Job Title: Financial Controller
Actual Annual Salary: £53,602 - £59,167 (Based on hours and working weeks)
Contract Type: Fixed-Term, All Year Round
Contract Length: Fixed until 31/05/2026 or upon the return of the substantive postholder
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, All year-round
Start Date: ASAP
Lead Financial Strategy and Make a Lasting Impact in Education
Are you a qualified finance leader ready to drive strategic change and operational excellence? Join Cabot Learning Federation (CLF) as our Interim Financial Controller and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of education through financial leadership.
This is a fixed-term opportunity (or until the return of the substantive postholder) to lead a high-performing central finance team, influence Trust-wide financial strategy, and ensure robust, compliant, and forward-thinking financial operations across our academies and central services.
What You’ll Be Doing
As Financial Controller, you’ll:
- Lead the delivery of core finance functions including statutory accounts, treasury, audit, and financial systems.
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the finance department, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with senior leaders across the Trust to support strategic decision-making and financial planning.
- Manage and develop a talented finance team, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and excellence.
- Represent CLF in key external relationships, including auditors, banks, and sector partners.
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking a confident and capable leader who brings:
- Full accountancy qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with 5+ years’ post-qualification experience.
- Strong technical expertise in statutory accounts, VAT, and tax—ideally within education, charity, or public sector settings.
- Proven experience managing finance teams and delivering high-quality outputs under pressure.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information clearly to a range of stakeholders.
- A strategic mindset, with the ability to analyse data, manage risk, and drive financial performance.
Applicants are advised to refer to the full requirements of the role in the attached job description and person specification, prior to submitting an application.
Why work in CLFs Central Finance Team?
In this role, you’ll be a key leader in our Central Finance Team – driving the delivery of high-quality financial operations and supporting strategic decision-making across the Trust.
We offer:
- Be part of a values-led organisation where your work directly supports schools and students.
- Enjoy a flexible, hybrid working model with time split between home, our Bristol office, and academy sites.
- Gain exposure to a diverse portfolio of academies and central services within a large multi-academy trust.
- Access professional development opportunities and contribute to shaping the future of finance in education.
Why work at CLF?
We are a diverse and inclusive community of 35 academies across five cluster regions in the South West that is committed to excellence and making a positive impact. Our people bring unique perspectives, but we’re all driven by a shared moral purpose and a passion for making a positive impact, whether in a teaching, leadership or support role. We’re proud to foster a culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and make a meaningful difference to the lives of others.
We are an equal opportunity employer and proud to serve a diverse student population and our communities. We strongly believe that representation matters and so encourage applications from underrepresented and global majority groups including ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.
We aim to remove any barriers to employment, ensuring everyone can compete on equal terms. Job share, part-time and flexible working opportunities will be considered.
What we can offer you:
- Access to a generous pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
- Generous annual leave.
- A comprehensive induction and ongoing commitment to wellbeing and career progression, through a range of training, apprenticeships and in-role/wider-trust development opportunities.
- Well-being support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
- Health benefits, including wellness sessions, gym discounts, and flu jabs.
- A range of generous family leave options, including above industry average occupational maternity pay.
- Additional benefits like cycle to work scheme, on-site parking plus many more!
Recruitment timeline:
• Closing Date: 27 July 2025 @11.59pm
• Shortlisting: 28 July 2025
• Interviews: Week Commencing 04 August 2025 (This will be a 2 stage interview process)
We welcome visits from potential candidates. If you would like to arrange a school visit prior to the closing date, please contact the academy/site directly to arrange a suitable appointment.
As part of our commitment to Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), we do not accept CVs – a full education and employment history must be provided through our application form.
Skilled Worker visas cannot be sponsored through this role, as it does not meet the requirements set out by government.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early, should we receive a high level of interest in the role. Therefore, candidates are advised to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid missing out.
The Cabot Learning Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All roles across the trust have a varying level of responsibility for ensuring safeguarding practice, with some roles holding significant responsibility and involving working with children on a daily basis in regulated activity. Regardless of the level of responsibility and involvement in each role, we expect all staff, visiting professionals and volunteers to share this commitment.
All successful candidates will undergo a comprehensive pre-employment checking process, including an enhanced DBS check (including a further check against the appropriate barred list), references from current and previous employers, health, right to work in the UK, child disqualification, prohibition from teaching/management and online checks. You must also tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
