Finance Officer

Responsable de Finanzas (Job Listing in Spanish)

We are excited to be hiring a Finance Officer to join the IWGB. We encourage applications from anyone who is enthusiastic and wants to support precarious workers.

Who we are

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is a bold and dynamic union which consists of mainly low paid, migrant and/or precarious workers, such as outsourced cleaners and security guards, workers in the so-called “gig economy”, such as cycling instructors and Uber drivers, and foster care workers.

The role

The role is permanent for 28 hours per week and these can be worked flexibly M-F. There may be some requirement to attend evening meetings on occasion and where this is the case TOIL is provided. This role can be worked either remotely, from our London Office in Bethnal Green, or a hybrid of the two. We are open to discussing a mutually beneficial working pattern with the right candidate.

Duties will include:

Oversight & guidance

• Maintain general oversight and day-to-day responsibility of Union and Branch accounts, budgets and cash flow in coordination with Senior Officials
• Maintain regular communication with Senior Officials to ensure they are well informed at all times regarding the financial status of the Union and Branches and well supported to make strategic financial decisions.
• Coordinate with the Treasurer and auditors to ensure that the Union is in good standing with HMRC & Certification Officer and all year end financial tasks are completed.
• Support Senior Officials with strategic financial decisions and planning through the analysis and interpretation of financial data.
• Provide training, support and guidance to branch Treasurers to undertake their roles and responsibilities.
• Review and implement/improve systems and procedures to ensure the efficient and effective running of the union financial operations
  
  

Administration & bookkeeping

• Track, record and reconcile all financial transactions using Xero finance software
• Calculate membership subscriptions owed to branches and effect their payments in a timely manner
• Calculate and request monthly salaries from branches
• Respond to routine financial queries such as paying invoices, expenses and providing estimates
• Administer monthly payroll using Xero finance software and sending monthly pension reports to Now: Pensions
• Liaise with colleagues to monitor grants and ensure that grant money is being spent appropriately
• Assist the Legal department with budget management
• Administer the finances of any branch of the union where the post of treasurer is vacant
  

Budgeting & Reporting

• Prepare annual Union budgets and undertake quarterly reviews and re-forecasts in collaboration with Senior Officials
• Prepare and present monthly and quarterly budget reports and forecasts for the Central Union in collaboration with Senior Officials
• Monitor branch funds, working closely with branch Treasurers, including supporting with branch budgets, strike funds, financial forecasts, and meeting on a monthly or bi-monthly basis
• Provide reports for the Executive Committee and Board of Advisors and prepare a financial summary and forecast for the AGM as directed by the Treasurer
• Provide the financial section of reports to grant funders
• Work with external accountants to produce yearly accounts for submission to the Certification Officer
  

Any other duties consistent with the role

Person specification

We are interested in receiving applications from individuals with a passion and commitment for social justice, the trade union movement and human rights. Even if you do not meet all the criteria below, we are happy to consider transferable skills and experience which individuals could bring to the role.

Essential

Essential - We expect the successful candidate to:

• Have previous experience in a comparable role OR have a qualification in accounting OR be in the process of obtaining or be willing to obtain a qualification in accounting
• Have experience working with Xero Financial software
• Have excellent communication skills
• Have a demonstrated ability to self-organise and be able to prioritise a busy workload
• Have experience working as part of a team and can demonstrate the ability to work with a wide range of personalities and working styles.
• Have a demonstrated commitment for social justice, the trade union movement and human rights
  

Desirable

Desirable - it would be advantageous for the successful candidate to:

• Have experience of working with a board of trustees, voluntary committee members or similar
• Have experience of presenting financial reports to audiences that may have a limited understanding of finances.
• Be Spanish speaking
  

Pay and annual leave

• Annual salary of £29,393.00 (35 hours per week) prorated to £23,514.40 (28 hours per week); salary will be adjusted in line with any London Living Wage uplifts.
• Generous leave entitlement of 30 days annual leave per year not including bank holidays (prorated for part time staff)
• We believe in pay parity so everyone at IWGB earns the same hourly rate of pay

Benefits

• Flexibility around working patterns and hours
• Hybrid working options (dependant on position)
• High employer pension contributions: 6% employee-paid and 13% employer-paid pension
• Equal maternity and paternity pay enhancements for parents

How to apply:

You can download an application form from the ‘Work with us’ page of our website. Please send your completed application form with the subject “Finance Officer job application” to applications@iwgb.co.uk by 12 noon on Monday, 15th of April 2024.  Please let us know in your email where you have seen our advertisement so we can improve our hiring processes.

Who is the IWGB?

Founded in August of 2012, the IWGB now consists of 12 branches. The branches are highly autonomous and lead on campaigning for better pay and conditions in their industry. IWGB campaigns are known for being bold, vibrant, loud and effective. In addition to campaigning, the IWGB’s Legal department is also highly active, providing representation on a range of employment matters such as disciplinary processes, grievances, private hire licensing, and employment tribunals. The IWGB organises social events for members, Spanish and English classes, and holds regular meetings where members can engage and feed into policy. We are a democratic organisation with all officials being regularly elected.

As an organisation that fights for workers’ rights, we strongly believe no applicant or employee should face discrimination or harassment based on their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability status, age, or marital/domestic partner status. You can read more in the IWGB Statement of Inclusivity. Please let us know if you have any requirements for interview.

Above all, we’re looking for someone with empathy and the determination to support workers who fight for better conditions.

The interview process:

We like to be open and up front with what our hiring process looks like so people know what to expect. Please see below the typical steps in our recruitment process.

Review candidates

Once the advertisement has been taken down, a shortlist of candidates will be selected by the hiring committee to proceed to the next steps. All candidates will be informed of their application outcome within two weeks of the closing date, whether or not they’re proceeding to the next stage.

Remote interviews

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed via Zoom by a panel of IWGB elected officials and/or staff. Candidates will be interviewed by the same panel to ensure consistency.  Candidates may be asked to undertake a competency based assessment as part of the interview process.

Following these interviews, it is possible that there will be a second stage of interviews.

Offer stage

The hiring committee will convene with the goal of selecting and making an offer to one of the candidates. We will offer feedback to people who were interviewed but not selected.