Are you an organised and customer-focused professional seeking a remote opportunity in the finance sector? School Business Services is currently recruiting a Finance Assistant to support its operations through high-quality administrative and customer service delivery. This remote position offers an excellent opportunity for individuals who enjoy working in a collaborative environment while contributing to efficient financial and operational processes within an established organisation.
The Finance Assistant role involves supporting internal users and stakeholders by responding to a wide range of enquiries and providing reliable assistance across financial and technical service functions. Candidates will be expected to manage customer queries efficiently while maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and a positive approach in a fast-paced working environment. The position requires the ability to handle varying workloads while remaining resilient, organised, and enthusiastic when assisting users across the organisation.
Applicants should have previous experience working within a customer service environment, ideally in a technical service desk or support setting that assists a large number of users. Experience delivering customer service across multiple communication channels, including email, telephone, and digital platforms, is highly valued. Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential, alongside the ability to explain information clearly and maintain professional relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.
This remote Finance Assistant opportunity is well suited to candidates who demonstrate attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and a commitment to delivering excellent service standards. Working remotely provides flexibility while allowing team members to contribute meaningfully to organisational success and maintain consistent service delivery across finance and support functions.
Position: Finance Assistant
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: Competitive
Location: Remote
About us
As a market leader in providing education support services across the UK and overseas, the SBS portfolio encompasses the full spectrum of finance, MIS, ICT, HR and payroll services. Our professional teams have an excellent reputation within the education industry and have a wealth of experience, and are considered an indispensable asset to the schools we support every day.
About the job
To provide high quality financial and system support to our customers. The post holder will be joining a professional team of experts, working within the Finance Managed Service team. This hybrid role involves splitting working days between home-based remote work and the Poole office. The role will be day-to-day processing, with ownership of the transactional operations within a variety of schools. First line support to our customers covers a variety of issues and systems to school and academy finance teams.
Duties &Responsibilities
- Assist in the day-to-day running of schools and academies’ purchase and sales ledgers.
- Likely duties will include:
- Inputting standard information into school finance software
- Processing purchase orders accurately with attention to agreed authorisation procedures and timescales
- Processing goods received notes, checking items have been received and resolve discrepancies
- Processing invoices, ensuring accuracy and appropriate authorisation prior to payment, in accordance with the agreed procedures and timescales
- Processing income received onto schools’ financial system
- Reconciling third party income and expenditure and preparing journals for input into finance system
- Checking appropriate authorisation of all the above prior to inputting
- Checking invoice compliance with standard requirements prior to input
- Preparing weekly payment runs for approval
- Inputting staff expense claims onto schools’ finance system, and preparing weekly payment run
- Raising invoices, and matching to income on financial system
- Supplier and customer query resolution
- Maintaining electronic filing for all financial information
- Maintain a good working knowledge of computerised financial systems, including Arbor Finance, FMS, IRIS Financials, Sage and any other relevant school software as required. Responsibility for continued development in system changes with an enthusiasm to learn new systems.
- Maintain accurate records ensuring that all information relating to schools is kept confidentially and is filed in accordance with SBS guidelines.
- Ensure information is communicated to your line manager for additional work carried out in schools over and above the contract terms. This will be used to manage customer expectation and renegotiation of contract.
- Work collaboratively with schools, for the benefit of all, when issues arising have potential implications for others.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with customers and colleagues, anticipating and managing concerns, and ensuring key people are engaged.
- Identify new opportunities within the education sector and cross sell other services that we can provide.
- Provide support and advice to other team members as required.
- Attend and contribute to all team/office meetings.
- Any additional duties commensurate with the post as specified by the Senior Finance Officer
About you
If you can demonstrate the following, we’d love to hear from you:
- Previous work in a customer service environment, ideally on a technical service desk which supports a large number of users.
- Ability to respond to a varying amount of customer queries from across the organization, while remaining resilient and enthusiastic.
- Experience of delivering customer service across a variety of communication channels.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills – you’ll be dealing with colleagues at all levels across the organization.
- Basic technical troubleshooting skills and experience of Microsoft products.
- Able to learn and absorb knowledge quickly, including developing an understanding of SBS’ Budgeting software.
- Maintain a high level of service standards and act professionally at all times.
What we Offer
As an equal opportunities’ employer, we celebrate diversity and flexibility, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our incredible team. We offer:
- Generous annual leave allowance of 36 days (28+8 bank holidays) +1 for every year of service (up to a maximum of 5)
- Hybrid or remote working across the country
- Learning & Development?
- Flexible benefits package including Healthcare Scheme and ability to purchase additional Annual Leave.
Application Process
Application Deadline
Open until filled