Accountant
Cuntasóir

Salary range: £37,181 – £38,296

Grade: Assembly Grade 6

Directorate: Corporate Services

Business Area/Office: Finance Office

Accountable to: Senior Accountant (Assembly Grade 5)

Accountable for: A small team of staff which may include Clerical Supervisors (AG7) and Clerical Officers (AG8)

Job Purpose

The Finance Office offers a range of financial services to the Assembly Commission, the Secretariat, Members and Parties.  In order to deliver these services, the Office is comprised of a number of teams. The Accountant (AG6) will have responsibility for a number of key functions within the Finance Office, including the supervision of a small team of book-keeping staff and accounting staff.  The Accountant (AG6) has responsibility for a range of functions including the oversight of accounts payable and accounts receivable teams, the preparation of monthly journals, trial balance reconciliations, VAT returns and monthly forecasting and variance analysis.  The Accountant (AG6) will assist the Senior Accountant with the preparation of the Interim and Annual Report and Resource Accounts and undertake the administration and maintenance of the computerised accounting systems.  The Accountant will be expected to work across a number of different functional areas.

Job Description:

The main duties and responsibilities of the post are:

• Supporting the Senior Finance Office Management Team in the effective management of the Finance Office and maintaining a positive working environment;
• Managing a team of staff to plan, organise, co-ordinate and monitor the provision of efficient and effective Financial Services to the Assembly Commission, managers, staff, Members and Parties;
• Supervising the weekly accounts payable processes for secretariat administration costs or Members claims and completion of the suppliers’ payment run;
• Preparing monthly prepayment and accrual journals;
• Assisting either of the Senior Accountants with producing monthly general ledger control account reconciliations. This includes but is not limited to reconciliations of the bank accounts, the net pay control accounts, pension liability control accounts and the VAT control accounts, by analysing transactions and investigating costing errors and unreconciled amounts;
• Administration of the monthly internal management accounting processes. This includes but is not limited to running the monthly budget reports and analysing expenditure and variances in advance of monthly meetings and where appropriate producing revised forecasts for inclusion in the management accounts considered by the Secretariat Management Group (SMG);
• Producing high quality, reliable, accurate and timely financial information for internal and external stakeholders. This includes monthly management accounts with detailed variance analysis;
• Assisting with the preparation of the Interim and Annual Report and Resource Accounts as required. This includes but is not limited to preparing and posting journals, analysing expenditure reports, reconciling balance sheet accounts and ensuring all postings and analysis are completed in a timely manner;
• Administration and maintenance of the financial accounting system and purchase ordering systems, including access control, updating financial tracking information and assisting the team with resolving queries, or assisting end users with operational issues.
• Line management of a small team of clerical supervisors and clerical officers;
• Providing a quality assurance role for the work of the team, ensuring information and guidance issued is accurate and complies with policies, current legislation or HMRC best practice;
• Managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements;
• Assisting with the preparation of FOI responses, by running reports, collating, analysing and verifying data held in the accounting system;
• Managing a number of key contracts, including but not limited to the insurance brokering contract, the banking contract, or software maintenance contracts.
• Maintaining an up-to date understanding of current public sector accounting requirements under the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) regime and ensuring continual professional development is undertaken for the qualifications noted below;
• Interpreting and applying a number of key corporate policies, ensuring guidance is up to date and that the policies are correctly applied by the team and claims are compliant. Assisting with policy development;
• Complying with all of the Assembly Commission’s staff policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work policies and procedures and all mandatory training requirements; and
• You may also be required to carry out other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.

Essential Criteria:

Applicants must, by the closing date for applications have:

1. Successfully completed the professional examinations and be a full current member of one of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies listed below:

• The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants;
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland;
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;
• The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; or
• The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
  
  

2. At least one years’ post* qualification experience of preparing financial or management accounts for a public, commercial or voluntary sector organisation in accordance with the IFRS regime as adopted for the UK
   
   
3. Experience using Microsoft Office packages, to include MS Word, Excel and Outlook.
   
   

Additionally, applicants should demonstrate experience of either 4(A) or 4(B);

4. A) At least one year’s experience of monitoring budgets and reporting on the allocation of resources for a public, commercial or voluntary sector organisation;

OR

     4. B) At least one years’ experience of maintaining and developing core IT financial and/or management accounting systems to assist with the monitoring of budgets and the reporting on the allocation of resources.

* “Post-qualification” experience will be deemed to have commenced from the date on which applicants are admitted to full membership of one of the professional bodies referred to at 1 above, having fully satisfied all the criteria for membership.

Shortlisting Criteria:

Should shortlisting be required, the following shortlisting criteria will be applied:

Experience of assisting in the development of policy including research and analysis of relevant best practice, legislation and case law.

Skills & Behaviours:

The following Assembly Skills and Behaviours will be assessed during the selection process:

Delivering a quality service

…is about providing a high-quality and efficient service to our customers. It is thinking ahead, managing resources effectively and delivering work on time and to a high standard. It is also using professional or technical expertise to enhance service delivery.  

Building relationships and effective communication

…is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.

Managing & Leading Self and Others

… is setting high standards for ourselves. It is about guiding, motivating and developing others to achieve high performance. It is about engaging others in delivering a corporate vision of excellence, expertise and innovation in support of the Assembly as a legislature.

Initiating improvement and delivering change

…is looking for and being open to new and innovative ideas and improvements to the service provided. It is being flexible and adapting positively and professionally to sustain performance when the situation changes, workloads increase or priorities change. It is about forming sound, evidence-based decisions and being accountable for results.