Job Description
The Accounts Assistant will report directly to the Bursar and will be part of the Bursary team alongside the Finance Officer and Fees Clerk. The Accounts Assistant will carry out general accounting duties to ensure the effective administration of the School’s finances.
The successful candidate will undertake a varied set of responsibilities outlined below:
Suppliers
- To be the first point of contact for Albyn School suppliers.
- To be responsible for the raising and issuing of all purchase orders.
- To be responsible for receiving and processing all supplier invoices.
- To process supplier payments.
- To process and issue supplier remittance advices.
- To manage the reconciliation of creditors.
- To process staff expenses.
- To be responsible for accurate nominal coding of supplier invoices.
- To ensure all suppliers are paid in a timely manner.
- To scan and save backup documentation to support all payments.
- To communicate any supplier issues to the Bursar.
Banking
- To issue and reconcile petty cash.
- To allocate and reconcile all payments to the ledger on a daily basis.
- To process staff expenses.
- To process weekly and monthly reconciliations.
- To post nominal entries for banking on a daily basis.
- To manage the monthly reconciliation of the School credit cards.
- To process Bursary parent expense reclaims.
Nominal Ledger
- To create nominal codes as and when required.
- To allocate and reconcile payments to the ledger on a daily basis.
- To close the purchase ledger at the end of each month.
Person Specification
The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate from their application, at interview or from their references, the following:
- A good general level of education plus appropriate further education.
- Awareness and understanding of the demands of working in a School and also as part of a small team.
- The ability to work independently, show initiative and enjoy challenges.
- A high level of courtesy and appropriate interpersonal skills when relating to staff, pupils, parents and visitors to the School.
- Flexibility with regard to working hours. This may include occasional weekends, morning shift or late finish.
- The appointment will be dependent upon receipt of two satisfactory references and a satisfactory PVG report from Disclosure Scotland.
- The ability to organise efficiently.
- Good written and oral communication skills.
- Proficient ICT skills.
Terms & Conditions, and Remuneration
- This is a permanent post available immediately.
- The position is all year round.
- The salary for the post is £ 24,663 per annum.
- The pension scheme the School will use to comply with its auto-enrolment obligations is the Royal London. The School may amend or replace the Scheme from time to time.
Other, non-contractual, benefits include:
- Staff discount on basic tuition fees subject to the employee’s child(ren) meeting the entrance requirements.
- Free After School Care for employee‘s child(ren). 4pm to 6pm, Monday to Friday and discounted holiday club fees.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Benefits platform package.
Equal Opportunities
At Albyn School we are committed to creating and promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce that better reflects our pupils and local community. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process. Applications are welcome from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, ethnic or national origin, gender identity, marital status, political opinion, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or trade union membership. We particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups.
Method of Application
Applicants must submit:
- A full CV (including details of all post-16 qualifications).
- A letter of application stating why they believe that they are suited to the post.
- The names, phone numbers and email addresses of two referees. (References will not be called without consent).
Albyn School is committed to safeguarding children and the successful applicant will be subject to a PVG check by Disclosure Scotland.
Applications should be sent by email to the HR Manager, Susan Allan.
The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Tuesday 13 June 2023. Interviews will be scheduled for the following week. We reserve the right to extend the deadline or make an appointment before the closing date if a suitable candidate is found.
The School
Albyn School is an independent, coeducational day school. With around 770 pupils and 175 staff, it comprises three sections: a Nursery for around 120 children aged 2-5. a Lower School for around 290 pupils aged 5-12 and an Upper School of around 360 pupils aged 12-18. Since 2018 Albyn has also incorporated the Total French School which currently has four members of staff and just over 40 pupils who follow a hybrid curriculum attending some Albyn School lessons as well as dedicated classes which follow the French national curriculum. The latter enables French School pupils, if they move on (as many do every two to three years), to continue their education either back in France or in other French medium schools around the world.
Situation
Located in the heart of Aberdeen’s West End with its playing fields at Milltimber, the School is fortunate to be situated in a city and region that offers a very high quality of life to families moving into the area. The economy and environment present a range of opportunities to enhance and enrich pupils’ education.
Famous for its striking granite architecture, Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city and the regional centre of the wider North East region. Dominated by energy-related industries, Aberdeen is a city with a wide diversity of other professional jobs and services such as a large teaching hospital, two world-renowned universities as well as many other legal, financial and technical organisations. The city has a diverse musical and cultural heritage centred on its theatres, cinemas, and the newly renovated Art Gallery and Music Hall. The city also has over 800 shops and restaurants, including many familiar high street names.
To the west of Aberdeen, the Cairngorms National Park is an area of outstanding natural beauty that draws in walkers, climbers and skiers. Within a short distance of the city and stretching many miles both north and south are empty beaches, miles of sand dunes, picturesque fishing villages and dramatic cliff top scenery.
History, Buildings and Facilities
Founded as a girls’ school in 1867, Albyn School has changed its name, location and structure a number of times over its 155-year history. On its current site since the mid-1920s, the then Albyn School for Girls first occupied two Victorian villas fronting onto Queen’s Road. Since that time, the School has grown, added to its buildings and grounds, and now occupies four listed Victorian villas with a host of more recent additions. In 2005, Albyn began its move to full coeducation, a journey that concluded when the first boys left S6 in 2014. Albyn School is now both a company limited by guarantee and a charity governed by its trustees who also act as the School’s Board of Governors.
The School has continually built and redeveloped its teaching facilities since its inception, creating specialist departmental areas, ICT suites, business education facilities, music practice rooms, art and design studios and numerous classrooms. In August 2007, Albyn School opened a dedicated Lower School building. Built over three floors it comprises 16 bright classrooms many of them with spectacular views across Aberdeen and the North Sea. In 2011, the Nursery was further extended and three additional science laboratories were built to meet the needs of increasing numbers seeking careers in science, engineering and medicine.
In August 2012, HRH The Duke of Gloucester opened 10 new, modern and spacious classrooms for the teaching of Mathematics, English and Computing, while in November 2014 a new Lower School Library and a studio theatre were opened. In 2017 the Wood Foundation Engineering Centre was completed. The School now has an excellent environment for the teaching of its pupils that marries together contemporary and traditional architecture.
The School also has excellent sports facilities located at Milltimber, 6 miles southwest of the city. There we have a pavilion, three pitches used principally for football, four tennis courts and a running track. The School also draws upon facilities at the Aberdeen Sports Village and RGU (Robert Gordon University) to train our teams. The PE programme is also taught on our Queen’s Road site within the School gymnasium and Former Pupil Centenary Hall and on a recently created floodlit netball and tennis court.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £24,663.00 per year
Benefits:
- Childcare
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Health & wellbeing programme
- Sick pay
Schedule:
Application question(s):
- Have you included the required cover letter and reference details with your application?
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (preferred)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 13/06/2023
Expected start date: 03/07/2023