Our Local Authority client is looking for a Senior Finance Assistant to provide a reliable, efficient and effective service of a high level administrative nature. Tasks include liaising with clients by telephone, email and letter regarding debt, responding to typical client queries, giving standard information and guidance relating to the service, maintaining records, following up and escalating cases for further action if required, producing standard correspondence and providing support with day to day processes when required in accordance to set procedures.



Key responsibilities:

* Provides specialist financial support to the team, with a good understanding of the service specialism, objectives and requirements. Organises own workload, planning work over a period of months in co-ordination with others to meet service objectives and deliver a customer focused service.
* Analyses and interprets complex technical financial information relating to the team specialism and draws conclusions in order to action tasks appropriately. For example, liaison with budget holders on debt write offs and Legal Services on referrals and court action.
* Produces performance information data, financial statistics and other management information, manipulating and analysing manual and computerised data as necessary, both directly for clients and in support of managers to feed into reports.
* Updates and maintains relevant computerised and manual records relating to the service appropriately and accurately.
* Responds independently to communications and queries relating to the team specialism including using initiative to resolve unanticipated problems where necessary. Provides financial and performance management advice, guidance and information to clients including managers. Refers serious problems and those related to budget decisions or critical performance measures appropriately, asking for guidance when unsure of how to act.
* Communicates with and develops good working relationships with relevant managers and colleagues in order to deliver an effective service. Responsible for accounting for very large sums of money through the recovery of due debts across the Council.
* Direct responsibility for appropriate and careful daily handling of confidential and sometimes sensitive or personal financial and performance or other related information relating to the service e.g. producing reports and commentaries for managers.
* Remains up to date and compliant with all relevant organisational procedures, policies and professional codes of conduct in order to uphold standards of best practice



Required experience and skills:

Key Skills:

* Good analytical and numeracy skills in order to monitor and work with budgets and performance data, make sound and accurate calculations and draw related conclusions, and perform other related tasks effectively working with an understanding of finance, accounting and performance management
* Clear and effective written communication skills to present information for managers, contribute to reports and communicate via email appropriately
* Good verbal communication skills for answering telephone queries effectively and communicating with managers and team members. Including the ability to provide clear and concise specialist advice and guidance to a range of clients and to communicate varied technical information appropriately and accurately and in ways to best promote understanding
* Ability to embrace change and adapt to changing situations and new ways of working positively and effectively. Including the ability to learn new systems and processes and contribute towards improving working methods
* Ability to plan work over the medium term, setting timescales and organising activities in co-ordination with others to deliver objectives to deadlines
* Good technical skills in the use of MS Excel and some awareness of SAP finance or similar large IT system used for accountancy work (or similar financial service). Sound and accurate overall IT and keyboard skills including for daily office duties such as using e-mail, word processing documents or creating charts or graphs to present information

Qualifications and/or experience:

* 4 GCSE's grades A-C, including maths and English, or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating that level of numeracy and literacy
* Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) part-qualified at intermediate level NVQ 3 or studying towards an equivalent qualification or demonstrable technical and theoretical knowledge related to accountancy at this level
* Experience of working in a customer orientated environment
* A good understanding of office systems and practices related to finance, usually demonstrated by relevant experience working in a financial environment
* Experience providing specialist advice to managers or customers. Including explaining complex financial information or other similar technical information

Connect2Staff/Connect2Kent, part of Commercial Services Trading/Kent Ltd, is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business and positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.