Finance Manager at Dorset Studio School

The role

We are seeking an experienced Finance Manager to play a key role in ensuring the highest standards of financial integrity and strategic financial planning across the school.

Working closely with the Assistant Principal (Finance & Business), Principal, and senior leaders, you will lead on monthly and year-end financial processes, ensure compliance with the Academies Financial Handbook, and contribute to informed, effective decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.

You’ll also have the opportunity to review and implement best-practice financial processes, helping the school to continually improve and deliver excellent value for money.

Key responsibilities

• Produce timely and accurate financial reports, returns, and cash-flow forecasts
• Prepare monthly management accounts
• Produce financial reports, analysis, and updates for the Local Governing Body
• Prepare the annual budget and financial re-forecasts for LGB approval
• Oversee the academy’s accounting procedures, ensuring policies and procedures are followed
• Maintain finance records and filing systems to audit standards

• Line manage finance staff, including induction, training, probation, and performance management
• Support senior leaders with budget management and strategic financial planning
• Identify and pursue income-generating opportunities, including bids and grants
• Work with the SENCO to secure high-needs funding
• Drive initiatives that promote value for money, regularity, and best practice

Dorset Studio School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

Dorset Studio School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Dorset Studio School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

About Us

Dorset Studio School is a thriving, oversubscribed 11–16 co-educational secondary school with a unique specialism in Land and the Environment. Set within the stunning 750-acre Kingston Maurward estate, we offer a truly exceptional working environment alongside a creative, ambitious, and supportive staff team.