Finance Manager - Full-time

Valence School, Westerham

• Ref:KCC886-7021-203S
• Posted:20/03/2026
• Pay:£38,304.00
• Start Date:Immediate
• App Close Date:12/04/2026 at 23:45
• Interviews:23/04/2026

Advert

We are seeking a highly organised and detail-oriented Finance Manager to lead the day-to-day management of the school’s finance function.

Reporting to the School Business Manager (SBM), you will ensure financial processes are accurate, efficient and fully compliant with regulatory and audit requirements. You will act as the key link between the finance team, senior leadership and external partners.

This is a pivotal role combining hands-on oversight of financial operations with responsibility for maintaining strong financial controls, supporting decision-making and ensuring effective financial governance.

The school operates an in-house payroll function, and you will oversee payroll processes, including reviewing changes, validating reports and ensuring appropriate authorisation and compliance, while maintaining clear separation between processing and approval.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily finance operations, ensuring income, expenditure, reconciliations and payroll transactions are accurate and timely

• Maintain and strengthen financial controls in line with regulations, procedures and audit requirements

• Support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning, producing management accounts and analysis

• Monitor financial performance, identifying risks or anomalies and taking appropriate action

• Oversee payroll processes, ensuring accuracy, validation and proper authorisation prior to sign-off

• Line manage finance staff, allocating workloads, developing capability and promoting best practice

• Act as the main contact for auditors and external advisors, ensuring records and systems are well maintained

About You

You will be a qualified finance professional or have equivalent experience, with a strong background in financial operations.

You will have a solid understanding of financial controls, compliance and audit processes, along with experience in budget monitoring and financial reporting. You will be confident analysing financial information and able to challenge and support colleagues constructively.

You will demonstrate strong organisational and analytical skills, with high levels of accuracy and attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.

You will be an effective communicator, able to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and work collaboratively with senior leaders.

Experience of supervising staff is essential, along with the ability to maintain confidentiality and professional integrity. Experience in a school, academy or public sector setting is desirable but not essential.

Information about the school

Valence School is a KCC Foundation residential and day Special School for children and young people aged 4-19 with physical disabilities, complex medical needs and associated learning and communication difficulties. 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 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.

Valence School is a supportive environment and a rewarding place to work, and whether working directly with our students or in a school support role, every member of staff participates in enabling our students to learn and to aspire to achieve meaningful independence.

We are a Foundation Special School and are part of the Kent SEN Trust (KsENT), a cooperative trust of ten schools working together to improve outcomes for all the children and young people attending the schools.

The School works proactively with parents and external professionals to provide holistic support for every child and young person and 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.

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.

References will be taken up before interview and online checks undertaken for shortlisted candidates. The successful applicant will require an enhanced DBS check (this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act)

Job Contact Information

• Name:HR Department
• Address:Westerham Road, Westerham, Kent, TN16 1QN
• Telephone: 01959 567841
• Email: vacancies@valence.kent.sch.uk

Documents

Below are documents that have been added to this vacancy.

• Job Description Finance Manager
• Person Specification Finance Manager