Accounting and Finance Trustee

About refugeeEd

RefugeeEd works to ensure that children and adults on the move have access to a good education, by promoting collaboration and providing support and expertise to local organisations, teachers, and volunteers supporting refugees and their family members.

We primarily deliver training and capacity building initiatives to support education organisations and teachers operating in Greece.

• We support teachers educating in their refugee community through our Community Teacher Training (CTT) programme.
• We match grassroots refugee organisations with teachers, and education specialists who provide training and mentoring.
• We share free teaching resources and build networks between local organisations to share knowledge and good practice.

We are currently looking for an Accounting and Finance Trustee to join the refugeeEd Board of Trustees. This is an unpaid volunteer role that will support the overall governance of the organisation, and in particular will support financial management and accounting within refugeeEd.

Commitment and responsibility

Where?

Mostly remote attendance at meetings. Occasional fundraising events or meetings may be arranged in London, and you may be invited to attend in-person events on behalf of refugeeEd.

Time commitment

• Commitment of 6-10 hours per month and regular email monitoring.
• Attendance at quarterly trustee meetings and bi-annual strategy half-days, either online or in person in London. The dates and times of these meetings are flexible and are arranged to suit the schedules of our trustees. Quarterly trustee meetings are currently held on a Monday evening.
• 1 year commitment, with possibility to renew.

What will you be doing?

The Accounting and Finance Trustee will take the lead in putting in place and maintaining systems of accounting which ensure that refugeeEd remains accountable to donors, volunteers, and the students who learn with refugeeEd.

This role includes being responsible for implementing a clear and accurate system of accounting, overseeing financial management and the charity’s accounts and annual returns.

As an Accounting and Finance Trustee, we expect you to participate in fundraising, promote the work of refugeeEd, and collectively ensure that the board exercises its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation. We also encourage you to visit our operations in Greece if possible, to really get a feel for the difference we’re making on the ground and get to know our coordination team.

Specific role and responsibilities:

• Keep accurate financial records ensuring that the charity’s funds are safe, accounted for and only spent on what is allowed by the charity’s governing document and policies.
• Manage expenses and certify payments exercising refugeeEd’s policy on authorised expenditure and how to claim and approve expenses.
• Ensure that internal financial controls, policies and procedures are in place and updated regularly. Maintain a system for record keeping (receipts, bank statements, assets and liabilities, annual returns, audit reports, etc.).
• Oversee all platforms where funds are spent and received, that these are being accounted for and Gift Aid is set up (Donorbox, Now Donate, Just Giving, Go Cardless, Paypal, Stripe, Wise, Currencies Direct, etc). Check all money has been moved out of donation sites and into a bank account on a regular basis.
• Manage Gift Aid and GASDs, including making regular timely claims.
• Oversee reserves policy and notes of its discussion in Trustee meetings and keep trustees updated on refugeeEd’s financial position.
• Prepare quarterly budget and forecast for trustee meetings, analysing differences between the budget plan and what is being spent. Identify risks and problems in time and propose measures to deal with them quickly.
• Support our programme coordinators with budget management and financial reporting to funders. This will involve reviewing any financial reports before they are submitted, reviewing budget proposals for funders and supporting with the management of restricted funding spending and forecasting.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of annual returns and accounts to the Charity Commission, giving sufficient time for review, consolidation and trustee sign-off.
• Serve as one of the bank signatories to refugeeEd’s account.

What are we looking for?

Experience

Strong track record in two or more of the following:

• Accounting and/or finance experience with a UK charity, and familiarity with the requirements of the UK Charity Commission.
• Strong understanding and interest in the humanitarian or international development sector.
• Fund management, fundraising and/or governance experience.

Skills and qualities

• Attention to detail, demonstrating good judgement with strong analytical and evaluation skills.
• Strong and visible passion and commitment to refugeeEd’s strategic objectives and cause.
• Proven ability to communicate and explain financial information to non-finance specialists.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building abilities.
• Strong networking capabilities that can be utilised for the benefit of the charity.
• Understanding of the legal duties and responsibilities of being a trustee and remit of the role.
• Ability to foster and promote a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to commit time to conduct the role well, including attending meetings and events out of office hours.

What difference will you make?

RefugeeEd is a small, dynamic grassroots organisation working with displaced communities. We have just completed our fourth year of operations and we’ve recently transitioned from a ‘micro’ to a ‘small’ charity. Previously, our activities have not required significant expenditure, but as we begin to proactively solicit donations and apply for grants as we seek to establish a reliable stream of income and move our operations beyond Greece and into other EU and non-EU countries, the Accounting and Finance Trustee will help ensure that accounts are well managed and we remain accountable to our donors and partners.

This is an exciting and challenging opportunity for someone who is interested in further developing his/her leadership and strategic skills and in-depth understanding of UK charity governance. The Accounting and Finance Trustee will be the lead on accounts, and so would have significant autonomy and responsibility within his/her area.

We are proud of our working relationships within the board, and between the board and the coordination team. We are critical, but also respectful, inclusive and friendly.

We welcome applications from people with characteristics that are often underrepresented on charity boards, including disabled people, women, people of colour, those who identify as LGBTQIA+, and young people. In particular, we strongly welcome applications from those who have lived experience as a refugee or asylum seeker.