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Job Title: Accountant
Salary: £44,039 (+£4,875 salary supplement p.a.)
Grade: Assembly Grade 6
Directorate: Corporate Services
Business Area/Office: Finance Office
Accountable to: Senior Accountant (Assembly Grade 5)
Accountable for: A small team of staff which may include Clerical Supervisors (AG7) and Clerical Officers (AG8)

The Finance Office offers a range of financial services to the Assembly Commission, the Secretariat, Members and Parties.
In order to deliver these services, the Office is comprised of a number of teams.
The Accountant (AG6) will have responsibility for a number of key functions within the Finance Office, including the supervision of a small team of book-keeping staff and accounting staff.
The Accountant (AG6) has responsibility for a range of functions including the oversight of accounts payable and accounts receivable teams, the preparation of monthly journals, trial balance reconciliations, VAT returns, monthly forecasting and variance analysis, as well providing a business partnering role to various stakeholder groups.
The Accountant (AG6) will assist either of the Senior Accountants and will play a pivotal role in preparing the annual financial Resource Accounts either for the Assembly Commission, or the Assembly Members Pension Scheme. The Accountant will also be expected to assist with the maintenance and system administration of the core accounting software packages and will be expected to work across a number of different functional areas.
The main duties and responsibilities are:

Supporting the Senior Finance Office Management Team in the effective management of the Finance Office and maintaining a positive working environment;

Managing a team of staff to plan, organise, co-ordinate and monitor the provision of efficient and effective Financial Services to the Assembly Commission, managers, staff, Members and Parties;

Preparing monthly prepayment and accrual journals;

Producing monthly general ledger control account reconciliations. This includes but is not limited to reconciliations of the bank accounts, the net pay control accounts, pension liability control accounts and the VAT control accounts, by analysing transactions and investigating costing errors and unreconciled amounts;

Administration of the monthly internal management accounting processes. This includes but is not limited to running the monthly budget reports and analysing expenditure and variances in advance of monthly meetings and where appropriate producing revised forecasts for inclusion in the management accounts considered by the Secretariat Management Team (SMT);

Producing high quality, reliable, accurate and timely financial information for internal and external stakeholders. This includes monthly management accounts with detailed variance analysis;

Assisting with the preparation Resource Accounts as required. This includes but is not limited to analysing expenditure reports, reconciling balance sheet accounts and ensuring all postings and analysis are completed in a timely manner;

Assisting with the maintenance and administration of the core accounting software packages, including access control, updating financial tracking information and assisting the team with resolving queries, or assisting end users with operational issues.

Providing a quality assurance role for the work of the team, ensuring information and guidance issued is accurate and complies with policies, current legislation or HMRC best practice.

Managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements;

Assisting with the preparation of FOI responses, by running reports, collating, analysing and verifying data held in the accounting system;

Maintaining an up-to date understanding of current public sector accounting requirements under the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) regime and ensuring continual professional development is undertaken for the qualifications noted below;

Interpreting and applying several key corporate policies, ensuring guidance is up to date and that the policies are correctly applied by the team and claims are compliant;

Complying with all the Assembly Commission's staff policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work policies and procedures and all mandatory training requirements; and

You may also be required to carry out other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.

Essential Criteria:Applicants must, by the closing date for applications have:
Have successfully passed the final professional examinations, and have met the practical experience for membership of one of the professional bodies detailed below and either be a full current member, or be expected to attain full membership of one of these bodies within the next 12 months:

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants;

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland;

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland;

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales;

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants; or

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.

At least one years' experience gained in the last five years, of preparing financial or management accounts for a public, commercial or voluntary sector organisation in accordance with the IFRS regime as adopted for the UK;
Experience using Microsoft Office packages, to include MS Word, Excel and Outlook;
At least one year's experience gained in the last five years of monitoring budgets and reporting on the allocation of resources for a public, commercial or voluntary sector organisation.
Skills and BehavioursThe 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.

Building relationships and effective communication
is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.
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.

What you need to do now

If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.
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