Vacancies

School:

Royal Bilingual College Ndogbong

Job Title:

BURSAR

CAT:

C 2

Responsible to:

Proprietor

Key Relationships/

Liaison with:

Accountant, Principal, Proprietor

Job Purpose:

Responsible to the college board, the proprietor for the conduct of financial affairs, business management. To support teaching staff in meeting the academic, guidance, counselling and other needs of students by improving the quality of teaching and learning, thereby enabling all students to meet their full potential by providing a comprehensive and effective financial support service, and assisting in the provision of a comprehensive and effective administrative support service for all the Schools services.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Bursar supports the principal and the proprietor in the provision of all non-teaching aspects of the College, in order that the principal, through the teaching staff, can deliver the syllabus and a wide range of extra-curricular activities to the highest possible standards.  The Bursar reports directly to the proprietor and the accountant. The Bursar is the Chief Financial Officer of the College. 

The Bursar’s principal responsibilities derive from her roles as:

1.             Director of Finance and Business Planning.

2.             Director of Estates Management.

3.             Clerk to the proprietor.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES

The main responsibilities are as follows:

Director of Financial Management

As the Bursar, you will have overall responsibility for developing a financial strategy and managing the College’s financial resources so as to meet its aims and objectives that have been discussed and agreed with the proprietor and the accountant. The detailed day-to-day running of the College’s finances is delegated to the Bursar, but the Bursar retains overall responsibility for managing the following area of activity in consultation with the proprietor which includes:

·         Preparing the College’s business model with the proprietor.

·         General financial policy advice.

·         The preparation of the draft annual budget, including estimates of planned income and expenditure, in consultation with the Accountant and its submission for approval to the proprietor.

·         Preparing monthly management accounts (reporting actual and forecast variances against budgets) for the proprietor.

·         Presenting cash flow projections to the proprietor.

·         Preparing financial information for the proprietor in response to ad hoc requests and specific projects.

·         Managing the College’s investments in accordance with the strategy adopted by the proprietor.

·         Ensuring that proper books of account (including income and expenditure accounts, fees accounts, balance sheets and profit and loss accounts) are kept.

·         With the principal, the director of studies, scrutinizing departmental bids for all academic and support departments’ expenditure for the budget year.

·         Ensuring that all departments are aware of their budgetary responsibilities and that the proper processes of decision-making and good financial management are met.

·         Ensuring that value for money is obtained in the purchase of goods and services.

·         Managing and tendering for contracts for services that are outsourced. such as cleaning.

·         Financial management of capital and projects that have been endorsed by the proprietor.

·         Ensuring the payment of salaries, National Insurance, pension contributions and other statutory deductions.

·         Ensuring the collection of fee income and the review of fee debtors. Reporting debtors to the accountant and the proprietor.

·         Ensuring management of the College’s commercial and letting activities.

·         Ensuring that the College’s insurance coverage meets the requirements of the law.  Specifically, she should take professional the advice in order to ensure that the College has adequate insurance cover at all times in respect of employer’s liability, Proprietors’ liability, buildings and equipment cover, personal accident, travel and another relevant cover.

Site and Estates Management

The Bursar has responsibility for the daily management of Estates.  The Proprietor will supervise her work.

The supervision of the cantine is the Bursar’s responsibility.  The Bursar also supervises letting of College premises to external organisations, for the development of the extended services and local community requirements, and for ensuring that the appropriate leases, licences and insurance arrangements are in place.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• The Bursar shall participate in arrangements for her appraisal and in the identification of areas in which she would benefit from training, and shall undergo such training.
• The Bursar should keep abreast of developments in the administration of Colleges/Schools and, wherever possible, attend workshops and professional development courses.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

In particular, we are looking for, above the attributes normally expected, the following:

·         Committed team player with a collegiate and collaborative approach.

·         Someone who develops and maintains strong and positive relationships with the Proprietor, the Principal, other staff and parents.

·         Ability to contribute to the development of strategy and able to think beyond the current timeframes or business plan to influence the long-term strategic direction of the College.

·         Ability to maintain complex, accurate records relating to a wide range of financial issues.

·         Good standard of numeracy and literacy.

·         Cash handling and reconciliation skills.

·         Computer literate – sufficient to use databases, word processing and spreadsheet package, Email, Internet and Online ordering.

·         Fluent in both spoken and written English, French, Pidgin.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The Bursar’s tasks are wide-ranging and varied.  The post holder will be educated to degree level, ideally with a relevant professional qualification and be able to demonstrate strong financial and communication skills. 

The Bursar requires mature personal qualities to enable her to work successfully and in harmony with all members of staff, the Proprietor and outside agencies.  The Bursar must be intellectually strong and have first-class, presentation and people management skills.  A major requirement is the ability to create an atmosphere of trust and accord between the various functions of the College. 

The Bursar must be able to manage complex projects within strict budgets and demanding timetables. she must have the business acumen to view the business from varying perspectives in order to identify alternatives and assist the proprietor, the PR officer and the Principal to develop a vision of the College’s future.  The Bursar should have first-class planning and analytical skills with the ability to set up and prioritise short, medium and long term plans. The flexibility of management style and an ability to lead, motivate and influence are essential.  The post requires a considerable capacity for hard work, sustained effort and rapid changes of focus. 

The Bursar must be supportive of the ethos and principles of the College and understand the challenges facing lay private education.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT

Salary will be negotiable, subject to experience or value offer, recognising the degree of responsibility.

• The College will pay for the private medical scheme.
• The College will contribute a percentage of pensionable salary towards a pension scheme.
• Any child of the Bursar who, having satisfied the entry requirements, and at the Principals’ discretion, is admitted as a student to the College will receive the benefit of the staff discount of 50% remission of the College fees.
• Thirty days’ annual leave (including the College’s Christmas/New Year closure) plus public Holidays is available to be taken in the school holidays or such other times agreed with the principal that is convenient to the College.
• An offer of employment will be subject to a probation period of three months. During the probationary period employment will be subject to termination of two months on either side.  Thereafter, six months’ notice on either side is required.
• A relocation payment will be available subject to negotiation.
• Payment during a period of sickness will be no less favourable than that applied to our staff.
• Free meals will be provided throughout the year when the College’s cantine is open. 

This job description is neither final nor exclusive and the range of tasks may include anything the proprietor and accountant deem reasonable.