Accounting Officer

Accounting Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£23,344 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Thursday 1st August 2024 at 11.59pm

The Opportunity

The Accounting Officer will support the delivery of financial management information to the Management Accountants and front line budget holders. The role offers a mixture of home working and attendance at County Hall, Chelmsford; this is dependent on business need. The role is expected to build strong relationships with finance colleagues and internal partners and:

• Proactively supports the efficient and effective provision of a Finance Hub.
• Understanding budget holder's' needs and providing them with an effective and prompt service they value.
• Manage customer expectations and deliver to agreed service standards.
• Ensuring the processing and delivery of timely, accurate, high quality financial information and analysis to allow effective management and monitoring of budgets
• Support the delivery of all other areas of financial management and reporting as requested by the Management Accountant/Finance Systems and Process Manager

Accountabilities

• Provide and process timely and accurate information to allow effective management of budgets and empowers budget holders to deliver value for money services.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of all financial management and reporting systems and processes.
• Analyse and communicate financial and performance data in the form of variance reports. Understand unit costs and drivers and interpret variances robustly.
• Accurately prepare, monitor, and control estimates and forecasts.
• Maintain financial systems and processes ensuring proper reconciliation and control procedures are in place. Implement requested changes.
• Deliver timely information to support financial activity, quality assuring the information provided.
• Deliver information to support the annual accounts closure programme as requested and in accordance with the agreed timetable.
• Ensure compliance with financial regulations and professional accounting standards. Operate to a framework of working practices.

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential:

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs or equivalent (Grade C/Level 4 and above), including Maths & English and/or working towards AAT.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Intermediate skills in Excel as a minimum)
• An interest in accounting and furthering your education into public sector finance.
• Ability to communicate well both virtually and face to face

Desirable:

• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Providing information and support to colleagues and customers and working flexibly and proactively in a multi-disciplinary team to achieve service outcomes.
• Knowledge and understanding of financial management and control.
• Experience of process and practice improvements within a finance setting.