Finance Manager (REV)

Finance Manager (Revenue)

£52,896 - £60,693 per annum
(inclusive of Bexley Choices supplement)

The Finance Managers report directly to the Chief Accountant in the Council’s Finance & Technical Accounting team. Postholders have key responsibilities during the preparation and external audit of the Council’s Statement of Accounts. These could include, for example, leading on capital and fixed asset accounting or on Collection Fund disclosures.

The roles work closely with Business Partnering, Strategy and Treasury teams throughout the year to support budget planning and monitoring, the production of annual strategies, the calculation of the bad debt provision and the maintenance of the Council’s grant register. They help to ensure the Council’s compliance with accounting standards (including IFRS 16 – Leases), and the provision of technical and VAT advice to senior management, Members and other Finance staff. They play a key role in the ensuring the accuracy and integrity of items on the Council’s balance sheet through monitoring and reconciliation work.

The roles also have responsibility for the direct line management and oversight of the work of other team members, providing mentorship to support their individual personal development.

Main purpose of the job:

To ensure that revenue and capital accounting entries underpinning the Statement of Accounts are produced in a timely manner, are accurate and in accordance with relevant legislative requirements and professional codes of practice and guidelines.
To produce the Statement of Accounts, Group Accounts and other related statutory returns
To lead on the provision of financial advice and statutory returns relating to taxation and VAT.
To support and co-ordinate the development of capital strategy as an integral part of the medium term financial strategy, formulating policies and practices across the nominated Council(s).
To produce high level capital monitoring reports in accordance the timetable established by the Head of Strategy treasury and Pensions.
To collaborate with the Finance Manager, Treasury & Pensions in developing a Treasury Strategy which reflects the Councils capital spending plans and cashflow forecasting.
The post is focused on delivering specialist accounting services and the post holder will have a wide understanding of accounting requirements and practical knowledge

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Ensure that the Council’s accounts are produced in compliance with all statutory accounting requirements
Provision of technical accounting advice to other senior Management, Members and Finance staff
Making use of appropriate financial data analytics in reviewing the overall revenue and capital information that forms the basis of the statement of accounts for accuracy and appropriateness.
To manage the key reconciliations around balance sheet accounts and ensure that any suspense accounts are cleared in a timely manner.
To produce and submit any regular VAT and tax returns on behalf of the Council within required deadlines.
To undertake appropriate reconciliations for the Collection Fund and produce the Collection Fund statement within the Statement of Accounts.
To draft reports for officers on all capital planning and budgeting issues. To ensure that all relevant issues are
reflected in financial plans and budgets.
Co-ordinate the periodic asset valuation process in consultation with the property team, engineers and valuers to ensure that an asset register is maintained which is compliant with accounting requirements.
Co-ordinating with finance business partners to maintain up to date projections for all capital spending and funding
Calculating the revenue impact of new capital schemes and projects.
Input into the medium term financial strategy and annual revenue budget regarding capital charges and the impact of financing costs.
Preparation of final accounts complying with the accounting code of practice and statutory requirements relating to all revenue and capital accounting issues.
Input into financial planning and investment decisions regarding the cost of capital investment.
To develop the Capital Strategy in consultation with the Finance Manager Strategy.
To collaborate with the Finance Manager Strategy to ensure that the procedures and systems used for the
recording and monitoring of capital expenditure are fit for purpose.
Formulate and present financing options for capital expenditure, in order to optimise the use of available
resources.
To calculate depreciation, impairment and other capital charges.
Lead on the corporate grants register ensuring accurate grant records that satisfy both statutory accounting and monitoring requirements.
Monitoring spending against specific grants and preparing grant claims as appropriate.

Resources:

Job Activities:

Completion of the annual draft Statement of Accounts within the statutory deadlines
Completion of other corporate statutory returns including WGA, RO’s etc
The capital and revenue accounting entries which contribute to the Statement of Accounts.
The financing of capital expenditure.
Production of the Capital Strategy document
Production Capital monitoring reports
Input into reports quantifying the impact of capital spending proposals and decisions

Person Specification

Key: essential (E), desirable (D), interview (I), application form (A)

Education & Formal Training

Qualified CCAB Accountant or Equivalent Relevant Finance Qualification (E, A)
Participation in Continuing Professional Development (E, A)

Relevant Technical Experience & Knowledge

A detailed knowledge of the accounting requirements pertaining to capital and revenue expenditure and the key influences on the strategic finances of the authority. (E, A, I)
Accounting and budgetary experience, sound knowledge of local government finance framework, accounting principles and standards, statutory requirements and relevant codes of practice. (E, A, I)
Knowledge of the major issues facing local government, understanding of the national policy context, requirements and future direction for local authorities. (E, A, I)
Good interpersonal and communication and presentation skills, with proven ability to communicate effectively to a wide range of audiences both horizontally and vertically, financial and non-financial, throughout the organisation. (E, A, I)
Sound knowledge of accounting principles and standards. (E, A, I)
Experience of producing year end accounts. (E, A, I)
Experience of attending Member Committees and/or other corporate/board meetings. (E, A, I)
Experience of financial appraisals, modelling techniques, development of business cases. (E, A, I)
Staff management experience with the ability to lead and develop a team. (E, A, I)
Experience of delivering change programmes. (E, A, I)

Skills & Abilities

Ability to work and deliver on projects in a pressurised environment as well as the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. (E, A, I)
Ability to work effectively in a political environment and establish positive relationships with councillors, senior managers, staff, external partners and interest groups in a way that establishes confidence, credibility and trust. (E, A, I)
Ability to fully utilise standard Microsoft Office products. (E, A, I)

Other Additional Requirements

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.
Work in an agile way in line with a paperless and flexible work environment.
Commitment to maintain professional and ethical standards.

Applicants will be assessed against these criteria and the following high performance indicators throughout the recruitment process.

High Performance Indicators

Innovation

Behaviours for staff:

I respond flexibly and adapt to changing demands
I am prepared to take managed risks to achieve better outcomes
I ask ‘What if…? to develop fresh thinking and innovative approaches to generate and implement solutions to improve performance and challenge the status quo

Behaviours for managers:

routinely look for innovative and cost-effective ways to improve performance and customer service
I champion change and deal successfully with ambiguity, enabling people to see positive and exciting possibilities for the future
I take calculated risks based on available evidence and my professional judgement to learn and try new things

Leadership

Behaviours for staff:

I demonstrate a clear sense of purpose and direction, in line with organisational objectives
I am willing to take difficult decisions
My personal actions promote a positive image of Bexley

Behaviours for managers:

I take responsibility for my service and for making things happen to make a difference to my service users
I create an environment where staff can thrive and show I value and trust staff, give praise and recognise good work
I inspire, lead and encourage staff to move forward

Collaboration

Behaviours for staff:

show respect for others and value contributions from internal and external partners and customers
I recognise the right solution, regardless of who initiated it
I seek out and work with partners who can help me achieve the outcomes and objectives I need to deliver

Behaviours for managers:

I encourage the feeling that the team is a collective unit with shared goals
I engage with service partners and other areas of the Bexley organisation to understand the demands on others and seek solutions as One Council
I network internally and externally

Listening and Responding

Behaviours for staff:

I acknowledge other people’s viewpoints and work with them to find a win-win solution
I prepare and present information anticipating questions and problems
I adapt my style to the audience and their needs, using the most appropriate communication channels

Behaviours for managers:

I seek regular service user feedback and review customer data to shape service improvements
I ask staff for ideas on how to improve our service and how I can improve as a manager, listen to them and act on them
I empower staff to make decisions and changes to improve value for money, customer service and productivity

Open and Accessible

Behaviours for staff:

I see issues from the customer / user perspective
I monitor customer feedback and level of satisfaction with the service they receive, and use this to improve and pre-empt customer needs
I seek to build and maintain positive relationships with customers and partners

Behaviours for managers:

I am accessible to my service users, customers, staff and Members
I communicate and share a clear vision for the bigger picture as well as specific service areas
I outline what is expected of individuals and their contribution to the whole, and am consistent in my expectations

Impact

Behaviours for staff:

I prioritise my activities and resources to focus on those which have the most impact for residents
I take responsibility for making things happen and achieving my objectives
I make decisions and clear recommendations based on my professional opinion and experience, informed by a range of information and evidence

Behaviours for managers:

I design services that provide value for money and deliver our outcomes, informed by evidence
I produce, prioritise and adapt plans to meet changing requirements
I set interim goals to achieve notable wins on the way to larger objectives
I deal with poor performance

Apply today