Head of Finance

ABOUT THE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR CIRCUS ARTS

The National Centre for Circus Arts is a registered charity and an independent Higher Education provider registered with the Office for Students, and is one of Europe’s leading providers of circus arts training.

For the past 30 years, we have provided emerging and professional circus artists, directors and choreographers access to vital space and support to train, experiment and share ideas.

Our diverse range of work includes BA degree-level education in Circus Arts which is supported at either side by a structured training programme for under-18s and professional development opportunities for aspiring and established performers.

Adults and young people can enjoy recreational classes and occasional performances. Our national role increasingly sees us supporting and mentoring circus artists and organisations nationwide as we seek to develop and mature our remarkable art form. We also run high-profile corporate events and hires to further increase our revenue.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Lead the Finance function within the National Centre, acting as primary contact with the Executive and Management Team, Finance Committee, budget holders and other stakeholders, providing advice and guidance on all financial matters as required.

Be accountable and responsible for the budgets and forecasting, accounts system (currently Oracle NetSuite), management accounts and the statutory accounts of the National Centre for Circus Arts, which delivers our charitable and higher education work and our commercial subsidiary National Centre for Circus Arts Enterprises.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

(Please read the full list of responsibilities attached in the JD)

• Work with the Executive, Management Team and budget holders to produce the annual budget, medium and long-term budget projections, and re forecasting as necessary throughout the year.
• Line manage and develop the Finance Team.
• Prepare and present papers to the Board of Trustees and Finance sub-committee, attending meetings with Trustees as required.
• Review and enhance governance and financial controls, driving forward continuous improvements to processes.
• Prepare statutory accounts, including liaising with external auditors.
• Meet all necessary statutory reporting and compliance deadlines, in particular data returns for the Office for Students.
• Oversee the organisation’s administrative function in relation to payroll and personnel records and ensure that this runs smoothly and enables staff to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

Experience

• Proven experience as a Head of Finance or similar role.
• Experience of managing a team and dealing with a wide range of stakeholders, including trustees or equivalent.
• Experience in producing year-end statutory accounts.
• Ability to quickly understand and adapt to the financial frameworks of higher education, charity or creative organisations.
• Experience ensuring compliance with relevant financial and regulatory frameworks, such as Charity SORP, OfS reporting, and HMRC requirements.

Skills

• Fully qualified and accredited accountant (ACA, ACMA/CIMA, ACCA) with proven post-qualification experience.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing, simplifying financial information for non-finance colleagues.
• Proficiency in accounting software.
• Strong IT skills, especially Excel and data visualisation.
• Ability to work effectively and collegiality in a team environment.
• Ability to think and act strategically.
• Proven ability to initiate improvements in processes to improve the effectiveness of the finance function.
• Good understanding of VAT and other tax issues, especially those affecting charities.

Personal attributes

• Excellent relationship building and interpersonal skills.
• Committed to collaborative leadership and developing others’ financial confidence across the organisation.
• Flexible to changing priorities
• Demonstrates inclusive leadership and a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) across teams and decision-making.
• A desire to understand all aspects of the organisation’s work, even when these do not relate directly to Finance.

When completing the online application you will be asked “Where did you hear about the role?”

Please state Hackney Council as this will allow us to track the progression of your application.

To view the full job description, and application process please click here – > The National Centre for Circus Arts – Head of Finance – JD Nov-25