Job Title: Finance Funding Officer
Type: Hybrid with monthly travel to the office for meetings – HO in Northampton
This is a full-time role / 37.50 hours per week
Salary: £DOE from £30k per annum
Closing Date for this role: 1/5/26 or until the right candidate is hired
All applicants need to attach an up to date and relevant CV to be considered for this opportunity
Purpose of Role:
As a Funding Officer, you will provide exceptional administrative support to our Nursery Managers and the Finance team.
You will complete funding claims for the nurseries on the relevant platforms and portals. Ensuring Estimate claims, Actual claims and adjustments are completed accurately and in line with the deadlines provided termly by the relevant local authorities.
Reconcile claims and payments, highlighting inaccuracies in payments and liaising with local authorities to resolve discrepancies.
Work with nursery management and administrative teams to ensure funding rules and local authority rules in relation to funding claims and documents are met.
Answer queries in relation to funding processes and claims to support Bright Horizons funding offer.
What We Can Offer You
1. Our benefits include but are not limited to.
2. Flexible working and holiday entitlements
3. Discounted childcare in one of our nurseries
4. Fantastic range of discounts on high street retailers, grocery stores, cinema tickets, holidays and more
5. Wide range of wellbeing resources, supporting our teams for the ups and downs of daily life
Why Bright Horizons?
We’ve been voted Great Place to Work for the last 17 consecutive years, as well as being awarded the newly created Great Place for Wellbeing and Great Place for Women 2022.Our support functions enable our nurseries to deliver the best possible care and education to over 10,000 children across the UK. Through this support, our nurseries can deliver excellence – with 98% of our 300+ portfolio being rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. We’re on a mission to change the future for children, families, and the people we work with, and are committed to progressive working values like flexibility, work-life balance, and wellbeing.
Key Accountabilities:
6. Provide support to Nursery Managers on Funding
7. Track funding Entitlement
8. Liaise with local authorities to maintain relationships and make sure funds are paid in accordance with contracts
9. Maintain bank and balance sheets reconciliations
10. Identify and highlight to the Finance Funding Manager any issues causing non-process of funds
11. Assist with internal & external audit processes
12. Have a customer centred approach to the running of the function
13. Promote good working relationships, dealing (where possible) with communication breakdowns before they arise, and defusing tense situations.
14. Work in partnership with the rest of the Finance team, and wider business colleagues
Essential Experience:
15. Previous experience within a financial administrative role
16. Microsoft Excel to an intermediate level
Desirable Experience:
17. Accounting qualification advantageous, but not essential
18. Previous experience within Funding advantageous, but not essential
Qualifications:
19. GCSE Maths and English
Personal Attributes
20. Demonstrates consistent behaviours aligned with our HEART principles, acting with Honesty, Excellence, Accountability and Respect in all interactions, decisions and ways of working.
21. Able to work in partnership with both internal and external contacts, including Local Authorities
22. Understanding of confidentiality, and the ability to work within this
23. Strong communication skills, both written and verbally, with the ability to have empathy
24. Ability to identify concerns, prioritise critical issues and resolve complex dilemmas in a fair, open and reasoned manner.
25. Reflect on the quality of own performance. Respond positively to direction and improve own performance. Know when to seek advice and support.
26. Ability to self-manage, be flexible, adaptable, proactive and embrace new ways of doing things. Ability to learn new processes and utilise internal software/database
We look forward to receiving your application!