JOB DESCRIPTION POST: SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER

POST: SERVICE: SECTION: GRADE:

JOB DESCRIPTION SENIOR FINANCE OFFICER CORPORATE FINANCE FINANCIAL PROCESSING BAND 6

Version 3 March 2014

All Council posts are covered by National Joint Council (NJC) conditions of service.

Basildon Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults, and expects all employees, contractors and volunteers to share its commitment to prevent abuse, harm or exploitation.

Please note that the Council applies a robust recruitment vetting process.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Corporate Finance plays a major role in supporting effective management of Council finances and secure stewardship of Council funds. This is achieved by providing financial advice on all corporate and service developments in order to support corporate decision making arrangements. The Service is responsible for development of the Council's medium term financial strategy and the annual budget setting process to ensure effective delivery of the Corporate Plan. The Service also has to be flexible to meet the demands of legislative changes and is required to be reactive to client needs and external influences.

Corporate Finance consists of the following functions: Financial and Management Accounting; Treasury Management; Financial Performance Monitoring; Business Engagement; Income Controls; Financial Systems; Creditors; and Banking Arrangements.

This role is within the Financial Processing Team which is responsible for providing a centralised service for the processing and payment of invoices payable by the Council as well as ensuring the integrity of the information fed into the Council's General Ledger.

Main duties of the Financial Processing Team include:

Prompt and accurate payment of all invoices to Council suppliers. Administration of the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). Reconciliation of information feeds into the General Ledger from other systems

around the Council. Maintenance of corporate financial management systems (FMS) including

General Ledger and Purchase Ledger. Prompt and accurate allocation of the Council's income. Liaison with Council suppliers and residents of the borough.

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MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Provide prompt advice and guidance as appropriate to all staff and external suppliers in relation to payments of invoices. This includes encouraging suppliers to receive payment by BACS, using the correct invoicing address, following up any duplicate payments made, and regular review of uncashed cheques.

2. To action transfers onto the VAT code within the General Ledger once legitimate VAT receipts have been received, and will actively chase for the VAT receipts including maintaining a log of VAT receipts due.

3. Manage the electronic delivery method of invoice charging for utilities, ensuring that the correct invoices are posted onto the General Ledger in a timely manner and following up any queries with the utility company.

4. To gather data and complete returns for the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) and investigate and resolve any anomalies, including timely completion and sending out statements to suppliers which fall under the CIS rules.

5. To assist the Principal Finance Officer in gathering data in relation to the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) and HMRC Section 16 Notice and to follow up with any subsequent investigation into any issues or anomalies.

6. To assist the Principal Finance Officer in reviewing and testing upgrades to the relevant modules of the financial management system, in particular on the Purchase Ledger and Invoice Approval System (IAS).

7. To assist the Principal Finance Officer in managing the workloads of the team on a daily basis, re-directing workloads as required ensuring key daily deadlines are met and financial controls are maintained.

8. To ensure that relevant internal controls are adhered to and continue to be effective. Including the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations as appropriate.

9. To provide effective relevant training to both the team and the organisation when required, in particular on the use of the Invoice Approval System (IAS) and Purchase Ledger.

10. To collate data on relevant performance indicators and measures for the team and support the Principal Finance Officer in interpreting and acting upon the results as appropriate.

11. Have an up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, professional practices and developments and undertake system enhancement and development reviews as required to meet any changes to legislation or service provision

12. Develop and introduce new financial methods and procedures that will continue to improve processes both within the Service and the Council as a whole with support and direction from senior management.

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13. Enforce the Financial Regulations and other specific policies to ensure compliance including regular review of the Financial Procedures Notes.

14. Have an awareness of overall Council policies, aims and management initiatives and ensure that all new developments by the team are in accordance with any corporate protocols or guidance.

15. Be committed to the aims and objectives of Corporate Finance and to be aware of their responsibilities in achieving these aims. Effectively promote and support a team approach to achieve this.

16. To promote positive communication across the organisation, encourage constructive relationships, including with the Council's key partner agencies.

17. Be part of multi-disciplinary teams as required to deliver corporate projects, involving working with other managers from other services and partner organisations.

18. You must cooperate in all matters relating to Health and Safety and implement all procedures for your job role. The identification of Health and Safety related risks within the working environment must be highlighted to your management.

19. Any other duties appropriate to the post: These other duties must be equivalent to or below the salary and status of the role and, where appropriate, under the Equality Act 2010, due consideration must be given to any employees with a "protected characteristic".

20. Undertake all the duties within the framework of Equal Opportunities.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Reports to: Principal Finance Officer

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

Position Title: Senior Finance Officer Department: Corporate Finance

Date Prepared: Grade:

March 2014 Band 6

AF= Application Form

I= Interview

T= Test

Person Specification

Essential Desirable Method of Assessment

EXPERIENCE

1.1

Relevant experience of working in

a financial related area.

AF/I/T

1.2

Proven knowledge of the

AF/I

Construction Industry scheme.

1.3

Good understanding of the practical

AF/I

operations of a Financial

Management system, particularly of

the Purchase Ledger system.

1.4

Experience of liaison with external

AF/I

suppliers.

1.5

Track record of improving the

AF/I

quality of service to customers.

ABILITIES AND COMPETENCES

2.1

Good communication and inter-

personal skills combined with a

flexible and thorough approach. A

high level of written, oral and

presentational skills.

AF/I/T

2.2

A professional and motivated self

AF/I

starter with the ability to work well

both as an individual and as part

of a team.

2.3

Ability to take the initiative and

AF/I

think creatively and flexibly to

resolve daily problems.

2.4

Ability to work under pressure and

AF/I

achieve pre-determined deadlines

including responding quickly to

new initiatives with tight

deadlines.

2.5

Numerate with the ability to

handle large volumes of financial

data and the ability to interpret

such data accordingly.

2.6

Strong IT skills including strong

technical experience of financial

management systems and desk

top analytical tools.

2.7

Developed skills in prioritising

work for themselves and their

team.

2.8

Ability to cope with personal and

organisational pressure,

maintaining the quality of

contribution when facing

conflicting requirements.

2.9

Ability to train officers effectively

on the use of the Purchase

Ledger and Invoice Approval

System.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

3.1

AAT part-qualified (or higher) with

3 years local authority experience.

Version 3 March 2014 AF/I/T AF/I/T AF/I AF/I AF/I

AF/I

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