Head of Finance

Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of Finance at Waterton Academy Trust.

We are delighted to share this opportunity with individuals who are passionate about strong financial stewardship, effective systems and controls, and ensuring that every pound of public funding supports the best possible outcomes for our children and young people.

Waterton Academy Trust is a dynamic and growing multi-academy trust, comprising primary, early years and specialist settings across Wakefield and Barnsley. We are proud of our strong culture of collaboration, integrity and ambition for all learners.

As a publicly funded organisation, we recognise our responsibility to safeguard public funds, maintain robust financial controls and provide high-quality financial leadership across all academies. This role is central to ensuring that our finance function continues to run smoothly, efficiently and effectively as the Trust grows.

The Head of Finance will work alongside the Chief Financial Officer to provide strategic and operational leadership of the Trust finance function. The postholder will lead and support the central finance team, prepare and review management accounts, support budget planning and forecasting, strengthen financial reporting, and provide expert advice and guidance to school and Trust leaders.

A key aspect of the role will be helping to shape the next stage of our finance service. This includes developing fit-for-purpose systems and controls, improving consistency across academies, supporting the use of financial modelling and scenario planning, and ensuring that leaders have clear, timely and user-friendly financial information to support decision-making.

The role combines strategic influence with hands-on operational delivery. It requires strong technical finance capability, attention to detail, the confidence to provide constructive challenge and the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues across the central team, academies, auditors and external partners.

As Waterton continues to grow, there is genuine scope for this role to develop further in influence, breadth and impact. For the right candidate, this is an opportunity to deepen senior leadership experience, deputise for the CFO when required, contribute to Trust-wide financial strategy and play a significant role in shaping a finance function that is resilient, responsive and ready for future growth.

If you are committed to strong governance, collaborative working, continuous improvement and achieving the best possible use of public funds, we would be delighted to hear from you.

We look forward to receiving your application.