Finance Assistant

National Governance Association

Hours
37.5 hours per week

About the Organisation

Governance has risen up the political and school improvement agendas, and this provides more opportunities for NGA to deliver our charitable objectives. NGA is the only national membership organisation for governors, trustees, and governance professionals in state schools in England, and we work to improve the effectiveness of governing boards in both maintained schools and academies. As such, it is the first port of call for many of the policy makers in the education sector who are looking for governance expertise or wish to understand the governor's view.

We have been at the forefront of developing new programmes, tools for improving governance, and resources for new governance structures. We pride ourselves on our knowledge and the quality of our products and services. Alongside our membership, NGA offers training, e-learning, and consultancy.

NGA is an independent charity and not-for-profit national membership organisation for state school governors, trustees, and governance professionals in England. Our work aims to improve the educational standards and well-being of young people by increasing the effectiveness of governing boards and promoting high standards. As expert leaders in school and academy governance, we provide information, advice, guidance, professional development, and e-learning.

About the role

The Finance Assistant role suits someone who is motivated by delivering high-quality, customer-focused support and ensuring accurate and efficient financial administration. We are seeking a candidate with experience in customer service and administrative support, excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, and confidence working with databases, CRM systems such as Sage CRM, and financial software, including Sage 50. A methodical and organised approach, along with the ability to work independently and as part of a team, is essential for success in this role.

Responsibilities

Sales Ledger:

• Record all income accurately in Sage 50 and keep membership details updated in Sage CRM. 
• Create and send invoices, reminders, and confirmations for memberships, training, consultancy, and other services. 
• Check online applications, resolve failed payments, and issue invoices when needed. 
• Handle payment queries and ensure money is allocated to the correct accounts. 
• Process cheques weekly and take card payments over the phone. 
• Keep debtor information up to date. 
• Process credit notes and cancellations. 
• Prepare simple journals (accruals/deferred income) in Excel and support regular sales reporting.

Credit Control:

• Contact members by phone, email, and letter to chase outstanding payments. 
• Monitor unpaid subscriptions and follow up to support membership renewals and retention.

Purchase Ledger:

• Enter supplier invoices and expenses, ensuring receipts and approvals are collected. 
• Prepare supplier payments for dual authorisation. 
• Code and record expenditure accurately in Sage. 
• Administer company credit cards and check supporting documents. 
• Manage petty cash and advances, ensuring receipts and approvals meet policy. 
• Review creditor balances regularly and support financial analysis tasks. 
• Prepare prepayment and accrual journals and assist with management account reporting.

Finance Mailbox & any Other Related Queries:

• Monitor shared and personal finance inboxes daily, responding to queries within five working days. 
• Respond to online finance queries and redirect them when appropriate. 
• Provide a professional telephone service for finance questions.

Be an Active Member of NGA:

• Take part in staff meetings and support organisational processes and policies.
• Help introduce new systems or processes, including user testing.
• Contribute to the year‑end audit.
• Provide occasional cover for the Hub team to support members and Learning Link users.
• Carry out other reasonable tasks as required by the Chief Operating Officer or Head of Finance.

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Essential Knowledge & Experience:

• Experience in a customer service environment. 
• Experience in providing support via an online helpdesk and over the telephone.
• Knowledge and experience of working with databases and CRM systems.
• Experience in providing effective and efficient administrative support to an organisation.
• Knowledge of the Sage CRM system
• Knowledge of the Sage 50 financial system

Skills & Abilities:

• Clear verbal and written communication skills.
• Professional telephone manner and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to analyse and translate data for reporting purposes.
• Able to work independently without supervision and as part of a team.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications. 
• Ability to prioritise with excellent organisation and time management skills to manage a fluctuating workload to agreed deadlines.

Personal Attributes & Qualities:

• Honesty and integrity 
• A thorough and methodical approach
• Patient and calm under pressure
• An engaging and enthusiastic team player with a readiness to respond to development as they occur
• Solution-focused

Required Qualifications

• AAT Level 2 qualification

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays + 3 days Christmas closure (increases to 26 after 3 years’ continuous service and to 27 after 6 years’ service)
• Pension contribution at 7%
• Flexible working arrangements 
• Healthcare cash back plan
• Wellbeing support through our employee assistance programme 
• Cycle to work scheme 
• Option to buy and sell annual leave
• Railcards for qualifying staff
• Healthy CPD budget
• Probation Period 6 months

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the Birmingham office and remotely
• Occasional weekend or evening working may be required

How to apply

• Please submit a current CV, accompanied by a personal statement setting out why you wish to be considered for this role, to the essential criteria in the person specification.
• Please submit your application by email to: [email protected] with "Finance Assistant" in the subject line by 9 am on Wednesday, 11th March 2026. Early applications are encouraged. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.
• We are committed to:
  • Offering flexible working arrangements where possible.
  • Providing an interview to any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria for the role.
  • Making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace to ensure everyone can perform at their best.
  • Please let us know if you require any adjustments when applying or interviewing.
• If you have a disability and wish to apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please let us know in your email when you apply.
• If you have any questions about the role, please email [email protected] with "Finance Assistant" in the subject line.

Interviews

• If you have not been contacted by 31st March 2026, please assume that you have not been successful.

Policies

Our equality and diversity monitoring form (Annexe 1) is optional and will not be used as part of the application process. This information is used for internal monitoring purposes only and is confidential.

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