Covering Letter for Chief Accountant Job

							                                                                                   15 June 2010
Dear Applicant

Thanks for your interest in our Head of Finance (Freelance)

The Helplines Association is seeking a new Head of Finance (Freelance) as we embark
on our next stage of growth and development.

If you are a strategic thinker, have sound finance and business management
experience and are a qualified accountant with minimum 2 years post qualified
experience, we want to hear from you. You will have knowledge of developing
forecasting scenarios with sensitivitv analysis. You will be a good communicator who
can present financial information and concepts clearly to staff and trustees.

You will also be experienced in preparing charity statutory accounts.

I am pleased to enclose the following:
 Information on THA
 Job description and person specification
 Equal opportunities monitoring form

The contract will be for 52 days a year at approximately 1 day per week.

The Helplines Association works with helplines to achieve the highest quality response to all
those seeking information, advice and help on health, social welfare or educational issues via
telephone, email, SMS and internet-based services. We do this by promoting and developing
good practice, providing training and development services and a helpline-specific Quality
Standard.

To apply please send your CV with a covering letter and the Equal Opportunities monitoring
form addressed to Rekha Wadhwani to email address Andy.senft@helplines.org.uk . We
welcome applications from candidates with a disability, and will endeavour to make necessary
reasonable adjustments.

The recruitment timetable is as follows:
Closing Date          6 July 2010 at 12 noon
Interviews on         end July 2010
Start date            as soon as possible thereafter

If you would like to discuss the role informally, please contact me on 020 7089 6322 or by email
rekha.wadhwani@helplines.org.uk. I look forwarding to receiving your application.

Yours sincerely

Rekha Wadhwani
Chief Executive
The Helplines Association
Background information
www.helplines.org.uk

With the helplines in the news recently running an effective membership scheme has become a
top priority for The Helplines Association. It is vital that we continue to protect the general public
who make 30 million contacts to helplines as well as continue to promote the sterling work done
by our member helplines.

The Helplines Association (THA) is a registered charity in its 12th year of operation. It is the lead
service provider on matters relating to the provision of quality helpline services for the voluntary
and statutory sectors.

THA aims to:
 Be a recognised source of expertise on the establishment and operation of helpline services
 Offer services that enable helplines to provide services of the highest quality
 Maintain an association of telephone helplines
 Establish the THA Quality Standard as the preferred quality system for helplines
 Provide an independent source of assistance to callers
 Ensure its staff have the appropriate skills, support and resources to carry out the above

THA member helplines include most of the national helpline services (such as Samaritans,
Shelterline, ChildLine, NHS Direct and Cancerbackup) as well as many local and regional
services. Between them, our members handle over 30 million calls per year.

THA works with helplines to achieve the highest quality response to all those seeking
information, advice and help on health, social welfare or educational issues via the telephone
and other interactive technology such as email, SMS and internet based services. We do this by
providing:
 good practice guidelines
 a membership scheme
 a helpline-specific Quality Standard
 training and development services
and by working with other stakeholders including government departments, Ofcom and
telecoms providers.

Governance, management and funding

THA is a charity and company limited by guarantee. It is governed by its Memorandum and
Articles of Association adopted by the members on 18 May 1999 and amended 18 June 2009.

Membership of THA is open to non-profit organisations from the health, social welfare or
educational sectors using the telephone to deliver all or part of their services. The charity has its
registered office in London with another office in Glasgow. THA currently has almost 500
members, the majority being located within the UK but membership includes organisations
based in the Republic of Ireland, India and Australia.

THA is governed by trustees, who are all members of the Executive Committee. Trustees are
elected from the membership at the Annual General Meeting in October. Once a year staff and
trustees review and further develop the organisational strategic plan. The Executive Committee
members currently meet approximately every two months and consider operational reports and
membership applications from the Chief Executive and management team.

The Chief Executive is appointed by the trustees to manage the day to day operations of the
charity and to lead a team comprising:
 Head of Helplines Development Services
 Sector Development Officer (Communications)
 Sector Development Officer (Membership) (part-time)
 Development Officer (Quality Standard) (vacant)
 Office Manager
 Administrator/PA to Chief Executive
 Administrator (Training, Events and Database)
 Consultant / trainers (staff and freelance)
 Volunteers

Staff meetings are held approximately every month to inform staff of trustee and management
decisions / activities, discuss service developments and allow for peer sharing and review. The
availability of funding for infrastructure organisations has tended to be limited and therefore
fundraising efforts have been focused on generating income from the sales of goods and
services.

THA ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Member services
THA currently has almost 500 member (full voting, associate and honorary) organisations.
Services provided for members include:
 Reduced telephony costs using our unique Special Freephone Tariff scheme
 For helplines using freephone numbers, free calls from mobile networks
 Discounted prices on THA training, development services and Quality Standard
   assessments
 Special rates for Language Line interpreting service through THA membership
 A helpdesk for email and telephone advice and support

Special Freephone Tariff Scheme
THA has negotiated with major mobile networks to zero-rate a specific range of phone numbers.
These numbers can only be allocated to THA member helplines. Any caller calling any of these
numbers will not be charged for their phone call nor will it appear on their phone bill from the six
major mobile networks (O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Orange, 3 and Virgin). This is a very unique
arrangement made only on behalf of THA member helplines.
Helpline awards
For the past five years, with the generous support of BT, THA have been able to present
awards for innovative helpline practice and for the helpline volunteer of the year. The
helpline volunteer of the year award recognises the special contribution of volunteers on
helplines, and is voted for by THA Members and Associates.

Publications
In the last year, the THA has launched:
 Telephone Helplines Directory 2008/9, which contains details of over 1,000 helplines across
    the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
 Telephone helplines in a multi-channel environment, which provides good practice
    guidelines for services delivered by email, SMS, webchat and other channels
 Good Telephony Guide which reviews the range of telephone technologies now available
    and their operational and strategic application to the voluntary sector
Other publications include the Guidelines for Good Practice, the Quality Standard Workbook
and our e-newsletter Digital Exchange.

Advocacy, Campaigning and representation
THA continues to advocate and represent helplines with regulators and legislators. We have
close links with Ofcom, respond to consultations on various proposals, sit on the long-term
numbering strategy group (including the introduction of the geographic-rate 03- range). THA
has also been represented on stakeholder groups such as Contact Council’s Numbering
Strategy Group and the OfCom’s Consumer Forum for Communications.

Quality Standards
THA continues to provide accreditation against its own Quality Standard, the only accreditation
system specifically aimed at telephone helplines. We continue to encourage funders to provide
funding for Helplines seeking accreditation and to promote the standard as a badge of quality.
The Quality Standard is required of applicants by some helpline funders, including the Big
Lottery fund and the Department for Children, Schools and Families Parent-Know How
Innovation fund.

Training
THA has currently runs four training courses several times a year throughout the UK and
Republic of Ireland and also tailors these courses for specific clients to meet their needs. These
cover:

THA’s recent training clients include the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, the Irish
Cancer Screening Programme, Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, Smokefree Scotland and the
Welsh Domestic Violence Helpline.



Consultancy services
The range of projects demonstrates the continuing need for THA to provide specialist services
to helplines to aid the development of existing services and to assist with the setting up of new
services. Recent projects include:
 Working with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Capgemini to develop
    a common telephony platform for parenting helplines and to improve service delivery to
    consistent standards
 Working with the Department of Health and NHS Choices to develop a specification for a
    national multi-channel carers service
 Contributing to the Cabinet Office’s ChangeUp programme for the voluntary sector by
    improving the sector’s awareness of the strategic value of telephony
 Facilitating workshops with the Ministry of Justice to encourage more collaboration between
    helplines with overlapping audiences in order to provide a more streamlined experience for
    callers
 Designing and conducting a caller satisfaction survey for the Association for Spina Bifida
    and Hydrocephalus.




June 2010
                            Head of Finance (freelance)

                                      London

                                    £250 per day


An exciting opportunity has arisen to join THA as our Head of Finance as we embark
on our next stage of development. We are seeking an experienced accountant to
work with us on a freelance basis.



You will be a qualified accountant with minimum 2 years post qualified experience,
be a strategic thinker and have sound finance and business management
experience. Knowledge of preparing charity statutory accounts is essential. You will
have knowledge of developing forecasting scenarios with sensitivitv analysis. You
will be a good communicator who can present financial information and concepts
clearly to staff and trustees.



The Helplines Association (THA) is the UK umbrella body for not-for-profit helplines.
THA promotes quality and confidence for helpline users. Majority of THA income is
generated through the membership scheme, training and development services and
a quality standard.

The Helplines Association is an equal opportunities employer and committed to
diversity in the workplace.

How to apply:

For an informal discussion, contact Rekha Wadhwani, Chief Executive, by email
rekha.wadhwani@helplines.org.uk or by telephone 020 7089 6322. For further
information on our work and a role brief, please download the application pack from
our website www.helplines.org.uk

Application process:

Please forward your CV and equal opportunities monitoring form with a covering
letter, highlighting how you meet the person specification, addressed to Rekha
Wadhwani, Chief Executive by email to andy.senft@helplines.org.uk latest by noon
on 6 July 2010.

Closing date Tuesday 6 July 2010 (12pm noon)
                            The Helplines Association
                         Head of Finance (freelance) Brief

AIMS:

   To ensure that all financial information provided to the Chief Executive and
    Executive Committee is accurate and timely
   To ensure that The Helplines Association (THA) financial benefits and
    incentives, including pension contributions, are set up and implemented
   To support the Chief Executive and Executive Committee in strategic planning


MAJOR TASKS:

1. Prepare monthly management accounts, cash flow projections and forecasts,
   monitor financial results against budget and report any major deviations.

2. Support the Chief Executive in preparing finance information for meetings,
   reports and funding applications.

3. Carry out monthly reconciliations (e.g. bank, credit card, petty cash), prepare and
   submit VAT returns and ensure PAYE and pension payments are accurate and
   made on time. Salaries and PAYE contributions are made through an agency.

4. Establish and maintain systems for THA staff financial incentives and benefits, as
   agreed.

5. Ensure the proper management of funds, monitor and review financial systems
   and controls (making recommendations for improvement where necessary), and
   bring to the notice of the Chief Executive anything of concern with regard to
   financial matters.

6. Advise on cost savings and budget management and develop systems for full
   cost recovery on all services delivered.

7. Prepare draft statutory accounts in accordance with SORP and liaise with and
   respond to queries from auditors.

8. Prepare the annual budget and revise as necessary.

9. Lead on reviews as required and agreed with the Chief Executive.

10. Attend meetings of the Executive Committee and Finance sub committee as
    agreed. Both meetings are held every two months.

11. Support other THA staff in carrying out finance functions.

12. Carry out other appropriate duties as requested by the Chief Executive.
PERSON SPECIFICATION

1   Fully qualified accountant.

2   Minimum 2 years post-qualified experience of working in a working for an
    income generating charity or business environment.

3   Experience of developing and monitoring forecasting scenarios with sensitivitv
    analysis.

4   Experience of preparing and monitoring budgets and developing systems for full
    cost recovery.

5   Experience of conducting finance reviews and making recommendations for
    change.

6   Ability to manipulate data, generate reports, letters, invoices etc.

7   Ability to prioritise own work and work flexibly, unsupervised and as part of a
    team.

8   IT literate specifically experience of working with SAGE Line 50 version 2008
    financial software package, Microsoft Excel and MS Word.


TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1   The accountant will be contracted on an annual basis for 52 days a year at a
    daily rate of £250 per day (plus VAT if applicable). No other expenses will be
    paid.

2   The job will based at THA’s London office.

3   The work schedule will vary according to organisational demands and will be
    agreed with the Chief Executive, but it is expected to be approximately 1 day per
    week.

4   The post holder is expected to comply with THA’s policies and practices.

5   The post holder will report to the Chief Executive and will be supported by the
    Office Manager and Accounts Administrator.



June 2010
                   THE HELPLINES ASSOCIATION
                            Quality & confidence for helpline users

                       Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

You do not have to answer all the questions on this form, but doing so will help THA monitor
and develop our equal opportunities policies. This form will be separated from your
application and will not be used as part of your application.


Role applied for …………………………………………………………..

Gender (please tick)

   Female                                               Male


Ethnic Origin
How would you describe your ethnic origin? This means your cultural background and
identity, not necessarily your country of birth or nationality.

White          Mixed                         Asian/Asian British          Black/Black British
  British        White & Black Caribbean        Indian                       Caribbean
  Irish          White & Black African          Pakistani                    African
  Other          White & Asian                  Bangladeshi                  Other
                  Other                         Other

   Chinese/Chinese British
   Any other ethnic group (please specify)


Disability
Do you consider yourself to have a disability (please tick)?

   Yes                                                  No


Where did you see this post advertised?



     THA Mailing. Digital Exchange, website         CFDG

    Charity Job                                     ICAEW

   Agency (please specify)………..                     Other (please specify)………..



Thank you for taking the time to complete this form.