Accounts Payable Supervisor
Maoirseoir na gCuntas Iníoctha

Ready to play an important role in the work of the Northern Ireland Assembly?

Assembly colleagues in a meeting

The Accounts Payable Supervisor is part of the Assembly Finance Office team making payments on behalf of MLAs and Political Parties, under the provisions of the legislation, on a day-to-day basis.

Accounts Payable Supervisor
Maoirseoir na gCuntas Iníoctha

What we're looking for

The main duties and responsibilities are:

Accounts Payable Duties:

  • Reviewing all incoming correspondence and invoices and prioritising them for payment or resolution;
  • Setting up new suppliers, reconciling supplier accounts, correcting discrepancies and resolving queries in a timely manner;
  • Checking invoices 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, MLAs or Parties if expenditure is forecasted to exceed legislative allowances;

 

Using Technology:

  • Using electronic systems to make payments and to produce accurate reports on MLAs’ 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 MLAs, MLAs’ and Party support staff;
  • Attending meetings with MLAs, 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 MLAs, 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 MLAs, senior management or auditors in a timely manner;
  • Researching and preparing accurate and timely information to be used for reporting or audit purposes, the preparation of 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.
What we're offering
Essential Criteria

Applicants must, by the closing date for applications have at least four years’ experience of working in a Finance role and specifically:

(a) Undertaking a wide range of account payment 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) Effectively using Microsoft Office packages, to include MS Word, Outlook and Excel as well as an Accounts Payable or Finance 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[1] following completion of the probationary period and within 2 years of appointment.

[1] Details on the certification process can be found on the Accounts Payable Association website. The level of certification required will depend on the post-holder’s experience.

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 a Finance Office, to ensure the quality, accuracy and timeliness of work.

Quick Q&A for this job...​

The salary range is £30,886 – £31,953. This is an Assembly Grade 7 position.

There are two permanent positions.

The Finance Office offers a range of financial services to the Assembly Commission, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and Parties.  The Office sits within the Corporate Services Directorate and is responsible for carrying out all of the financial processing, budgeting and reporting as well as operating a central travel desk. This includes undertaking the following functions: accounts receivable, accounts payable, budgeting, financial and management accounting, statutory reporting, payroll, pensions administration and processing all of the payments to MLAs under the provisions 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 successful candidate will be accountable to the Members’ Financial Services Team Leader.

The successful applicant will be based in Parliament Buildings, Belfast.

Completed application forms must be submitted by 12 noon on Wednesday 19 October 2022.

The Selection Process

There are five elements within the Recruitment and Selection Framework:

Experience – the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.

Abilitythe aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard.

Technical – the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.

Assembly Skills and Behaviours –the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job.

Strengths – the things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us.

The elements which will be assessed for this role will be Experience, Technical and Assembly Skills and Behaviours and the selection method(s) that will be used are detailed below. Further information on the Recruitment and Selection Framework are included in the Guidance on Recruitment and Selection for Applicants.

The essential criteria reflect the experience and knowledge that an applicant must possess in order to be able to undertake the role. An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the essential criteria section of the application form. You must therefore demonstrate clearly in your form how, and to what extent, you meet with the essential criteria for the post. 

The selection panel reserve the right to use shortlisting as part of the selection process for this post. Should shortlisting be used, the shortlisting criterion listed in the Job Specification will be applied. The selection panel reserve the right to set a minimum standard for the shortlisting criterion and/or to only invite those who score highest in the shortlisting criterion to the next stage of the selection process. If shortlisting is not necessary, all applicants who have demonstrated the essential criteria will proceed to the next stage of the selection process.

The interview will address the information contained in the Job Specification and will assess elements of the Recruitment and Selection Framework.

Interviews are planned for week commencing 7 November 2022

Further information on the Recruitment and Selection process is available in the Recruitment and Selection Framework and Guidance on the Recruitment and Selection for Applicants.

Accounts Payable Supervisor
Maoirseoir na gCuntas Iníoctha

Below you will find everything you need to apply for the position.

Read all the information about the job and the associated guidance related to working in the Assembly:

You are now ready to complete the online application:

Please note that the application form will be unavailable from 18:30 until 23:00 on Monday 17 October 2022 due to maintenance of the system.

If you are unable to access the form during this time please try again later.

The deadline for applications expired at 12 noon on Wednesday 19 October 2022.

Further Information

If you require more information on the recruitment process, please contact the Human Resources Office on 028 90 521741 or email recruitment@niassembly.gov.uk.

Visit our website for further information about the Assembly.

Please note that the application form will be unavailable from 18:30 until 23:00 on Monday 17 October 2022 due to maintenance of the system.

If you are unable to access the form during this time please try again later.