Senior Finance Assistant

Overview

Full time, permanent, required as soon as possible

The School

Ipswich School is one of the foremost independent schools in East Anglia, with around 1,000 pupils aged between 3 months and 19 and is co-educational throughout. The last Inspection of the Senior School rated it as Excellent in all categories. The School operates a 5-day week with representative sports during the week and on Saturdays.

The Director of Finance and Operations and her teams are responsible for the non-academic operation of the School. The Finance department is busy and operates throughout the year.

The Role

In this permanent, full-time role, the Senior Finance Assistant will support the Finance Manager in the effective and efficient operation of the School’s finance functions. Leading a small team of Finance Assistants, the postholder will take responsibility for day-to-day transactional processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and excellent service.

This includes handling the full cycle of purchase and sales ledgers and performing meticulous bank reconciliations. You will also be a key contributor to the month-end close process, assisting with the preparation of accruals, prepayments, and other essential journal entries.

Candidates should be AAT qualified (or have equivalent financial experience) and have proven experience in handling a high volume of financial transactions and reconciliations. The role offers a balance of hands-on responsibilities and supervisory duties, with opportunities to develop and support the team while ensuring the smooth and accurate operation of the department’s core functions.

Hours of Work, Salary and Benefits

- This is a permanent post (subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary period lasting 6 months).
- You will work throughout the year on Mondays – Fridays for a minimum of 37.5 hours per week. Core hours are 8.00 am – 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday.
- The salary will be £30,000 per annum.
- You will be entitled to 25 working days’ paid holiday per year, plus public holidays. After 5 years’ continuous service, entitlement increases to 30 days per year plus public holidays.
- After 3 months’ service, you will be entitled to join a defined contribution pension scheme with 10% employer contributions, and 3x death in service life cover.
- If you have a child or children who are eligible to attend the School and have been awarded a place, you could be entitled to generous fee remission after three years’ service (subject to Admissions Policy).
- Salaries are paid monthly in arrears by BACS on the last working day of each month.
- Free lunch is provided in the School Dining Hall during term time when the kitchen is in operation.
- Staff may use the School’s swimming pool and fitness gym in compliance with rules and regulations.
- You will have access to Smarthealth, the School’s wellbeing app for staff, offering 24/7 GP access and mental health support. A Cycle to Work Scheme is also available.

How to Apply

Completed application forms should be returned by noon on Monday 6 October 2025. Please mark the envelope Private and Confidential and send to: The Director of HR, Ipswich School, 25 Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG or email: hr@ipswich.school

Candidates may be contacted or invited to interview prior to the closing date, and we may close this vacancy early if suitable candidates apply. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews are expected to be held on Friday 10 October 2025. Please advise us of any special requirements you may have if you are called for interview. If your special requirements mean that you need to submit this application in a different format, please contact us.

PLEASE NOTE Ipswich School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Ipswich School is a Registered Charity, No 310493. VAT reg: 479 7245 36

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