Part-Time Strategic Programmes Finance Officer

The Diocese of Winchester and the Diocese of Portsmouth are partnering exclusively with Robertson Bell to recruit a Strategic Programmes Finance Officer on a permanent, part-time basis (28 hours). The Diocese of Winchester (WDBF) and the Diocese of Portsmouth (PDBF) support the Ministry in, and the mission of, Church of England parishes in Winchester and Portsmouth and surrounding areas.

Reporting into, and working closely with, the Strategic Programme Managers of both dioceses, you will take responsibility for providing specific financial reconciliations, monitoring and reporting against the Strategic Development Fund (SDF) and Diocesan Investment Programme (DIP) funding received by the Diocese of Winchester and the Diocese of Portsmouth from the Church of England (Archbishop’s Council).

A key aspect of the role will involve financial planning and modelling for future DIP bids. SDF/DIP funding is given for projects within the dioceses that help to achieve their strategic objectives. The role also involves some historic analysis to ensure expenditure is correctly coded to the right project from previous funding.

In this Strategic Programmes Finance Officer role, you will:

• Support the Strategic Programme Managers, liaising with the Finance Team, drafting, costing, and modelling of financial information for future funding/grant bids, ensuring cost recovery for overheads and staff time is included on all projects.
• Prepare regular financial reports for the Strategic Development Team and senior leadership on the financial progress and outcomes of spend to date, ensuring transparency and accountability of the funds received for the various SDF/DIP projects.
• Ensuring any transactions for overheads or contributions to core costs are recorded accurately for costs incurred by SDF/DIP or shared by the WDBF/PDBF.
• Providing information to the Finance Team regarding projects as part of month or year-end processes.
• Support with the preparation of financial reports to Church of England on the funding spend to date at required intervals.
• Review of spend to date on Xledger vs spend expected by SDT to includes comparisons for projects, spend against budget and reconciliations moving forwards.

About the Diocese of Winchester:

Our Diocese is not only the people, churches and schools that make it up, but an organisation that supports those communities across our 255 parishes and over 20,000 regular worshippers. We grow authentic disciples, we re-imagine the Church, we are agents of social transformation, and we belong together in Christ, practicing sacrificial living and good stewardship of all that God has entrusted to us.

About the Diocese of Portsmouth:

Our diocese is made up of the 11,000 or so worshippers in the 133 Church of England parishes across south-east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Our vision in this diocese is to be a Church with Jesus Christ at the heart of everything we do, a Church in which we seek God’s Kingdom, and where all are enabled to experience a life-transforming encounter with Jesus Christ.

The successful candidate will have:

• Financial literacy and competency evidenced by qualification or experience.
• Experience overseeing financial aspects, producing reports and analysing variances of projects or programmes.
• Ideally, a background working in a not-for-profit or project-based organisation and have a good understanding of grant funding.
• The ability to process invoices, perform reconciliations and produce financial reports that can be easily understood by non-financial stakeholders.
• Good written and verbal communication skills and the ability to translate financial information to stakeholders with varying levels of financial comprehension.
• Excellent excel and analytical skills, with a strong ability to manipulate large volumes of data and plan for variances when setting budgets for long-term projects.

This opportunity will be based between the Diocese of Winchester and Diocese of Portsmouth’s offices and offers a flexible hybrid working arrangement along with fantastic employee benefits.

Please note: Applicants do not need to practice the Christian faith to be considered.

Applications will be under constant review before the closing date so please submit your application to our exclusive agent Robertson Bell. Apply now to be considered!