Treasurer - Inkpots Youth Mentoring

Treasurer - Inkpots Youth Mentoring

Posted for Inkpots Mentoring

Posted by Mid Sussex Voluntary Action

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Inkpots Youth Mentoring provides one-to-one and group mentoring and personal development programmes for young people age 10 to 18 across Mid Sussex. We help young people feel safe, heard and included, so they can build confidence and skills as they move into young adulthood.

We are a young charity with an ambitious growth plan: new school partnerships, a new brand, a wider board of trustees and a youth committee is at the heart of our governance. Our values — fairness, balance, consistency, respect and clarity — shape not just how we work with young people, but how we run the organisation itself, including how we look after its money.

The Treasurer is a trustee of Inkpots Youth Mentoring with lead responsibility for the charity's financial health. You will make sure our money is properly accounted for, that trustees understand and can act on our financial position, and that we meet our legal and regulatory duties as a CIO. In a small, growing charity, this is a genuinely hands-on role: part financial guardian, part translator, helping the board and our CEO make good decisions with clear information.

Inkpots has recently secured grant funding from Clarion Housing, Mid Sussex District Council and Sussex Community Foundation alongside a live pipeline of other funding applications. We have plans for a vibrant autumn, with a new brand, new trustees and the launch of our youth committee. Good financial oversight and cash flow management are essential to delivering this safely. A Treasurer joining us now will help build strong foundations as the charity moves from a founder-led start-up into a more established organisation.

What skills do I need?

Main responsibilities

• Oversee the charity's financial affairs, ensuring they are legal, constitutional, and in line with charity accounting practice and the Charities SORP where relevant.

• Work with the CEO to monitor cash flow, including grant income, restricted funds and staff salary costs, and flag risks early.

• Lead the preparation of annual budgets for board approval, and track actual income and spending against them.

• Present clear, jargon-free financial reports at board meetings, so all trustees — whatever their financial background — can understand the charity's position and ask good questions.

• Ensure proper financial records and controls are in place: bank reconciliation, expense approval, restricted vs unrestricted fund tracking, and record-keeping for audit or independent examination. Please note we use Xero for day-to-day management.

• Oversee preparation of the annual accounts and their submission to the Charity Commission, working with an independent examiner or accountant as needed.

• Advise the CEO and board on the financial implications of new funding, contracts or partnerships, including restricted grant conditions.

• Help develop and maintain financial policies proportionate to our size, such as reserves, expenses and financial controls.

• Act as a source of financial reassurance and challenge for the CEO, who currently carries day-to-day financial administration alongside running the charity.

What we're looking for

Essential:

• A sound understanding of financial management, budgeting and reporting, gained through professional, voluntary or personal experience.

• Ability to explain financial information clearly to people without a finance background.

• Comfortable working with a small, founder-led charity where systems are still developing, and happy to help build them rather than expecting them ready-made.

• A commitment to the values of Inkpots Youth Mentoring: fairness, balance, consistency, respect and clarity.

• Willingness to act as a trustee, with the legal duties and collective responsibility that involves.

Desirable:

• A recognised accountancy or bookkeeping qualification, or equivalent experience.

• Previous experience of charity or not-for-profit finance, including restricted funds and grant reporting.

• Experience or interest in youth work, mentoring, or the education/voluntary sector in Mid Sussex.

Location

This opportunity can be carried out whilst working from home.