Group Finance & Procurement Manager
- Full-time
About Us
The O Education Group is focused on changing education for children, young people and families through specialist education, innovation and technology. The Group includes Odyssey Education Services, which operates specialist independent schools, and Ohana Education Services, our innovative online school and technology-enabled education platform.
As the Group grows, we are strengthening the financial and operational infrastructure that sits behind our organisations. We are therefore appointing a Group Finance & Procurement Manager to take ownership of the Group’s day-to-day finance operations, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts coordination, purchasing, procurement and expenditure-control processes.
The Role
The Group Finance & Procurement Manager will ensure that the financial machinery of the Group works effectively, accurately and with strong controls. The postholder will own and continuously improve the Group’s end-to-end processes for income, invoicing, collection and reconciliation; VAT and payroll processes; year-end accounts preparation and coordination; and requirement, procurement, approval, purchase, invoice, payment and reconciliation.
This is not simply an invoice-processing or bookkeeping position. The role is expected to establish effective processes, maintain clear financial visibility, challenge expenditure appropriately, identify risks and exceptions, and ensure that financial activity is supported by appropriate authority and evidence.
What You’ll Do
- Income, Fees & Billing
- Credit Control & Income Collection
- Accounts Payable & Supplier Payments
- Purchasing & Procurement
- Property, Maintenance & Operational Expenditure Controls
- Financial Controls
- VAT, Payroll & Year-End Accounts
- Cash & Financial Visibility
- Finance Systems & Process Improvement
- Management Information & Reporting
- Governance & Control - Weekly Financial Operations Review & Finance & Process Review
About You
Essential Experience
- Strong hands-on experience across finance operations, including accounts receivable/billing, accounts payable, credit control, VAT, payroll, year-end accounts preparation, supplier management, purchasing/procurement and reconciliations.
- Practical understanding of financial controls, cash visibility, finance systems and process improvement
- Experience within a multi-site or multi-entity organisation is highly desirable.
- Experience in education, specialist education, healthcare, social care, property or another operationally complex environment would be particularly relevant.
Qualifications
A formal accountancy qualification is not essential. Candidates may be AAT qualified, ACCA/CIMA part-qualified, qualified by experience or otherwise able to demonstrate substantial relevant finance-operations expertise. Proven operational capability, judgement and financial discipline are more important than qualification alone.
Skills and Attributes
Highly organised, financially numerate and detail-focused.
Confident challenging expenditure appropriately and professionally pursuing outstanding income.
Commercially aware and comfortable working across several businesses and sites.
Able to establish processes rather than simply follow existing ones.
Confident with finance systems, technology and automation.
Able to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues.
Control-minded, appropriately sceptical and comfortable escalating concerns when required.
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