Application Guide

How to Apply for Finance and Accounts Officer (Remote, UK)

at Social Tech Trust

🏢 About Social Tech Trust

Social Tech Trust is a UK foundation that uniquely combines charitable grant-making with venture investment, supporting tech-driven solutions to social and environmental challenges. By sharing infrastructure with Social Tech Ventures, an independent early-stage fund, it offers a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of philanthropy and impact investing.

About This Role

This part-time, remote role is the financial backbone of two entities, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations from bookkeeping to grant tracking and fund administration. Your work directly enables both a charitable trust and a venture fund to focus on their missions, making this a high-impact position for someone who enjoys detail-oriented finance in a mission-driven environment.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start by processing supplier invoices and coding them to the correct entity and cost centre, then running a payment run. Mid-morning, you could reconcile bank statements for both the Trust and the Fund, followed by updating a grant tracking spreadsheet. After lunch, you might prepare a VAT return, respond to an auditor's query, and update the obligations calendar for upcoming deadlines.

🎯 Who Social Tech Trust Is Looking For

  • Has recent hands-on bookkeeping experience, specifically managing invoices, payments, reconciliations, and VAT in a multi-entity or multi-fund setting.
  • Is highly proficient in Excel and comfortable with complex spreadsheets, intercompany recharges, and restricted fund tracking.
  • Thrives on managing competing deadlines and can independently maintain an obligations calendar for audit, payroll, and reporting.
  • Has experience with charity finance, grant accounting, or investment fund administration (desirable but not required).

📝 Tips for Applying to Social Tech Trust

1

Highlight specific experience with multi-entity bookkeeping, e.g., managing separate ledgers for a charity and a fund, and how you ensured accurate intercompany transactions.

2

Demonstrate your Excel skills by mentioning advanced functions (e.g., VLOOKUP, pivot tables) and how you've used them to streamline reconciliations or reporting.

3

Show your organizational skills by describing how you've managed a calendar of financial deadlines (e.g., VAT returns, month-end close, audit) across multiple entities.

4

Tailor your CV to mention any experience with restricted funds, grant tracking, or investment fund administration, even if in a volunteer capacity.

5

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your values to Social Tech Trust's mission of using tech for social good, and explain why you want to work in the social impact sector.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Emphasize your ability to handle the complexity of two entities with separate accounting needs, including intercompany recharges and restricted fund tracking.', 'Highlight your meticulous attention to detail and how it ensures accuracy in reconciliations and compliance with charity and fund regulations.', 'Show your proactive approach to managing deadlines and coordinating with external accountants and auditors.', 'Express genuine interest in the social impact sector and how your financial skills can support tech ventures addressing social and environmental challenges.']

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • Explore Social Tech Trust's current portfolio of tech ventures and their social/environmental impact to understand the mission behind the numbers.
  • Read about Social Tech Ventures' investment thesis and how it differs from the Trust's grant-making activities.
  • Familiarize yourself with UK charity accounting regulations (e.g., SORP) and how they apply to restricted funds.
  • Review any recent annual reports or financial statements of both entities to understand their scale and financial structure.
Visit Social Tech Trust's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk me through how you would set up and maintain a multi-entity bookkeeping system for a charity and a venture fund, including intercompany recharges.
2 Describe a time you managed a complex reconciliation or a tight reporting deadline across multiple funds or cost centres.
3 How do you stay organized when juggling competing priorities like supplier payments, grant tracking, and month-end close?
4 Explain your experience with VAT returns for a charity or a fund, and any nuances you've encountered.
5 Why are you interested in working for a foundation that combines grant-making with venture investing, and how does your financial background align with our mission?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't overlook the part-time nature and remote setup; ensure you can commit to the required hours and have a dedicated workspace.
  • Avoid generic finance roles without mentioning multi-entity or restricted fund experience, as this is critical for the role.
  • Don't neglect to show your passion for social impact; this is a mission-driven organization, and they want someone who cares about the cause.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Social Tech Trust!