Temporary Accountant

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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…