Job Description

Job title


Financial Controller


Job reference


REQ002967


Date posted


30/11/2025


Application closing date


18/01/2026


Location


Paignton


Salary


50,666 to 56,545 per annum


Package


Plus Excellent Benefits


Contractual hours


37


Basis


Full Time


Job category/type


Management


Attachments



Blank
Job description

Financial Controller

SH2967

Salary: 50,666 to 56,545 per annum, plus excellent benefits

Contract Type: 37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year. Permanent.

Location:

Paignton, Devon



South Devon College has a new and exciting opportunity to join the Finance & Payroll team as Financial Controller.



If you have high professional standards with commitment to an outstanding ethos including personal integrity, transparency, honesty and commitment to fairness and equality, then this role could be for you!



Working closely with and reporting directly to the Senior Director of Finance, and deputising in their absence, this role provides day-to-day leadership of the Finance & Payroll Team for the College (Monthly budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting including Management Accounts, Year End, Financial internal and external Audits, Sales & Purchase Ledgers, Payroll, financial controls etc), setting high standards of customer service and supporting the Senior Director of Finance in delivering the College's financial strategy whilst delivering an accurate and timely forecasting and reporting. Your role will be to provide excellent financial support to budget holders, ensuring financially sustainable and viable delivery of education and training supporting highest quality teaching and learning. The role will also contribute to the strategic planning of the college, aligning financial goals with educational objectives.



The successful candidate will be educated to degree level/equivalent qualification or possess equivalent relevant experience. You will hold a Professional Accounting Qualification and have experience of leading multidisciplinary finance teams, including payroll and transactional processing, in an organisation of comparable scale.



At South Devon College we are passionate that excellent teaching and learning can transform lives. We seek to achieve at the highest levels and welcome staff who share our drive for success.



In return, you can expect access to an exciting range of training, apprenticeship and opportunities for degree level study alongside your work to keep you at the top of your game, as well as generous holiday allowance of 35 days (pro rata) and a strong emphasis on work-life balance.



The staff at South Devon College are truly inspirational and this is a reflection on the whole College culture of continuous improvement and support for all of our students and communities. We hold the prestigious Investors in People (IIP) Platinum accreditation, the highest level awarded by the people management standard. This prominent distinction confirms the College's status as not just a leading Further Education College, but also as a top employer in the country, as it joins the top 7% of accredited organisations across the UK.



We aim to provide our learners with excellent teaching and learning. Our staff are highly adept at working with and developing skills and knowledge in learners from different backgrounds. Our staff have consistently high expectations of all students and generate high levels of enthusiasm for participation in, and commitment to learning.



Our staff are integral to maintaining our passion and high-performance levels, and we reward our staff for this. Our benefits are designed to encourage a healthy work-life balance, and include:


35 days annual leave 1 additional day's holiday for your birthday (does not have to be used on your birthday); 1 additional day's holiday for every 5 years served; Christmas Closure of up to 2 weeks in addition to annual leave entitlement; Access to a wealth of training, apprenticeships and funded higher education opportunities as well as dedicated training days; Local Government Pension Scheme Employer pension contributions of 18% Hybrid and flexible working patterns; Subsidised fitness suite facility, onsite hair and beauty salon, access to a wide range of catering facilities, outdoor gym and free eyesight tests; Major supermarket and high street employee discount schemes; Life Assurance (if member of pension scheme); On Site Nursery (Mama Bears); Employee Assistance Programmes; Access to Blue Light Card membership; Discounted travel schemes.

Closing Date: Midnight, Sunday 18

th

January 2026.

Interview Date: Friday 23rd

January 2026.

To apply and for a full job description please visit the Jobs page of the South Devon College website www.southdevon.ac.uk/jobs.

Please do NOT send CVs, we only accept applications via the relevant form on our dedicated recruitment website.

If you have any questions relating to the role, please contact Denise Acton - Senior Director of Finance at deniseacton@southdevon.ac.uk.



We offer hybrid and flexible working patterns and welcome applications from people who wish to apply using these options.



Please note that you will be required to be in possession of an Enhanced DBS Certificate or be willing to undertake an Enhanced DBS check as a condition of employment at the College.



This College is committed to Safeguarding/Prevent and promoting the welfare of students, including children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.



The College is committed to applying its Single Equality Scheme at all stages of recruitment and selection. Shortlisting, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, transgender status, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion/belief, age, pregnancy or maternity leave, or union membership.



Reasonable attempts will be made to accommodate the particular needs of any candidate who has notified us of a disability. This may include changing the timing or location of any interview to enable the candidate to attend, providing information in different formats or larger type, etc.



This College is committed to Safeguarding/Prevent and promoting the welfare of learners, including children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.



This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare any cautions, convictions, reprimands and final warnings that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020).