Finance Assistant

Purpose of RoleWorking with the Finance Manager to support all aspects of the day-to-day financial management of the charity, and supporting the Executive Team, the Grants Team and the Fundraising Team with financial matters where necessary.The Veterans’ Foundation (VF) is an independent grant-making charitable foundation. The VF has established a substantial grants programme to support charities and organisations in the UK that provide charitable support to those in need among serving armed forces personnel, veterans, operationally qualified seafarers and their immediate families.At the Veterans’ Foundation, we believe that those who have served should never be left behind. Over the past ten years, we have raised more than £34 million and funded hundreds of organisations across the UK, supporting veterans, serving personnel and their families with the challenges they face — from mental health and housing to community and connection.Principal DutiesThe main duties of the Finance Assistant are:Take responsibility for basic finance functions including the recording of data and bank reconciliations, using the XERO accounting systemManage the VF Finance inbox, dealing with queries and correspondenceBank and record cheques received and deal with paper bank statements and other paper correspondence for the finance teamProcess invoices, staff expenses and requests for payment, ensuring associated accounting records and the VF’s filing system are updated accordinglyProducing, submitting and allocating regular Gift Aid claims to HMRCEnsure electronic filing is kept accurate and up to dateSet-up online bank payments for weekly invoice and expenses payment runsCollate monthly payroll information and liaise with (outsourced) payroll providerCreate basic month end journalsAssist as required with Management Accounts production, budgeting and forecasting and with the production of annual financial statementsWork with the Grants team to ensure all grant payments are paid correctly and on time. This will include setting up the payments, confirming their safe receipt and ensuring the grants information in the accounting system (Xero) matches the information in the grants system (Salesforce)Work with fundraising and finance colleagues to record and monitor income and expenditure relating to donations and fundraising activities; assist with Gift Aid claims as requiredWork with the External Lottery Manager and the Finance team to monitor the Veterans’ Lottery income and expenditure. This includes reconciliation of lottery income, monitoring attrition, reviewing invoices and data provided by the External Lottery ManagerSupport the team with the production of annual financial statements and the financial audit as requiredSupport with external regulatory requirements e.g. from the Gambling Commission or Charity Commission, as requiredGeneral ResponsibilitiesOffer support for the work of the VF generally, including cover for other members of the team ensuring that the work of the VF can continue effectively and without interruptionRepresent the VF in a way that is consistent with its values and philosophyContribute to effective team working by sharing information and skills including at weekly team meetings, and by supporting colleaguesPerson SpecificationAt least one year’s experience in a similar role; an interest in gaining accounting qualifications advantageousExperienced in posting and managing accounting records with minimal supervisionKnowledge and experience in working with Xero or similar accounting softwareKnowledge and experience in working with Salesforce or similar databasesExcellent IT skills including Excel and Word (including familiarity with functions such as lookup and sumif)High standards of numeracy, accuracy and attention to detailThe ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlinesAbility to work both independently and as part of a teamWillingness to work flexibly in response to the needs of the VF