Full time, permanent, required as soon as possible
THE SCHOOL
Founded during the fourteenth century, Ipswich School is one of the foremost independent schools in East Anglia. It circa 1,000 pupils aged between 3 months and 19 and is co-educational throughout. The most recent Inspection of the Senior School rated it as Excellent in all categories, a judgement of which we are very proud. The School operates a 5-day week, with representative sports played during the week and on Saturdays.
Our trading arm, Ipswich School Enterprises Ltd (ISE), incorporates all of our revenue generating activities (including lettings, room and facility hire, private functions, sporting events and school holiday camps) which fall outside school fee income.
Find out more about us by visiting our website: www.ipswich.school.
THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT
The Director of Finance and Operations and her teams are responsible for the non-academic operation of the School. The Finance department is a very busy department in the School and we operate throughout the year. You will join a team of six staff providing financial and administrative support to the Director of Finance and Operations and the School’s Senior Management teams.
THE ROLE
We are seeking a Finance Manager to join our Finance department. This is a permanent, full-time role that is essential to the strategic and operational financial management of the School. As a key member of the Operational Management Team, you will report directly to the Director of Finance and Operations and be responsible for the day-to-day financial operations. Your duties will include overseeing all aspects of the School’s financial processes, including the preparation of budgets and forecasts, as well as the production of monthly management accounts and statutory accounts. You will also be responsible for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the School’s financial records, managing the annual audit process, and ensuring full compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements. In addition to these responsibilities, you will be a leader in the department, responsible for line managing the Senior Finance Assistant and developing the team as a whole.
The ideal candidate will be a qualified or near-qualified CCAB accountant with strong leadership skills, knowledge of financial systems, audit, and compliance requirements and proven experience in financial management.
HOURS OF WORK, SALARY AND BENEFITS
- This is a permanent post (subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary period lasting 6 months).
- You will work throughout the year on Mondays – Fridays for a minimum of 37.5 hours per week. Please note the normal core working hours in the Finance team are Mondays – Fridays between 8.00 am – 5.00 pm.
- The salary will be £50,000 per annum.
- You will be entitled to 30 days’ paid holiday per year, plus public holidays.
- After 3 months’ service and/or in line with workplace pension legislation, you will be entitled to join a defined contribution pension scheme, with 10% employer contributions, and you will receive 3x death in service life cover.
- If there are pupil vacancies and you have a child or children who are eligible to attend the School who have satisfied the entry criteria as set out in the School’s Admissions Policy, and have been awarded a place, you could be entitled to generous fee remission.
- Salaries are paid monthly in arrears by BACS on the last working day of each month throughout the year.
- Free lunch is provided in the School Dining Hall during term time when the kitchen is in operation.
- Staff are able to use the School’s swimming pool and fitness gym (in compliance with appropriate rules and regulations).
- You will have access to Smarthealth, the School’s wellbeing app for staff which offers 24/7 GP access and mental health support. We also offer a Cycle to Work Scheme.
CLOSING DATE AND INTERVIEW ARRANGEMENTS
We would encourage you to download an application form and a full job description for this role from our website: www.ipswich.school/vacancies or contact the HR team on 01473 408300 or hr@ipswich.school.
Completed application forms should be returned by noon on Monday 6 October 2025. Please mark the envelope Private and Confidential and send to: The Director of HR, Ipswich School, 25 Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG or email: hr@ipswich.school
Candidates may be contacted or invited to interview prior to the closing date, and we may close this vacancy early if suitable candidates apply. Therefore, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday 9 October 2025 Please advise us of any special requirements you may have if you are called for interview. If your special requirements mean that you need to submit this application in a different format, please contact us
PLEASE NOTE
Ipswich School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
