Join the team

Current vacancies:

Head of Finance and Resources

Salary: £60,000 (pro rata)

Benefits: Company pension (up to 8%), 35 days annual leave (pro rata), an employee assistance programme and learning and development opportunities.

Status: Permanent / Part-time (28 hours per week, flexible working options)

Closing date: 9am, Monday 21 July 2024

Location: Based in Edinburgh with the option to work hybrid

We’re on a journey to create fairer communities by facilitating 10 million social entrepreneurs globally by 2030. Do you want to help make this a reality?

We are looking for a qualified and experienced Finance professional to join our team and oversee the Finance & Resources Department within the business.

We’re looking for someone with a passion for social enterprise, a strong track record in financial management, and experience leading a multi-disciplinary team in a similarly sized organisation.  As well as the right qualifications, we value a mindset that ensures high-quality, rigorous financial oversight and creative thinking to support our future vision.

This is a pivotal time for the Academy.  Last year brought significant challenges — from economic pressures and public funding cuts to internal financial management issues.  With full Board support, we’ve taken decisive action: rebuilding our financial systems, restructuring to improve resilience, and implementing a recovery plan that’s already delivering results.

We’re pleased that our core funder, the Scottish Government, has renewed its support — a strong endorsement of our direction.  We’re also launching exciting initiatives to grow our impact and diversify income, including new work through our schools programme and fresh approaches to leadership learning in the social economy.

As Head of Finance & Resources, you’ll provide strategic leadership across finance, HR, Health & Safety, IT and office services.  You’ll ensure compliance, support governance and act as Company Secretary.  The role is key to driving long-term sustainability through robust financial planning, performance analysis and effective reporting.

Just as important as experience and skills is the right mindset. We know the best candidate might not tick every box — but if you bring the right attitude and a commitment to our mission, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership of the Finance & Resources Team to deliver on the Academy’s strategic goals and to ensure appropriate development of the Team
• Develop and regularly review the Academy’s short and long-term financial planning, budgets and forecasts with a focus on long-term sustainability.
• Management of financial accounting processes ensuring appropriate controls & compliance with statutory requirements, production of Statutory Accounts & management of the annual audit.
• Production of the monthly Management Accounts pack, analysis and insight including Income & Expenditure, Balance Sheet, monthly and weekly cash flow analysis, reporting to Board, Sub-Committees and Senior Leadership.
• Develop and maintain commercial pricing frameworks, critically appraise new project budgets and provide support to the bid process to improve income generation.
• Engage as an effective business partner at senior management and team level to challenge, identify risks and opportunities, drive performance management and improve decision-making.
• Review and advise on funder agreements, sales and supplier contracts to optimise commercial benefit and minimise financial risk for The Academy.
• Develop and maintain organisational policies across all areas of the Finance & Resources Department.
• Ensure accuracy and compliance in relation to payroll and pensions requirements
• Oversee the management of Human Resources services including the development of toolkits & business partnering to enable colleagues to manage teams effectively.
• Oversee the management of Health & Safety, Office and IT Services.
• Oversee all Company Secretary & GDPR requirements for The Academy including compliance with statutory responsibilities including the provision of EA services and administration to the CEO and Trustees.

For a full set of criteria and information on how to apply please download the recruitment pack.

Organisation profile:

At the Social Enterprise Academy, we believe social entrepreneurs play an essential role in changing the world.

We strengthen their role in local communities through transformational learning programmes that will increase their community impact.

Our programmes are accredited, responsive to learner needs, and are delivered by experienced facilitators who are social change leaders themselves.

Since 2004, we have delivered over 1,900 learning programmes to 28,000+ learners in over 30 countries. We have also engaged over 55,000 young people around the world, using social enterprise as a tool to help them reach their full potential and create positive change in their communities.

Application notes:

1. Send your CV and a cover letter in Word format outlining:
   • Why you are interested in the post and joining the Academy team.
   • The experiences, skills and qualities you have that match you with the post’s job description and person specification. along with a completed copy of our equality and diversity monitoring form (downloadable below) to seahr@socialenterprise.academy by 9am, Monday 21 July 2024
2. Please note that interviews will take place at our Edinburgh office on 30 July 2024

If you have any questions or if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments for the application or interview process e.g. application form in a different format or extra interview time please get in touch: Karen Veitch | 0131 243 2670| seahr@socialenterprise.academy

View the job pack

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form

Business Support Administrator

Salary: £23,000 (pro rata)

Benefits: Company pension (up to 8%), 35 days annual leave (pro rata), an employee assistance programme and learning and development opportunities.

Status: Permanent/ Part-time (17.5 hours per week, flexible working options)

Closing date: 9am, Monday 21 July 2025

Location: Based in Edinburgh with the option to work hybrid

We’re on a journey to create fairer communities by facilitating 10 million social entrepreneurs globally by 2030. Do you want to help make this a reality?

We are looking for a customer-focused, friendly, helpful and well-organised administrator to join our team.

At the Social Enterprise Academy, we don’t just deliver learning programmes. We create spaces where people can connect with who they are, discover what they’re capable of, and grow into the leaders their communities need.  We do that through transformational learning: immersive, reflective, and practical experiences that develop not just knowledge, but confidence and courage. Please read our manifesto – if it strikes a chord with you, we’d like to hear from you.

None of that is possible without the day-to-day administration at the Academy being taken care of.  Your role will ensure our own people feel supported.  We are looking for someone who will help us be the kind of workplace we strive to be — kind, efficient, and motivated to facilitate positive change in our communities.

Your role will make a valuable contribution to the Finance and Resources team, with a ripple effect across the wider Academy, through excellent communication and administrative efficiency. You will have opportunities to learn and support, as well as recommend process improvements and ways of working which enhance and strengthen business operations.

Having the right mindset, attitude and approach is as important for us as having the right experience and skills. We appreciate that the best person might not have all the listed criteria yet so if you feel your experience, skills and attitude will help you to make a great contribution in this role and you have the right mindset, we would welcome an application from you.

Job Purpose:

This role provides exceptional administrative and customer service support to the Finance and Resources team to enable the smooth running of office and infrastructure requirements for the Social Enterprise Academy’s operation. The post holder provides a range of support in relation to phone, email and mail correspondence, diary management, travel bookings, management of digital and physical record keeping and supporting with the management of suppliers. Additionally, the role will support the Academy’s leadership team with meeting preparations, minutes and administrative support for governance requirements.

As one of the first points of contact for external stakeholders, their efficiency and professionalism are vital in maintaining the reputation of the Academy.

Main Responsibilities:

• Support daily office operations, including maintaining office supplies, coordinating facility maintenance and communications with suppliers.
• Provide administrative support for ongoing services such as IT service contracts and landlord communications and support the procurement of current and new services where required.
• Maintain and organise digital and physical office records, in compliance with GDPR requirements
• Excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders, handling correspondence, phone calls, and emails professionally.
• Provide administrative assistance, including diary management and travel arrangement.
• Support with the arrangement of Leadership and Trustee meetings and team days, including collating papers, preparing agendas, IT preparation and taking minutes.
• Provide administrative support for a range of governance and statutory requirements.

For a full set of criteria and information on how to apply please download the recruitment pack.

Organisation profile:

At the Social Enterprise Academy, we believe social entrepreneurs play an essential role in changing the world.

We strengthen their role in local communities through transformational learning programmes that will increase their community impact.

Our programmes are accredited, responsive to learner needs, and are delivered by experienced facilitators who are social change leaders themselves.

Since 2004, we have delivered over 1,900 learning programmes to 28,000+ learners in over 30 countries. We have also engaged over 55,000 young people around the world, using social enterprise as a tool to help them reach their full potential and create positive change in their communities.

Application notes:

1. Complete the application form and the equality and diversity monitoring form (downloadable below)
2. Send your application form and equality and diversity monitoring form in Word document format to seahr@socialenterprise.academy by 9am, Monday 21 July 2025
3. Please note that interviews will be held at our Edinburgh office on 28 July 2022

If you have any questions or if you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments for the application or interview process e.g. application form in a different format or extra interview time please get in touch: Karen Veitch | 0131 243 2670| seahr@socialenterprise.academy

View the job pack

Download the application form

Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form