Make a Difference Through Finance

We are a specialist provider of housing and support services across England, owning and managing around 4,500 homes in partnership with 79 local authorities. We provide general needs housing, supported accommodation, and homes for older people.

We are looking for a talented and proactive Finance Operations Manager to join our Finance Team. This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional who wants to use their expertise to support meaningful social impact.

Role Overview

The Finance Operations Manager will lead and manage the Finance Operations function, ensuring the efficient and effective delivery of rent accounting, accounts receivable, and accounts payable services. The role is responsible for maintaining strong financial controls, ensuring compliance with regulatory and organizational requirements, supporting the production of accurate financial information, and leading the Finance Operations Team to provide a high-quality service to internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee all aspects of rent accounting across directly managed housing, general needs housing, and other letting arrangements, ensuring transactions are processed accurately and within agreed timescales.
• Ensure the effective operation of rent debit processing, rent interfaces, cash posting, arrears accounting, and bad debt provisions to support accurate financial reporting.
• Oversee the reconciliation of rental bank accounts, rent control accounts, and other key balance sheet accounts, ensuring discrepancies are identified and resolved promptly.
• Act as the finance lead for the annual rent setting process, including the production and review of rent increase calculations and resident notifications.
• Manage the preparation and review of service charge schedules and service charge increases, working closely with operational teams and other stakeholders.
• Maintain expert knowledge of the Regulator of Social Housing Rent Standard and ensure ongoing compliance with rent and service charge regulations.
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of data held across finance, housing management, and procurement systems, including supplier and rental information.
• Manage and oversee the purchase ledger function across Salvation Army Homes, Kingsown Property Limited, and development activities, ensuring invoices and payments are processed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ensure all month-end activities relating to rents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable are completed in line with the monthly reporting timetable.
• Review and maintain procedures, process documentation, and financial regulations relating to finance operations, ensuring compliance across the organization.
• Ensure robust financial controls are maintained in relation to income collection, supplier payments, reconciliations, and master data management.
• Deliver a high-quality customer-focused service to internal and external stakeholders, ensuring queries are resolved efficiently and professionally.
• Support the preparation of annual budgets, forecasts, and financial plans, providing operational financial information and analysis where required.
• Support year-end accounting processes, including the preparation of audit working papers and responding to requests from internal and external auditors.
• Review and approve balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and timely resolution of outstanding items.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve financial processes, controls, systems, and reporting to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, procedures, financial regulations, and statutory requirements.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the responsibilities and grade of the role.