Deputy Director of Finance, Financial Accounting and Control

Founded in 1837, the Royal College of Art is the world's largest community of postgraduate art and design students. It is also the oldest art and design university in continuous operation and has been ranked as the world's number 1 art & design university for a remarkable nine consecutive years, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023 - the largest worldwide survey of academic and industry opinion.

The RCA is research-led, and recognised in the UK-wide REF (Research Excellence Framework) as the UK's most research-intensive institution - with an increased proportion of the College's outputs classed as 'internationally excellent' and 'world-leading' in the most recent REF assessment of 2022.

Over 2,700 students are spread across four schools, studying at Graduate Diploma, MA, MPhil, MRes and PhD levels, with plans for this to rise to 3,300 by 2027. The College's mix of professionalism and creative freedom, together with its renowned academic community and rigorous academic framework provides the ecosystem in which students flourish and achieve their highest potential.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Circa £85,000 plus excellent benefits London (hybrid working 3 days a week in the office)

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you will play a key role in driving continuous improvement, efficiency and enhanced student and staff experience of the Finance function's operational services, actively reviewing processes, controls, and the use of technology to maximise operational efficiency and value-for-money (VfM). Ensuring finance becomes more focused on the customer.

Your key duties will include:

Delivering a successful year end and acting as the key liaison between the external auditors and RCA.

Supporting the development and delivery of the RCA's financial strategy so it enables the College's 2022-27 Strategy as well as the College's longer-term financial sustainability.

Responsible for delivering an effective transactions service for RCAs customers including payments and collections.

Overseeing the investments and treasury function for the College , providing timely reporting and information for investors and third parties.

Ensuring all regulatory returns and other mandatory requirements are met by RCA including monitoring, and developing controls, ensuring compliance with financial regulations.

Leading a team that is both performance and delivery focused.

THE SUCCESSFUL  APPLICANT

You must be a fully qualified accountant with strong communication and leadership skills gained managing diverse teams. It is essential that the new incumbent has extensive experience delivering a successful year end and audit process with a strong interest in process and systems improvements.

This is an organisation that has a clear vision and route to achieve its goals, with the financial capability and the ambition to experience significant growth in the coming years. Some experience working in the higher education or for exposure to the education or wider not for profit sector would be beneficial.

The Royal College of Art is an equal opportunities employer. The College particularly welcomes applications from all sections of the community and would particularly encourage members of minority groups to apply.

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