Carol Hawkins

Key Responsibilities:

To ensure the long-term financial health of community leisure provision while balancing public service delivery with commercial viability, achieved through:

• robust strategic financial planning
• charitable and statutory compliance
• operational budget management
• evaluating investment opportunities for capital projects, facility upgrades, and new commercial activities for risk and return.

Key achievements:

• Streamlined financial operations by installing efficient budgeting systems and templates.
• Improved cash flow management to keep day-to-day operations steady.
• Produced accurate monthly reporting and supported better management decisions.
• Built strong relationships with external auditors to keep audits running smoothly.
• Reviewed and updated finance procedures to improve day-to-day practice.
• Maintained best-practice controls, policies, and assurance for trust sustainability.
• Developed strong relationships with key stakeholders and Board of Trustees
• Managed large supplier contracts, procurement frameworks, and value-for-money exercises
• Developed, mentored and led the internal finance team and supported non-financial facility managers through local budget control.

Key responsibilities:

· To provide operational leadership, financial management, support and advice to the 12 individual academies within the region

· To be a significant member of the senior finance team and contribute to the Trust decision making process

· To lead on financial planning, budgetary control and internal and external audit processes

· To be accountable for the effective management of the region’s financial resources and the provision of technical expertise on financial and commercial matters to the senior management team and local academy governing bodies

· To provide coaching, guidance and support to staff within academies, particularly those with financial responsibility

· To support with opportunities to expand the number of academies within the Trust and carry out financial due diligence for potential new academies

Key achievements:

· built, developed and managed a stable and effective finance team in the Stoke area

· led on the implementation and roll out of new budgeting software across the Trust

· built excellent working relationships across the region with Head Teachers, Academy Governors and other key stakeholders

· acted as finance lead on the onboarding of 3 new academies in Stoke, plus led on the development of a pre-opening 3 year Business Plan for a new free school academy, due to open in September 2024.

· led on the development of all regional academies’ 3 year business plans, and delivered to extremely tight deadlines in exceptionally economically challenging times.

Key responsibilities:

· To lead the preparation of monthly management & annual statutory accounts

· To work closely with the FD to prepare financial reports for Board & SLT

· To manage and co-ordinate annual budget and re-forecast processes

· To work closely with business partners and key stake holders

· Preparation & submission of quarterly VAT returns (partial exemption)

· To manage finance team and work closely with business management team

· To manage and oversee the purchase and sales ledgers (Sage 200c)

Key achievements:

· Facilitate improved efficiency of monthly financial reporting and all financial processes

· Build positive and effective relationships with business partners and stakeholders

· Manage smooth running of year end process and highly successful external audit

· Improve processes of data integration between financial systems

Key responsibilities:

· Managing the VAT team and workflow, ensuring all work is carried out to deadline

· Reviewing work, supervising and mentoring junior members of the team

· Resolving more complex VAT issues

· Preparation of statutory accounts, corporation tax and personal tax returns

· Bookkeeping and management accounts for a range of key clients

Key achievements:

· Facilitate improved practice efficiency through introduction of a work flow management system

· Improve processes within the VAT department to ensure deadlines are always met and improved workflows