporting our College and Academies, OHC&AT also operates a range of services and support including Quality and Standards, Learning Support and Business Support.

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