Role: Garden Organic Finance & Compliance Manager
Location: Ryton Head Office (Hybrid)

Key Requirements: To support the Director of Finance & Corporate Resources as part of the small but experienced corporate resources team. The role will entail working with the wider team on financial accounts and all aspects of contractual and regulatory compliance.

Hours: Full time (Although 4 days a week would be considered)
Duration: Permanent
Salary: £34,000 to £38,000
Role subject to DBS Check: No

About us:

At Garden Organic we care about organic growing, composting, seed conservation, research and citizen science. Our small but hugely knowledgeable and committed team is backed by a family of members and volunteers, all dedicated to growing food and flowers in harmony with nature. We are an established, experienced and innovative membership charity, working in communities around the UK and campaigning for organic practice which protects and promotes life above and below the soil. Now in our seventh decade, we are also home to the vitally important Heritage Seed Library a living collection of 800 rare vegetable varieties that otherwise would have died out.

Our mission is to show people how to be organic growers and in doing so, we strive to be a great place to work, volunteer or partner with. We care about what we do, how we do it, and the impact we make. We believe that our time is now – when people are actively seeking positive contributions that they can make in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change.

About the role:

Garden Organic is looking for a Finance & Compliance Manager to support the Director of Finance & Corporate Resources as part of the small but experienced corporate resources team. The role will entail working with the wider team on financial accounts and all aspects of contractual and regulatory compliance.

You will be reporting to our Director of Finance and Corporate Resources and your core responsibilities and main duties are as follows:

Financial Management

Act as an effective internal business partner to all colleagues across the charity, providing timely, accurate and relevant information to support the financial planning and performance of all services and functions.
Day to day responsibility includes leading month end processes including reviewing and posting journals, purchase ledger, sales ledger, adjustments and balance sheet reconciliations to make sure month end reports are delivered within agreed timelines.
Working with the team to produce the monthly management accounts pack including P&L, cashflow, balance sheet and other management reports with financial analysis and comments as required.
Working with budget holders on the cycle of budgeting and reforecasting including working to an agreed timetable, setting up templates and working with budget holders to get them completed, plus finalizing them for senior management.
Supporting the execution of all day-to-day financial operations and processes including management of payroll, gift aid, charity VAT, membership subscriptions, donations and other charitable income and expenditure.
Assisting in managing external relationships with auditors, banks, pension providers, payroll partners and insurers.
Managing relationships with stakeholders in relation to efficient issue of invoices, processing of payments, resolving queries etc.

Risk Management and Compliance

Assist in administrating the Garden Organic risk register in timely manner.
Assist the Director of Finance & Corporate Resources in managing internal assurance and governance processes, including internal audit and compliance testing.
Assist in compliance with contracts with suppliers and landlord as well as supporting compliance in the delivery of charitable service contracts
Working closely with Director of Finance and Corporate Resources to ensure that Garden Organic is compliant with all regulatory requirements such as data protection, health and safety, the fundraising regulator etc.
Take a key role in the Health & Safety working group.

General

It is the nature of the work of Garden Organic that tasks and responsibilities are, in some circumstances, unpredictable and varied. All employees are expected to work in a flexible way when the occasion arises where tasks are not specifically covered in the Job Description and have to be undertaken.

What we are looking for:

Our ideal candidate will bring energy and enthusiasm to the role as well as proven experience in the fields of both finance and organizational compliance together with a willingness to learn. You will ideally be qualified in financial management or working towards qualification along with evidence of your Continued Professional Development and desire to stay abreast of financial practice and regulation. We will consider applicants who are qualified by (proven) experience.

What we can offer:

Salary: £34,000 to £38,000
25 days Holiday plus bank holidays and additional leave at Christmas (pro-rata)
Additional long service holiday
Group Pension Scheme with 8% employer contribution
Employee Assistance Programme
Salary Extras benefits platform (Instant discount scheme and health, wellbeing and financial support)
We Care benefits platform (With access to virtual GP consultations, nutritionist support, get fit programmes, smoking cessation and further health and wellbeing support)
TOIL for additional hours worked
Life Assurance
Garden Organic membership

Person Specification:

Experience	Essential	Desirable
Experience of all aspects of financial management including management accounts, statutory accounts, cashflow, reporting and compliance.	Yes
Experience of working with budget holders to produce annual budget and forecasts.	Yes
Experience of risk management and charity governance compliance reporting.		Yes
Experience of statutory reporting, contract compliance, annual accounts (VAT, Pension, PAYE etc.) in charity or public sector organization.	Yes
Knowledge and Skills
Excellent IT skills including the use of (MS Dynamics 365) Business Central or similar system and Microsoft Office (Excel and Power point)	Yes
Excellent written and oral communications skills, including ability to communicate clearly.	Yes
Good financial analysis skills to examine financial consequences of proposals and plans.		Yes
Highly organized, self-motivated team player with excellent attention to detail and able to work with minimum supervision.	Yes
At least part qualified or qualified by experience ideally with working knowledge of charity finances.	Yes
Approach and Mindset
Access to reliable transportation is required as this role requires travel to our head office.	Yes

How to Apply:

All applicants must complete a Garden Organic Application Form along with a covering letter explaining why you think you would be a great fit for the role. We pay close attention to covering letters so please do send us one.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and we reserve the right to close the vacancy early depending on response levels.

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion applications will be anonymised before being submitted to our recruitment panel.

Recruitment Timetable:

Application Deadline: Monday 31^st March 2025.

Equal Opportunities:

At Garden Organic we embrace diversity and recognise the value it brings to our organisation. As such, we match charity needs with the skills and experience of candidates and welcome candidates from various backgrounds irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity or reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace and take pride in ensuring that everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered.

Garden Organic is also a Disability Confident Employer and aims to create opportunities wherever possible. It should be noted that some of our roles require travel and attendance at events where accessibility arrangements will vary.

Safer Recruitment:

Garden Organic is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects employees, associates and volunteers to share this commitment. We may require some candidates to undertake a DBS check relevant to the requirements of the role.

Please note that we only accept applications from individuals with the right to work in the UK. We are unable to sponsor working visa applications.