Home / Roles recruiting / Senior Systems Accountant
Senior Systems Accountant
£44,001 - £50,910 per annum*
Management Group: Finance and Corporate Services
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Department: Finance and Property
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Section: Financial and Technical Accountancy Team
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Reports to: Chief Accountant
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Responsible for: Overall day to day responsibility for managing up to 4 staff.
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Functional links with: Financial/Technical Accountancy or Strategy, Treasury and Pensions Team, Finance Business Partnering Teams, other Corporate Services staff, Internal audit, External Audit, External consultants and advisors.
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*Inclusive of choices flexible benefits of £2,478 per annum
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Main purpose of the job
The post-holder’s primary activities are:
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to develop, manage and maintain the Council’s Corporate financial system
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to support an integrated approach to the core accountancy processes making efficient use of the financial system e.g. closure of accounts.
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to provide high quality and consistent financial systems advice, to support effective decision making.
The post must work effectively with Finance and other colleagues to help develop a strategic and workable response to the financial challenges the councils face.
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Major duties and responsibilities
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Responsible for the continuous and smooth efficient running of the financial systems.
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To deliver new developments and upgrades to the finance system, including testing of new software and liaising with external consultants and providers.
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Manage and maintain key processes for the systems above, including period end, year-end rollover and daily interface routines, ensuring they are completed to the necessary timescale and ensuring system integrity and all data capture and reports are completed.
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Act as a Single Point of Contact with the IT department, Capita, Northgate and appropriate software providers for any IT issues or future development needs relating to the finance system.
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Be the key contact point for system users’ queries and problems, providing fault resolution and support.
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Responsible for the review and evaluation of functionality available within the main financial systems to ensure they are exploited to the maximum benefit of system users and fully support the Council’s financial and business processes and statutory requirements.
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Responsible for the maintenance of the Chart of Accounts, including hierarchies and tables.
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To ensure that daily reconciliation reports are undertaken to verify transactions from all systems have been uploaded and that all import/ export processes for all financial systems are in order.
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Coordinate and provide effective training for new and existing staff as the need arises
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Provide bespoke and prescribed financial information to services, external auditors and other external bodies when required.
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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
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Lead and develop ongoing improvements to the corporate finance system such as system reconciliations, system improvements, development of new modules and improving reporting
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To contribute to developing complex forecasting, financial data analytics and modelling tools in liaison with service managers and to support corporate and strategic decision making
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To assist in the overall closure of accounts process having regard to corporate timescales and appropriate quality standards, including assisting the business partner teams on technical system issues
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To continually improve levels of customer service, and recommend and implement ways to further improve efficiency and effectiveness of processes and procedures.
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To lead, manage and motivate staff through excellent communication, professional guidance, support and development in accordance with the council’s policies and procedures.
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Job activities
Example outcomes or objectives that this role will deliver:
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Provision of regular communications on system deadlines for example budget monitoring or year end accounts closure periods
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Provide finance sign off to financial system upgrades and leading on user acceptance testing
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Person specification
Key: Essential (E), Desirable (D), Application form (A), Interview (I)
Education & Formal Training
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Part Qualified/Commenced studying towards a CCAB or Equivalent Relevant Finance Qualification or AAT qualified Qualified CCAB Accountant or Equivalent Accountancy Qualification (E, A)
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Participation in Continuing Professional Development (D, A)
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Knowledge & Experience
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Accounting and budgetary experience and an understanding of accounting principles and standards, statutory requirements and relevant codes of practice. (E, A/I)
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Knowledge and understanding of financial planning, management and financial framework in a large organisation – preferably local government. (D, A/I)
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Good understanding of the technical operations of a Financial Management system, particularly of a General Ledger system (E, A/I)
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Good communication influencing and presentation skills and a pro-active approach to work, including identifying and resolving problems/issues. (E, A/I)
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Experience in training Council officers effectively on the use of financial systems and the application of financial procedures. (E, A/I)
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Staff management experience (D, A/I)
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Experience working with a range of finance applications systems, as well as financial modelling experience (D, A/I)
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Skills & Abilities
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IT skills including ability to understand and develop the use of ICT to achieve department objectives (E, A/I)
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Strong problem solving and analytical skills (E, A/I)
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Ability to work in a pressured environment with conflicting demands (E, A/I)
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Ability to work effectively within a team (E, A/I)
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Works in a systematic, methodical and orderly way and able to work on own initiative, with minimum supervision (E, A/I)
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Ability to fully utilise standard Microsoft Office products (E, A/I)
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Other Additional Requirements
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To deliver the service effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and the post holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. Such duties, however, will fall within the scope of the post at the appropriate grade.
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Work in an agile way in line with a paperless and flexible work environment.
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Commitment to maintain professional and ethical standards
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