Woodard Corporation Accountant
Job Description
Core Purpose
The Accountant supports the Director of Finance in the financial management of The
Woodard Corporation.
The Accountant is responsible to the Director of Finance for general management and
administration and for ensuring effective and efficient management of central resources.
The Accountant will be the Company Secretary of companies that are not active, or are
in the process of closure.
SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES
1. FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY
1.1 Financial Accounting

Advising on general financial policy within Woodard.

Preparing forecasts for the future financial performance of Woodard.

The Accountant is responsible for maintenance of the common chart of accounts
used by schools.

Preparing annual estimates of income and expenditure for all Woodard
incorporated schools in consultation with the Bursars of the schools themselves.

Monitoring central Woodard income and expenditure in relation to budget and
presenting termly management reports to the Finance Committee.

Maintaining cash flow projections for the current and future years, dealing with
the central banking pool and Woodard’s bankers, and ensuring that Woodard and
schools have appropriate funding in place.

Advising on investments in consultation with Woodard’s brokers or investment
managers, ensuring that the funds accounts are properly maintained and
providing year end journals for the school’s which are part of the investment pool.

Preparing, distributing and advising on the accounts pack from which schools
compile their annual financial statements.

Preparing the Consolidated accounts of Woodard and centrally controlled
companies in accordance with the Charity Commission’s Statement of
Recommended Practice (SORP), including gathering financial statements from all
schools on a termly and annual basis.

Issuing the annual accounting timetable for each school and ensuring that each
school adheres to this timetable in order to ensure the timely production of year
end consolidated accounts.

Liaison with the auditors on matters pertaining to the audit and financial
statements.

Preparing financial appraisals of particular projects.

Advising on taxation matters generally; where appropriate, ensure compliance
with regulations for VAT; dealing with Woodard’s income tax.

Management and input of all general and purchase ledger data into the
QuickBooks Head Office accounting package on behalf of Woodard and a number
of subsidiary companies.

Scrutinising and passing for payment all invoices, staff and directors’ expenses
received by Woodard and arranging payment by BACS or cheque as appropriate
Maintaining supplier records in the LloydsLink BACS system.

Invoicing incorporated, associated and affiliated schools for the levy paid to
Woodard and collecting payments.
February 2016
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Woodard Corporation Accountant
Job Description

Operation and maintenance of the central Fees in Advance Scheme including
providing quotes, collecting payments and distributing fee payments to schools.

Seeking ‘best value’ for Woodard.
1.2 Salaries and wages
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
Administration of the payroll for Woodard office staff and pensioners including
ensuring that control accounts are reconciled, payments to HMRC are made and
deductions are valid.

Liaising with the payroll bureau.

Administering pension schemes for Woodard staff.
GENERAL MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
2.1 General management

Acting as Clerk to Woodard Finance and Audit Committees and Secretary to adhoc committees.

Maintaining contact with the statutory authorities and other organisations.

Arranging for staff accommodation and dealing with the letting of property to
Woodard employees; ensuring that the appropriate leases and licenses to occupy
are signed by the tenants.

Arranging the purchase of all goods and services for Woodard.

Operation of Woodard scheme for administering DBS disclosure checks, including
collection and payment of fees to the DBS and acting as correspondent with the
DBS (and other Government Departments) and being responsible for the records
and returns required.

Operation and maintenance of the central BUPA scheme including liaison with the
scheme insurer, collecting payments from schools and maintenance of the list of
members.

Obtain annual pupil numbers from each school and consolidate into a Corporate
report.
2.2 Insurance

Operation and maintenance of the central insurance scheme including liaison with
the insurance brokers, distributing fees on an equable basis between schools,
collecting payments and supervising claims.

Ensuring that Woodard has adequate insurance cover at all times to include
employer’s liability, buildings and equipment cover, personal accident, travel
insurance, public liability, vehicle and other relevant cover.
2.3 Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC)

Providing support to the Director of Finance and schools in operation, recording
and reporting of fuel consumption to allow for reporting under the CRC scheme.

Liaising with schools to ensure that the database of information is up to date and
that all content is valid.

Supporting the operation of schemes for forward buying of allowances, and for
payment of allowances used.
2.4 Group Finance Systems

Work with the Finance Systems Project Manager and a panel of Bursar’s to review
the Group financial systems and recommend options to develop and update the
financial/MIS systems used by schools and by head office in order to improve
termly reporting and annual accounts consolidation.
February 2016
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Woodard Corporation Accountant
Job Description
2.5 Subsidiary Companies

Undertaking the role as Company Secretary and Accountant to Woodard school
subsidiaries that cease to trade as schools. Note that the Director of Finance is
the Company Secretary to the main Woodard holding company.
QUALITIES, COMPETENCIES AND TECHNICAL SKILLS
The Board and Director of Finance are looking to appoint an Accountant with the highest
level of personal integrity who will work with all members of the Woodard family in the
continued development of Woodard. Candidates must be able to demonstrate strong
managerial capabilities, self-motivation, sound judgement and communication skills.
Ideally, the successful applicant will:

be a CCAB qualified Accountant.

have demonstrated successful leadership in a senior position, dealing with queries
and challenges from a number of differing sources and staff with varying levels of
ability.

be an accomplished communicator, both written and oral, a confident and capable
person able to get ideas across to a variety of audiences, a good listener able to
inspire trust.

have demonstrated the ability to work intensively and effectively under pressure,
managing competing priorities and producing and delivering solutions that cut
through complexity.

be honest, demonstrating the highest levels of professional integrity and the
ability to maintain strict confidentiality of information.

be highly numerate, have budgetary experience and strong IT skills.

be able to attend and contribute to meetings and to take minutes of the Finance
and Audit Committees, and other ad-hoc committees.

be ready to work energetically and imaginatively to meet Woodard objectives.
February 2016
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