About The Role
What you can expect from us

• We offer a competitive salary of £40,650 per annum.
• 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays a total of 40 days paid holiday per annum which is equivalent to 8 weeks.
• Stream- access both short and long terms loans, plus provides access to a savings facility.
• Opportunity to further increase annual leave with service or though the holiday purchase scheme.
• Immediate entry to our Pension scheme (matched contributions up to 10%)
• A great flexible working environment, with a range of family friendly policies
• Simply Health cash plan with financial benefits and the option to extend to your family.
  Cover includes dental, optical, physiotherapy, 24HR private GP access and much more.
• Paid leave for absence including sickness, maternity, paternity, and adoption leave.
• Access of up to £150 annually through the ‘Learning for life’ scheme
• Access to a wide range of discounts and cash back offers, ranging from retail and automotive to holidays and cycle to work scheme.
• Develop your career with support and access to training and qualifications.

About the role 
At Onward, we're committed to creating positive change in our communities through the homes we provide and the services we deliver. We're looking for an experienced and qualified finance leader to join us as our Head of Financial Reporting, playing a pivotal role in ensuring robust financial governance, high-quality reporting and effective financial systems across the organisation.
Reporting to the Director of Finance, you'll lead our Financial Reporting and Finance Systems teams, providing strategic leadership across statutory reporting, financial control, forecasting, tax compliance and financial systems. You'll ensure that our financial information is accurate, insightful and supports effective decision-making at every level of the business.
What you'll be doing
As Head of Financial Reporting, you'll:

• Lead the production of annual statutory accounts and ensure compliance with all regulatory and accounting requirements.
• Develop and maintain a strong financial control environment, safeguarding assets and supporting successful internal and external audits.
• Oversee monthly management accounts, reconciliations and financial reporting processes, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
• Lead quarterly forecasting and support annual budget-setting processes, providing insight that drives business performance.
• Work closely with colleagues across Finance to support the development and delivery of Onward's 30-year financial plan.
• Provide technical accounting expertise and advice in line with current accounting standards.
• Oversee tax compliance activities, working with external advisers to maximise efficiency and ensure timely submissions.
• Lead the development and optimisation of finance systems and processes, driving automation, controls and continuous improvement.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, identifying best practice and delivering value for money.
• Inspire, develop and lead high-performing teams, championing collaboration, accountability and our Onward values.

What we're looking for
You'll be a strategic finance professional who combines strong technical expertise with excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills.
Essential

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
• Significant experience producing and interpreting high-quality financial information.
• Experience managing financial reporting, controls and compliance processes.
• Strong understanding of finance systems and general ledgers.
• Experience influencing business decisions through financial insight and analysis.
• Experience building effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate and develop high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication and report-writing skills, with the ability to engage both financial and non-financial audiences.
• Good understanding of value for money principles.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills, including intermediate Excel capability.

Desirable

• Experience within the housing sector or social housing environment.

About The Organisation
About Onward
Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the Northwest, with 35,000 properties across the region.
We believe that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why we’re committed to building 500 new homes each year. We do more than just provide a roof over our customers’ heads, we’re here to make a real difference.
In addition to creating positive spaces for our customers we continuously strive to create a positive and progressive workspace to enable our colleagues to achieve their full potential.
We embrace diversity and strive for diverse teams to create an inclusive culture which enables Onward to thrive and be representative of the communities that we serve. We want to ensure that everybody has an opportunity to be part of our recruitment processes and will therefore make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to assist you with our recruitment process via the email address below.
At Onward Homes, your application will be reviewed by a human who carefully considers your CV, skills, knowledge and experience as part of our recruitment process. We do not use AI to make hiring decisions. 
If candidates have any concerns / questions in relation to the role at any stage of the recruitment and selection process they can contact the HR team on HumanResourcesTeam@onward.co.uk and a member of the HR Team will be in touch.
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