Finance Administrator
Fighting Words NI

Contractual position: Minimum 4 days a month, flexibly, hybrid in-person or remote by agreement. We encourage the right candidate to discuss their needs and working hours with us. Additional hours may be available.

Remuneration: £175 day rate (freelance role).

PURPOSE OF ROLE

The Financial Administrator will oversee and act as first point of contact for the charity’s financial operations.

Responsibilities

· Ensure compliance with the charity’s financial policies and controls.

· Management of day-to-day finances including processing invoices, banking receipts, posting to Purchase & Sales ledgers, allocation of income and expenditure to funders, and maintaining accurate financial records of all transactions on accountancy package Xero.

· Liaison with outsourced payroll service on payment of monthly salaries.

· Preparation of monthly BACS payment runs, bank reconciliations, monthly accruals and prepayments, review of Aged Debtors and Creditors

· Assisting the Director and Development Coordinator with preparation and monitoring of annual budgets and forecasts.

· Assisting the Director with the preparation of quarterly Management Accounts for Board and stakeholders including a quarterly commentary for the Board on the key points on the accounts.

· Assisting the Development Co-ordinator with the preparation of accurately costed budgets for fundraising applications as well as vouched expenditure claims and financial reports to funders.

· Liaison with team budget holders on their financial spends, ensuring accuracy and compliance with funder requirements.

· Supporting the year-end audit requirements and statutory regulatory processes through the timely submission of records of transactions and all other related financial information.

· Assisting the Director and Auditors with the preparation and submission of relevant Charity Commission and Companies House returns.

· Correspondence with HMRC as required.

· Correspondence with Bank as required.

· Assessing the financial processes on an ongoing basis, providing the Director with relevant advice and acting on agreed changes to make current financial practices more efficient.

· Comply with the highest standard of transparency and accountability and adhere to the Fighting Words NI financial controls, charity good practice.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Essential:

· A high level of expertise in a range of accounting, financial and communications software

· Strong attention to detail and a high quality of work, taking care to ensure accuracy in reporting.

· Strong organisational skills, a professional attitude, be flexible, and able to prioritise workloads as well as work on their own initiative.

· Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to be diplomatic, discreet and confident in dealing with a range of stakeholders.

· In addition, they should:

· Demonstrate the ability to prioritise and deliver on concurrent tasks.

· Be personable, reliable and committed to the mission and values of Fighting Words NI

Desirable:

• Experience of Charity Accounting and Financial Management, and a working knowledge of charity SORP requirements

• An understanding and knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 with particular emphasis on Excel.

• Experience of working across a number of budgets simultaneously


TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT:

Status: The Financial Administrator will be contracted as a freelance independent service provider and is responsible for their own tax and national insurance.

Conditions of Engagement: As the role is for an independent contractor, we will agree whether a contract or a letter of agreement is the best format for agreement. There will be a review after 3 months to ensure that the work is satisfactory to both parties and adjustments can be made as necessary.

The contact time will consist of 4 days per month spread across the month for both the bookkeeping and accounting parts of the role. Additional hours may be available. There is flexibility for hybrid working by agreement.

The Financial Administrator will adhere to GDPR principles and the confidentiality and security policies of Fighting Words NI in relation to sensitive information associated with this role.

About the Organisation

Fighting Words NI is a Northern Ireland-based youth charity dedicated to empowering children and young people aged 6-18 through the transformative power of creative writing. We believe that every young person has a unique story to tell, and our mission is to provide them with the tools, support, and inspiration to express themselves confidently and creatively.

Because creative education helps the most marginalised students thrive, Fighting Words NI operates across the whole of Northern Ireland to help children and young people find joy through writing. Our innovative workshops and programmes provide a level playing field for all young people to develop communication and literacy skills, to grow in confidence and courage so that they can tell their own story, both on the page and out in the world.