Senior Finance Officer
Location: Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6SA
Salary: £32,086.60 per annum
Contract: Full Time, Permanent
Hours: 35 hours per week
Advertising End Date: Tuesday 31st March 2026
Benefits - We Are Offering:
As well as knowing that what we do is making a positive difference to people’s lives, you will receive fair pay and have access to a wide range of rewards and benefits as one of our employees:
• 33 days holiday (including bank holidays) increasing with long service.
• Pension contributions into NEST Scheme on a salary sacrifice basis meaning NI savings
• Opportunities to undertake qualifications related to the role.
• Private Health Care scheme funded by Oaklea.
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Award scheme and recognition at every 5 years
• Access to foundation and bespoke training and development
We're looking for a dedicated Senior Finance Officer to join our friendly finance team based at Oaklea’s Station House Office in Kendal.
About the Role:
The position is based 3/4 days in office and a day home working, based in Kendal, however occasional travel will be required to all sites within the group.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
This is a broad accounting role combining financial control, core transactional finance and management accounting within a small but developing finance team.
The role supports the Finance Director in maintaining strong financial controls across the Group and delivering accurate, timely financial reporting. You will contribute to the monthly close process, support budget monitoring and forecasting, and help ensure compliance with charity accounting requirements, including SORP.
This position offers an opportunity to deepen management accounting and business partnering capability under the mentorship of the Finance Director, contributing to the development of a more data-driven and insight-led finance function.
• Work within the Finance team to ensure appropriate financial systems are in place to effectively and accurately monitor and record the income and expenditure of the organisation.
• Support the Finance Officers & Finance Director in ensuring all financial issues are effectively resolved.
• Ensure that deadlines for the input of income and expenditure are met in order for the Finance Manager to run accurate and timely Management Accounts.
• Support operational managers at our subsidiary company in making sound financial decisions.
Skills and Experience:
The successful candidate will need to be accurate, a fast learner, flexible and enjoy a varied job in a busy office environment.
• Strong Excel capability (including XLOOKUP, SUMIF/SUMIFS, Pivot Tables, charts)
• Solid grounding in core accounting processes: banking, accounts receivable, accounts payable
• Strong understanding of how to use an accounting system (e.g., Access Dimensions or similar)
• Able to develop reports and presentation materials from source data and information
• Experience contributing to a structured monthly close process
• Experience preparing balance sheet reconciliations and journals
• Exposure to management accounting and financial reporting
• Experience reviewing or supporting the work of others
• Ability to manage workload with good planning and time management to solve problems and meet deadlines
• Clear and confident communication with both finance and non-finance stakeholders
• AAT Level 4 qualified or working towards a recognised accounting qualification
An Enhanced DBS will be required for each successful candidate (Paid for by Oaklea, T&Cs apply)
If you are looking for a fun and rewarding role then this could be the opportunity you have been waiting for. We’re looking for an enthusiastic team member who will fit into a small and busy team, have fun, make friends and to learn and develop as an individual.
No agencies please