Finance Manager

Lead and continuously develop BUCS' finance function, providing high-quality financial management, insightful reporting and strategic business partnering that supports excellent organisational decision-making.

Working closely with the Director of Business Operations and Senior Leadership Team, you will ensure the organisation has robust financial planning, forecasting, controls and governance while playing a pivotal role in improving financial sustainability.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of finance at BUCS.

As Finance Manager, you won't simply maintain an established finance function, you'll help transform it. You'll play a central role in delivering BUCS Strategy 2030 by modernising finance systems, improving processes, enhancing financial insight and helping build a more digitally enabled, efficient organisation.

If you're excited by combining excellent management accounting with meaningful organisational change, we'd love to hear from you.

Main duties and responsibilities

Finance

Lead the day-to-day finance function, ensuring the delivery of accurate, timely and high-quality financial services across the organisation.

Produce monthly management accounts, financial analysis and insightful reporting for the Senior Leadership Team, Board, Finance Audit and Risk Committee, budget holders and wider staff.

Lead the annual budgeting and reforecasting process, working collaboratively with managers across the organisation to develop robust financial plans.

Monitor organisational performance against budget, providing meaningful variance analysis, challenge and recommendations to support informed decision making.

Develop cash flow forecasts and monitor organisational cash management to ensure strong financial resilience.

Maintain robust financial controls, reconciliations and accounting processes, ensuring compliance with accounting standards, charity regulations and internal governance requirements.

Manage the annual audit process, acting as the primary contact for external auditors and coordinating the timely preparation of audit information and statutory reporting.

Optimise BUCS' cash, investments and other financial assets, making recommendations that maximise returns while maintaining an appropriate balance between risk, liquidity and organisational objectives.

Oversee the preparation of annual statutory accounts, working alongside external accountants where appropriate.

Manage the financial elements of the annual member subscription process, ensuring calculations are accurate, transparent and aligned with BUCS regulations.

Manage BUCS' banking arrangements, payment authorisation processes and investment activities, making recommendations that maximise financial efficiency and value.

Oversee the financial management of BUCS Trading Limited, ensuring accurate reporting, tax efficiency and appropriate governance.

Develop financial models and business cases to support strategic projects and organisational investment decisions.

Finance Transformation and Continuous Improvement

Lead the continual improvement of BUCS' finance systems, processes and controls to improve efficiency, accuracy and user experience.

Drive the transformation of key finance processes, including purchase-to-pay, reducing manual administration and embedding best practice.

Identify opportunities to automate financial processes and improve reporting through better use of technology, systems and data.

Work collaboratively across BUCS to support wider organisational digital transformation initiatives, ensuring finance plays a leading role in enabling organisational efficiency.

Review existing financial processes and implement improvements that strengthen governance, productivity and value for money.

Develop accessible and intuitive financial reporting that enables managers to make informed decisions using high-quality financial insight.

Promote a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and evidence-based decision making across the finance function.

Leadership

Line manage, coach and develop the Finance Assistant, creating a high-performing, customer-focused finance service.

Foster a collaborative and continuous improvement culture, supporting professional development and knowledge sharing.

Build strong working relationships across the organisation, acting as a trusted financial adviser to colleagues and senior leaders.

Other

Professionally represent BUCS with external stakeholders including auditors, banking partners, advisors and suppliers.

Always carry out duties and responsibilities in compliance with BUCS policies and guided by the BUCS values of inclusion, respectfulness, innovation and dynamism.

Undertake any other duties appropriate to the level and responsibilities of the role.

This role will involve supporting at least one BUCS sporting event per year, which could include weekend and evening work and overnight stays.