Finance Manager

The Vacancy

Hiring: Wates Family Enterprise Trust

Hours: 2 days a week – (15 hours)

Location: flexible – one day a week in our Leatherhead office –. mix of home and office working

Salary range: £ £19,800 (pro rata salary) plus benefits

Length: Permanent

Start date – July 2025

About Us
Wates Family Charities is comprised of two independent, grant-making charities: Wates Family Enterprise Trust and The Wates Foundation. Together, we are committed to supporting positive social impact through strategic grant-making and community investment. With a combined annual spend of over £2.5 million, we play a key role in supporting individuals and organisations across a range of vital initiatives.

The Role
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Finance Manager to oversee the financial operations and compliance for both charities. As the sole finance professional within a close-knit team of seven, this role is crucial in maintaining the financial integrity and regulatory compliance of the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage the preparation of statutory accounts and financial information for the annual audit

• Maintain accurate financial records, including bank reconciliations, journals, and trial balances

• Prepare quarterly management accounts, cash flow reports, and forecasts

• Authorise and process payments including grants and internal recharges

• Manage external audit processes, liaising with auditors and internal teams

• Maintain compliance with Companies House, Charity Commission, and other regulatory bodies

• Draft and submit annual reports and accounts, with support from the Director

• Develop and implement policies (e.g. safeguarding, GDPR, whistleblowing)

• Provide financial data for trustee meetings and assist in drafting decision papers

• Maintain accurate records of training and hospitality for trustees and staff

• Support grant assessments and related administrative processes as required

What We’re Looking For
Essential:

• Part-qualified ACA/ACCA or fully qualified AAT

• Solid technical knowledge of financial accounting and bookkeeping

• Strong skills in preparing management accounts and managing cash flow

• Experience of working independently in a finance function

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain financial matters to non-specialists

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and accounting software (SAGE)

Desirable:

• Experience of charity accounting and knowledge of SORP

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements for UK charities

• Understanding of deposit management and placing funds with platforms such as Flagstone

Working Pattern
This is a part-time role (15 hours per week) with hybrid working. A fortnightly presence in Leatherhead is required, ideally on Wednesdays. Flexibility will be necessary around the time of the annual external audit and at Board meetings, approx. two per quarter which are held between central London and Leatherhead

Work for Wates

Wates is one of the UK’s leading family-owned development, building and property maintenance companies.  Founded over 125 years ago, we have a proud legacy in the built environment.

We are driven by our purpose, ‘reimagining places for people to thrive’ and our three promises:

• Thriving places – working with customers, partners and communities to create places that are more sustainable, inclusive, and full of opportunity.
• Thriving planet – protecting nature and taking action on climate change by collaborating and innovating with our partners.
• Thriving people – creating opportunities and relationships so that everyone who works for and with us feels included, invested in and treated with care.

We are proud to be recognised as Gold Investors in People and as a Disability Confident employer.  We also ensure that our recruitment processes do not treat anyone less favourably due to an offending background.