Support with book keeping /Accounts

What will you be doing?

Pearls Project is looking for an experienced Bookkeeping, Accounts & Payroll Volunteer to help us manage the finances of our small and growing women's charity.

As we develop as an independent charity, we want to make sure we have good financial systems in place from the beginning. We're looking for someone who can provide practical, hands-on support with our regular bookkeeping, accounts and payroll, while also helping us use our financial information to plan and manage our work well.

Depending on your experience, the role could include:

• Maintaining accurate bookkeeping records in line with Charity Commission Expectations.
• Recording and categorising income and expenditure.
• Completing bank reconciliations.
• Managing records relating to restricted and unrestricted funds.
• Supporting payroll and maintaining appropriate payroll records.
• Supporting invoices, payments, expenses and other financial administration.
• Keeping clear financial records for grants and funded projects.
• Helping us develop organisational and project budgets.
• Supporting financial forecasts and helping us understand future income and costs.
• Monitoring actual income and expenditure against budgets.
• Helping develop realistic budgets for funding applications.
• Supporting financial monitoring and reporting for funders.
• Producing straightforward financial information and reports for trustees.
• Helping prepare the information needed for annual accounts and charity reporting.
• Advising us on practical financial processes and controls appropriate for a small charity.

We're looking for approximately 4–8 hours per month, although there is flexibility depending on the skills you bring and the needs of the organisation.

This role can be carried out largely remotely, with opportunities to meet and work with the Pearls team in Liverpool.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for someone who is experienced, reliable and confident in bookkeeping and financial administration.

For this role, practical financial experience is important. We're particularly looking for someone who:

• Has good bookkeeping and accounting knowledge and practical experience.
• Has experience of payroll or is confident supporting payroll processes.
• Understands bank reconciliation, income and expenditure, invoices, expenses and maintaining accurate financial records.
• Has an understanding of charity finance and the particular accounting and reporting needs of charities.
• Understands restricted and unrestricted funds and the importance of accurately recording grant expenditure.
• Has experience of creating budgets, financial forecasts and monitoring income and expenditure against them.
• Can support the development of project and funding application budgets.
• Can produce clear and useful financial information for a small team and trustees.
• Has excellent attention to detail and works accurately.
• Is organised, reliable and able to meet agreed deadlines.
• Can work independently and take responsibility for agreed financial tasks while reporting back effectively.
• Communicates clearly and can explain financial information to people who may not have a finance background.
• Understands confidentiality and the importance of handling financial and personal information appropriately.

Experience working with a charity or voluntary organisation would be particularly valuable. A bookkeeping or accounting qualification would be welcome, although relevant practical experience and a good understanding of charity finance are equally important to us.

Pearls is a small organisation, so we're looking for someone who can work efficiently and proportionately rather than creating unnecessary processes.

Our values and way of working run throughout the organisation. Compassion, Connection and a relational approach are important in how we work with women, our team, volunteers, trustees and partners. We're looking for someone who can bring their professional skills while also understanding and working within the values and approach of Pearls Project.

What difference will you make?

Pearls is a small charity with a growing team, volunteer community and range of activities. As we grow, having accurate financial records and straightforward, reliable financial systems is increasingly important.

Your support will help us manage our day-to-day finances well, understand our financial position and make sure trustees have the information they need to make good decisions.

Good financial information will also help us plan for the future. You'll support us to develop realistic budgets and financial forecasts, understand the costs of running and developing our work, and monitor actual income and expenditure against our plans.

This will also strengthen our ability to secure and manage funding. Having accurate financial information will help us create realistic budgets for funding applications, understand what we need to fund, monitor spending against individual grants and provide clear financial information to funders when required.

As a charity, we need to clearly account for how different sources of funding are used, including grants and restricted funds, and meet our responsibilities around payroll, accounts and financial reporting.

Having someone with the right skills supporting this area will also reduce the amount of specialist financial work being managed by our small staff and trustee team, allowing them to focus more of their time on supporting women, volunteers and developing Pearls.

We're a small organisation, so we're not looking for complicated systems. Your experience will help us develop financial processes that are accurate, efficient and proportionate, while giving us the financial information we need to plan, grow sustainably and make the best use of the funding available to us.

Most of all it will help us to continue supporting more women well!

Anything else...

We would ask for a commitment of a minimum of 1 year, to ensure consistency during our transition into a new CIO that is happening currently (Spinning off from an umbrella charity). Please ask if unsure.