Interim Finance Process Manager - Basildon Borough Council

Interim Finance Processing Manager Basildon, Essex £35 per hour* negotiable, dependant on experience Full-Time, Temporary 36.25 hour per week Essex County Council (ECC) are delighted to be supporting Basildon Council to recruit a Finance Processing Manager on a full-time, temporary basis up to 1 year for Maternity Cover. The Role Basildon Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults, and expects all employees, contractors and volunteers to share its commitment to prevent abuse, harm or exploitation. Please note that the Council applies a robust recruitment vetting process. The Opportunity This role is responsible for the Council’s financial processing and income control functions, providing a range of services to support the Council’s business areas in their day to day financial transactions. This includes a centralised service for the processing and payment of invoices payable by the Council, the prompt allocation of all income and ensuring the integrity of the information fed into the Council’s General Ledger. Accountabilities * Prompt and accurate payment of all invoices to Council suppliers. * Prompt and accurate allocation of all Council income including reconciliation to underlying records. * Administration of the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS). * Reconciliation of information feeds into the General Ledger from other systems around the Council. * Maintenance of corporate financial management systems (FMS) including general ledger, purchase ledger, purchase ordering and cash management. * Liaison with Council suppliers and residents of the borough. * The transmission of all the Council’s BACS files. Duties * Ensure the efficient running of corporate financial management systems, in particular the purchase ledger and purchase ordering systems, including regular system reconciliations of all information feeds into the General Ledger from other systems across the Council and to liaise with other departments to resolve any issues or anomalies. * Ensure the prompt processing and payment of all the Council’s supplier invoices and other payment requests (in excess of 30,000 per annum with a value of over £75 million). * Prompt allocation and reconciliation of all Council income (£260 million) and housing rent income to underlying records including to interface files from other Council systems. * Ensure proper administration of the Council’s banking functions, including successful transmission of all BACS files and the administration of corporate credit card arrangements. * Ensure the proper administration of the statutory Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), including completing returns and investigating any anomalies to ensure that they are accurately resolved and processes are adapted for the scheme if necessary. This also includes training the organisation on the accurate identification of CIS related expenditure. * To gather, review and submit data all matters in relation to the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) and HMRC Section 16 Notice and to follow up with any subsequent investigation into any issues or anomalies. * Maintain accurate records of utility payments for the Council’s housing schemes including liaison with utility companies to ensure accuracy of billing and the integrity of the data used to calculate housing service charges. * To manage human resource issues within their team including responsibility for staff recruitment, development and the identification and monitoring of performance and training needs. This includes planning, coordinating, and delivering all work assigned to the team and delivering staff training where relevant. The Experience You Will Bring * An in-depth knowledge of local government finance and general local government procedures. * Numerate with experience and ability to analyse large volumes of financial data and to interpret such data accordingly * Proven staff management experience including performance management, the management of change and the ability to deliver through others. * Proven knowledge of the Construction Industry scheme. * Relevant experience with financial management systems, particularly of the general ledger, cash management and associated feeders. * Relevant experience in an accounts payable function, particularly in the administration of a purchase ledger and purchase ordering system * Possess excellent IT skills including strong technical experience of financial management systems and desk top analytical tools. * To be able to assess a dilemma logically and laterally and deal with it accordingly, including knowing when to refer the problem to more senior management. * Developed skills in prioritising work for themselves and their team Why choose Basildon Council? Basildon Borough Council is one of the largest local authorities in the East of England region and serves a population of approximately 172,000 people. The town of Basildon is regarded as a key economic hub with the main areas of employment being engineering, research and development, distribution and financial services. Basildon is also the second biggest economy in the Thames Gateway, outside of Canary Wharf. Working for Basildon Borough Council means making a practical and positive difference to the lives of people living and working in the Borough and provides a fulfilling career. Each of our employees - whatever job role they are undertaking - can feel motivated by having a unique opportunity to use their skills to make Basildon a better place to live. Whether it is conserving our countryside, by regenerating our Borough, by housing our residents or by collecting the refuse on time. Note: ECC are advertising this role on behalf of Basildon Council. Basildon Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults, and expects all employees, contractors and volunteers to share its commitment to prevent abuse, harm or exploitation. The Council applies a robust recruitment vetting process. If you are successful you will need to undergo a Pre-employment Vetting Procedure. What you should do next If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website