Assistant Service Charge Accountant

We are recruiting for a new opportunity as my clients Assistant Service Charge Accountant to work on a temporary basis initially until the end of January 2025 based in North West London, paying £22.12 PAYE / £29.05 ph Umbrella rate based on FTE of £40,254 per annum
Role Purpose
To be responsible for a comprehensive and timely completion of various service charge reconciliations and resolve any issues collaboratively with relevant stakeholders and assist with the rationalisation of the coding structure. Assist the service charge accountant and also deputise in the annual final accounts certification process, service charges estimate exercise and also Reserve Funds maintenance in accordance with policy and procedure and statutory requirements Contribute towards an on-going process of improving service charge setting and review and support service charge transparency requirements in relation to the new Building Safety Act 2022
Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities
1.Complete assigned reconciliations in accordance with agreed timetable and resolve any anomalies in a timely manner collaboratively with relevant stakeholders.
2. Monitor errors identified or raised through the Service Charge Steering Group and seek to identify the cause and/or preventative methods to avoid recurrence in the future. Liaising with the Service Charge Accountant (SCA) and other stakeholders as required to monitor progress and improvements.
3. Ensure you are conversant with the service charge coding and administrative structure and that it meets the business needs and recommend any changes where improvements are required. Also monitor coding structure, stock and patch list and flag any irregularity.
4. Assist with scheduled reporting which occur monthly, annually or on an ad hoc basis to include certification assurance and rolling programme of service charge reviews. Review outcomes with relevant stakeholders and ensure all issues are resolved satisfactorily.
5. Assist the Service Charge Accountant in reconciling and maintenance of the Reserve Funds.
6. Assist and provide cover for the Service Charge Accountant in preparing and posting journals.
7. Keep up to date with relevant Purchase and Payment systems, Accounting systems, Housing Management systems and other systems used to record and review service charge transactions.
8. Comply with the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 and all other service charge statutory and legislative guidance, Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) decisions, "case laws" and others which impact on the role. Keep up to date with all service charge statutory and legislative changes.
9. Undertake site visits and record property information when the need arise and carry out other duties that may be assigned from time to time commensurate with the role.
10. Be alert and flag unusual transactions and escalate unreasonable costs which are unexplained or look suspicious. Aim to improve service charge accounting on an on-going basis with tips from historic errors and complaints. Also help ensure all payments made for services where the company is entitled to recharge leaseholders and tenants are recharged to maximise service charge income.
11. Promptly deal with all ad hoc task and queries that are assigned in accordance with agreed SLA and keep stakeholders updated on progress where an immediate resolution cannot be found and need to be escalated.
Person Specification
Education

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• ACCA/CIMA/ACA part qualified or equivalent or progressing towards a recognised accounting qualification Knowledge and Skills Required
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• Significant experience in the use of Excel, at least intermediate. Proven ability to build and follow excel formulae. Aptitude to follow protocols in the use of spreadsheets and use templates and methods provided by others.
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• Knowledge of service charge regulations and extensive knowledge and understanding of either service charges; or another highly regulated sector with proven ability to transfer skills
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• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing with internal and external clients and be willing and comfortable in supporting colleagues.
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• Ability to analyse high volume data and produce a summary for decision making.
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• Ability to plan own workload, think outside of the box, and deliver work to timetable on a regular basis. Proven aptitude for understanding how work feeds into the bigger picture and links into core team goals.
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Experience Required

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• Experience in the use of financial accounting and housing management systems such as SUN, Q&A, P2P, NEC. (E)
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• Experience of working in a volume intensive environment (D)
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• Experience in supporting a culture of efficiency and compliance with internal and external requirements, taking responsibility for tasks allocated. (D)
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• Experience of performing reconciliations or being part of an audit team or equivalent. (E)
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• A demonstrable commitment to meeting the needs of internal clients and presenting findings in an approved format and following procedures. (D)
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