The Organisation

The Free Church of Scotland is one of Scotland’s main denominations and is a registered Scottish charity.

There are around 100 Free Church congregations in the UK and on any given Sunday there will be around 13,000 people in Free Churches, with many more in communities having various links to the Free Church. The Church mainly operates through its congregations which are separately registered charities.

The Church seeks to serve at local and national level and, in addition to congregational activities, oversees a programme of mission at home and abroad and runs the degree awarding Edinburgh Theological Seminary (ETS).

The Church has annual turnover of around £5 million, the bulk of which is generated by income from congregations together with investment income and revenue generated by various central activities and support services. The Church has significant property and financial assets which (excluding the Pension Scheme) amount to net assets of around £13 million.

The Opportunity

The Finance Manager role is based in the Church Offices on the Mound in Edinburgh. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, this is a multi-faceted role incorporating a blend of accounting, decision support, staff oversight and key stakeholder management.

The Finance Manager plays a key role as part of the small offices team which is responsible for the management of day to day affairs of the Church and also provides financial, legal and governance advice to congregations.

Key Responsibilities

• Producing monthly management accounting and financial information
• Preparing annual budgets, regular forecasts and monitoring cash flow requirements
• Providing financial information to central boards and committees as required
• Maintaining the integrity of the accounting systems and ensuring that they are timeously updated for all transactions
• Preparing year-end accounts for Free Church of Scotland and for Free Church of Scotland Pension Scheme, and liaising with auditors and other advisers as necessary
• Administration of investments in conjunction with investment managers
• Leading and supporting monthly payroll process
• Overseeing other financial aspects of the central administration of the Church, eg, cash functions, Gift Aid administration & VAT recovery
• Completion of HMRC, VAT and payroll and similar returns
• Liaising with, and providing guidance to, congregational treasurers and office holders
• Oversight of student finance and liaison with Edinburgh Theological Seminary
• Keeping abreast of developments in Charity Regulation and in Charity Accounting and advising the Board of Trustees in these areas
• Providing support in Company Secretarial duties and administration of pension schemes
• Oversee and develop members of the finance team

Candidate Profile

• Qualified Accountant (ICAS, ICAEW, ACCA, CPFA or equivalent)
• Good attention to detail
• Experience of guiding and advising non-finance colleagues/stakeholders
• Understanding of charity accounting
• Active Christian faith
• Excellent computing skills including MS Office suite and financial accounting packages
• Excellent communication skills
• Sympathetic to the ethos (work, doctrine and vision) of the Free Church of Scotland
• Self-motivated and flexible in approach with enthusiasm, dedication and the ability to work on own initiative

Please note, there is an occupational requirement under the Equality Act 2010 for the post holder to demonstrate a firm Christian commitment. As such, the successful candidate will be sympathetic to the values, aims and ethos of the Free Church.

Remuneration 

Salary:                    Circa £40,000 depending on experience

Pension:                 Employer contribution of 10%

Holidays:                24 days and 10 bank holidays