Clerical Supervisor- Finance, Maoirseoir Cléireachais - Airgeadas,

Job Title:Clerical Supervisor – Finance

Salary:£30,886 – £31,953

Grade:Assembly Grade 7

Directorate:Corporate Services

Business Area/Office:Finance Office

Accountable to:Assistant Assembly Clerk – Finance

Accountable for:Clerical Officer/s

Job Purpose:

The Finance Office offers a range of financial services to the Assembly Commission, Members of the Legislative Assembly (Members) and Political Parties.  In order to deliver these services, the Finance Office is comprised of a number of integrated teams. 

The Members Financial Services team is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2016, as amended by the Assembly Members (Salaries and Expenses) (Amendment) Determination (Northern Ireland) 2020 (the ‘Determination’).  The Determination provides financial assistance to Members, supporting them as they carry out their functions as a Member. 

The team is also responsible for the administration of The Financial Assistance for Political Parties Scheme 2016 (the ‘FAPP Scheme’), which offers financial support to Parties as they assist Members in undertaking these functions.  The Clerical Supervisor – Finance works as part of the team to administer payments to Members and Parties under the provisions of the legislation.

Job Description:

The main duties and responsibilities are:

Accounts Payable Duties:

• Reviewing all incoming correspondence and claims and prioritising them for payment or resolution;
• Setting up new suppliers, reconciling supplier accounts, correcting discrepancies and resolving queries in a timely manner;
• Checking claims to ensure they are coded correctly and that they meet the admissibility criteria of the Determination or FAPP Scheme;
• Ensuring adherence to the provisions of the Determination or FAPP Scheme in terms of funding allowances by monitoring spend against budgets and reporting to managers, Members or Parties if expenditure is forecasted to exceed legislative allowances;

Using Technology:

• Using electronic systems to make payments and to produce accurate reports on Members or Party expenditure to assist with budgeting or for audit purposes;
• Effectively using Microsoft Office and bespoke internal Assembly Commission software systems to make payments; and to prepare, produce and present documentation including letters, reports or memos etc;

Working Relationships:

• Managing and developing individual staff members or a small team by checking claims for accuracy ensuring payments are made within the agreed timeframes;
• Developing and maintaining effective working relations with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including Members, Members’ and Party support staff;
• Attending meetings with Members, minute taking and capturing actions/notes and proactively following up on actions to ensure timely delivery;
• 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;

Managing information:

• Providing guidance and assistance to Members, their staff or Party staff on the administration of the Determination or FAPP Scheme and the payment processes to be followed;
• Drafting correspondence and ensuring that work is accurate and presented in a corporate format;
• Collating and preparing information for meetings with Members, senior management or auditors in a timely manner;
• Researching and preparing accurate and timely information to be used in the drafting of audit papers, administration guidance or in responding to Freedom of Information Requests;
• Managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements; and
• Carrying out other duties that the Assembly Commission requires of you.

Essential Criteria:

Applicants must, by the closing date for applications have at least four years’ experience of working in an Accounts Payable or Book-keeping role and specifically:

(a) Undertaking a wide range of accounts payable services ensuring compliance and governance controls are followed;

(b) Using effective and verbal and written communication skills to provide advice and support on procedures and policies to stakeholders or to assist non-financial budget managers with budgeting and monitoring expenditure;

(c) Developing and maintaining effective working relationships with key stakeholders, both within and outside of your organisation to deliver a quality Accounts Payable or Book-keeping service;

(d) Planning and organising workload using own initiative to deliver high quality work to tight deadlines, ensuring speed, accuracy and attention to detail are maintained;

(e) Contributing to the management of resources e.g. people or finance including planning, monitoring and evaluation;

(f) Effectively using Microsoft Office packages, to include MS Word, Outlook and Excel as well as an Accounts Payable or Book-keeping systems to produce accurate and timely management information and prepare Finance related documents.

Please note the successful applicant will be required to complete the Accounts Payable Association Technician certification process following completion of the probationary period and within 2 years of appointment.  Further opportunities to study for the Association of Accountants Technicians Foundation Certificate in Book-keeping will be offered to the successful applicant.

Shortlisting Criteria

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

(a) One years’ experience of managing individual staff members or a team of staff within an Accounts Payable or Book-Keeping function, to ensure the quality, accuracy and timeliness of work.

Skills and Behaviour:

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.

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.