Working pattern: 14 hours per week, flexible. In-person or hybrid, minimum requirement to be present 1 day/month in Inverness (NB travel costs for in-person days are not covered). The existing staff team work predominantly in-person however we recognise that this Finance Officer role is very well suited to hybrid working. We actively encourage applicants who may be returning to work after a career break, combining the role with caring responsibilities or considering semi-retirement. NB we have carefully scoped the demands of this role and are confident that 14 hours per week is sufficient for the size & complexity of our organisation.

Benefits: We are one of just three charities to have achieved a Highland Employer Charter Gold Award. We are a Disability Confident employer. Our beautiful office is located in the historic Merkinch Welfare Hall. We have a kitchen, showers and changing facilities, free car parking and secure indoor bike parking. We think it’s an amazing place to work! We also provide:

• 14 days annual leave (based on full time allowance of 35 days)
• Time off for training and financial support for training / exam costs
• Modern family friendly working environment including enhanced maternity & parental leave
• 8 days paid sick leave (based on full time allowance of 20 days)
• Flexible working around any caring responsibilities
• Subsidised gym membership

About the role

This is a rare opportunity to work in a small organisation where you can have real impact and real job satisfaction in our friendly small charity. You will see your financial data translating directly into high quality decision making. You'll provide financial advice to the Chief Officer and work closely with our Board of Trustees. We have a very supportive Finance Subcommittee, which currently includes two highly experienced Chartered Accountants.

Primary Purpose of the Role:

The overall purpose of the role is to maintain financial transparency and strong financial controls across the organisation. There will be a focus on managing grants and donations, supplier payments, and internal financial processes. We have a mixed income model with grants, donations and earned income. In 2023 we won ‘One to Watch’ at the Social Enterprise Scotland Awards. As we approach our 5th birthday, your role will be to help us achieve even greater sustainability and impact.

Key Attributes:

If you feel like you might not quite fulfil these criteria, that could just be a sign of healthy professional self-awareness! At heart we are a learning & development organisation, so we would encourage you to apply or get in touch with us for a friendly conversation to learn more.

• Strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
• Experience in a finance, accounting, or bookkeeping role.
• Proactive and self-motivated with strong organizational skills.
• Proficiency with systems such as QuickBooks or Xero, and with MS Excel.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a proactive approach.
• Exceptional organisational skills, ability to prioritise, and work independently
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Preferred:

• Experience either in charity accounting and/or a dynamic commercial environment
• Professional qualification or working toward accreditation (e.g. AAT, ACCA, CIMA)

Key responsibilities:

• Manage all restricted funds paid to our charity, ensuring the grant process runs smoothly from application and receipt all the way through to end of grant reporting.
• Use accounting platform to maintain organised and auditable financial records (we’re currently on Quickbooks but open to your suggestions to move to other systems)
• For our charitable trading income, help us to analyse how our business is performing.
• Work with the Chief Officer to prepare and continuously update 1-year up to 3-year forecasts and budgets (currently on MS Excel but open to your suggestions to move to other systems)
• Preparation and submission of Gift Aid claims / reports
• Prepare quarterly management accounts to our Board of Trustees. NB assistance will be given by the Finance Subcommittee.
• Provide accurate data for our annual Independent Examination and published Annual Accounts, including reporting to OSCR and Companies House. NB again, assistance will be given by the Finance Subcommittee and you will be working with our Independent Examiners who are a well-established firm of charity specialists.

Special features of the role:

Although this role does not involve routine contact with children, working for our youth charity is classed as protected work under the terms of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This position is therefore subject to our rigorous safer recruitment policy. This will include PVG checks, detailed background checks and follow-ups on all references.

Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland’s only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. Our strategic vision is to secure a lifetime of equality, respect, and love for Care Experienced people in Scotland.

At the heart of Who Cares? Scotland’s work are the rights of Care Experienced people, and the power of their voices to bring about positive change.

We provide individual lifelong relationship-based independent advocacy and a broad range of imaginative participatory and engagement opportunities for Care Experienced people across Scotland. We work alongside Corporate Parents and communities to broaden understanding and create change. We work with policy makers, leaders, and elected representatives locally and nationally to shape law, policy, and practice, working together to build on the aspirations of The Promise and secure positive change.

The post is primarily focused on the development, delivery, and evaluation of our Communities that Care work within schools primarily in Edinburgh but will feed into our national work too. Providing training and support to schools and other organisations across Scotland and leading on the evaluation and reporting will be key to this role.

The post holder will work with the Coordinator and existing Development Officer to deliver and report on an already-established programme of training and support for all schools in Edinburgh. The post holder will be responsible for liaising with all primary and secondary schools and key senior leaders within the local authority; providing ongoing training and support; gathering evaluation data via ongoing consultation and focus groups with teachers and pupils; and reporting on the impact of this work on the school community/wider local authority.

Whilst the post holder will have a principal focus on Edinburgh schools, they will also support the delivery of the Communities that Care model to schools and local authorities across the country. Participation is also a key part of this role, with the post holder leading on the development, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of local participation groups and supporting local Care Experienced people to engage with our wider membership offer.

The successful candidate will be joining Who Cares? Scotland at an exciting time, when the voices of those who are in or have experienced care are growing in power, individually and collectively – bringing with them insight, challenge, hope and change. While we would welcome the knowledge gathered through relevant qualifications, we are just as interested in relevant work experience.

We welcome and encourage applications from those with experience of care.

If this sounds like the role for you, we would love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity please contact Ray MacLean at rmclean@whocaresscotland.org.

About us

We are Young Scot, Scotland’s national youth information and citizenship agency. We’re a constant in the lives of young people, woven into the very fabric of growing up in Scotland. We’ve been delivering direct services for over 40 years to ensure that all young people in Scotland are connected to information, opportunities and experiences that support them to live happy and fulfilling lives.

Young Scot is a nationally trusted brand with deep reach, strong partnerships and unique assets - including data, insight, participation expertise and access to young people across Scotland. More than 880,000 young people have a Young Scot National Entitlement Card, with more than 160,000 of them signed up as Young Scot members. Last year our young.scot site had almost 1.7million visits, and well over 1000 locations across Scotland offer Young Scot perks and discounts.

The role

The Finance Manager will be responsible for managing the overall finance function of Young Scot. You will have strong background knowledge and experience in similar roles and an appropriate accountancy qualification. This role is an exciting chance to have overall responsibility for the dynamic financial and accounting elements of a values-based charity committed to supporting young people to thrive.

What you’ll be doing from day-to-day

• Leading and delivering the finance function of the organisation, including financial management, controls, audit and strategies to ensure we are meeting our own standards as well as regulatory/reporting obligations.
• Providing financial advice and support to the CEO, Deputy CEO and others on annual budget preparations and wider business development.
• Leading on month-end process and production of monthly reports, management accounts, cashflow and financial analysis.
• Managing the monthly Payroll and all regulatory requirements for HMRC.
• Preparing quarterly financial reports for Young Scot Board and attending Board meetings as required.
• Preparing and submitting quarterly VAT returns.
• Monitoring cashflow through the management of debt collection and credit control for the organisations.
• Preparing annual accounts for audit and leading the audit process, including liaising with auditors to produce annual statutory accounts.
• Meeting regularly with budget holders, ensuring accurate and timely information is made available to them.
• Providing finance training, as required, to staff and Trustees.
• Managing external stakeholder relationships for Young Scot, as appropriate.
• Be able to line manage any future Finance Assistant posts appointed.
• Any other duties as required by the CEO/Senior Leadership Team

A great candidate will have a mix of these skills and experiences

• Recognised relevant accounting qualification such as ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CIPA.
• Previous experience, good knowledge and understanding of accounting packages, specifically Xero.
• Previous experience and/or excellent understanding of a successful finance function within a not-for-profit organisation - from basic processing to producing annual accounts and high-level reports.
• Good knowledge and understanding of operating at a strategic level.
• An understanding of Charity Financial Regulations (preferred).
• Good knowledge and understanding of VAT.
• Good communication skills, both orally and in writing.
• Proven ability of the management of staff/support and supervision.
• Effective organisational and analytical skills.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• A demonstrable connection and belief in the values of Young Scot.