Administration and Finance Officer in Newtownabbey

The role of the Administration and Finance Officer is to provide effective administrative and financial support to all aspects of the organisation. This is a 30 hour per week post. The line manager is the General Secretary.

ABOUT THE ORGANISATION

The Irish Council of Churches and the Irish Inter-Church Meeting work together under the title: Churches in Ireland - Connecting in Christ. They seek to develop opportunities for the churches in Ireland to work together, to provide a Christian voice in society, and so witness to their common belief in Jesus Christ. The Irish Council of Churches (ICC) currently has fifteen member churches. It is one of the longest serving established national ecumenical bodies in the world and has a strong track record of addressing issues of justice, peace and integration as well as facilitating collaboration on key contemporary priorities. The Irish Inter-Church Meeting (IICM) is the way in which the ICC churches and the Irish Episcopal Conference (Roman Catholic Church) collaborate.

MAIN DUTIES

• Administrative Duties
  • Ensuring the office is well managed and sufficiently supplied.
  • Liaising with suppliers as required.
  • Providing administrative and logistical support to the General Secretary and staff team.
  • Convene and service meetings including timetabling, agenda preparation, minute taking, distribution of papers and reports for meetings.
  • Liaising with member churches and partner organisations.
  • Providing logistical support for conferences, seminars and meetings at locations throughout Ireland.
  • Administrative support to ensure smooth running of liaison and working groups.
  • Providing general reception duties including hospitality, office mail, telephones and dealing with enquiries.
  • Ensuring efficient management of the offices in line with best practice and health and safety.
  • Oversight of office maintenance and service providers.
• Financial Administration
  • Administration of a small payroll, pensions and all submissions to tax authorities (training provided if required).
  • Book keeping (SAGE) and maintaining financial records in line with best practice.
  • Reconciling bank and other accounting control accounts and placing monies on deposit when required.
  • Providing financial information as required to support financial planning.
  • Assisting the General Secretary and Honorary Treasurer in the preparation of budgets and reports.
  • Preparation of management and year end accounts and liaising with Independent Examiners as required.
  • Preparation of event and seminar budgets.
  • Invoicing tenants and member Churches.
  • Making payments of invoices and expenses (primarily online banking).
  • Preparation of financial report for management committee.
  • Oversight of and reporting on project budgets including liaising with and reporting to funders.
  • Preparing returns for Charity Regulators and other statutory bodies.
  • Any other duties necessitated by the duties of the position and flexible demands of the organisation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION CRITERIA

• Qualifications and Knowledge
  • Essential: Minimum of 5 GCSEs (grades A-C) including English Language and Mathematics or equivalent qualifications.
  • Proficient in use of Microsoft Word and Excel and/or Apple Pages and Numbers.
  • Proficiency in use of Microsoft Outlook or equivalent.
  • Evidence of Word-Processing competence or qualifications.
  • Desirable: Knowledge of Charity Accounting; A book-keeping or accounting qualification.
• Relevant Experience
  • Essential: Experience in an administration role of at least 1 year; Experience of managing finances and book-keeping; Experience of using Sage Accounting software or equivalent; Experience of working independently; Experience of managing office premises.
  • Desirable: Experience of preparing budgets and year end accounts; Experience of reporting to funders; Experience of taking minutes; Experience of administering payroll and pension; Experience of reception duties; Experience of logistical planning of events; Practical knowledge of desktop publishing; Experience of the voluntary, church or charity sector.
• Personal Attributes
  • Essential: Ability to multi-task and relate to a wide cross section of people; Strong forward planning with ability to deliver high quality work to tight deadlines; Reliability and integrity; Excellent writing and communication skills; Excellent attention to detail; Proven ability to work as part of a team and to use own initiative when required; Willingness to perform additional tasks as required.
  • Desirable: Openness to new ideas and to learning new skills.
• Physical Requirements
  • Essential: Health such as to allow for attendance reliability and work proficiency (reasonable adjustments will be made for those with a disability).
• Special Requirements
  • Essential: Must evidence an understanding of, and commitment to, working within the Christian inter-church ethos of the Irish Council of Churches; Willing and able to work occasionally outside office hours and travel to meetings throughout Ireland.

TERMS OF APPOINTMENT

Any job offer is subject to a contract of employment, and satisfactory references. All positions are subject to an initial probationary period, and will be for an initial six month period. The position is currently based at the Inter-Church Centre, suite 1 St Annes Cathedral, Belfast which is our temporary premise. There will be some travel necessary throughout Ireland. A pension scheme is available for staff. Annual leave is 25 working days (20 days pro rata for 30 hours a week), plus public holidays and any discretionary days allowed. Closing Date Friday 5th June. Interviews week beginning 22nd June.

Skills: Strong administrative skills, book keeping, logistical support for conferences and meetings.

Benefits: 25 days annual leave with an additional.