Investment Officer

This is a Full Time, Permanent position. Hull City Council is looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to join the Housing Investment Services team as an Investment Officer. This position would be well suited to those seeking to advance their career and someone who is motivated to working in a technical environment supporting colleagues in managing a wide range of contracts to deliver the capital programme along with the repairs and maintenance services to our Council’s tenants' homes.

You will work as part of a busy team to develop, produce and analyse detailed reports to include financial forecasts, reconciliations and data analysis through both the Council's general ledger and the housing management system to provide visibility and assessment of schemes to inform operational management and Finance.

To perform monthly and annual financial reporting activities relating to the monitoring of circa £70m per annum investment to 24,000 council housing stock through both the capital programme and revenue repair and maintenance budgets. To develop, produce and analyse detailed/complex reports to include financial forecasts, reconciliations and data analysis through both the council general ledger and the Northgate housing management system to provide visibility and assessment of schemes and provide appropriate recommendations/advice to inform operational management through departmental governance procedures.

• Develop, implement and maintain robust capital/revenue expenditure and output monitoring systems, in consultation with programme management, corporate finance and other key stakeholders. Responsible for the monthly and annual reporting of accurate short and medium term forecasting, recommendations and advice, future year budgeting including programme slippage in accordance with corporate requirements and timely submission of statutory returns.
• Customer Focus – Provides strategic guidance through communication with programme management to meet the reporting needs of the service to facilitate a pro-active and customer focused service in delivering efficient and effective financial reporting of progress. To provide visibility of scheme progress and forecasts with appropriate recommendations and advice to inform operational management through monthly departmental governance meetings and procedures.
• Performance Management - Provide professional advice, guidance and training to programme management on budgetary management, profiling, forecasting and interpretation of data through the production of regular management and financial information to support the timely delivery and control of individual programme budgets.
• Statutory Obligations – To ensure that the appropriate systems and procedures for the effective financial management and controls are in place for the Housing service and are adhered to by operational management to meet the statutory budgetary and year end requirements as directed by corporate finance.
• Provide detailed information and analysis/observations for regular “Open Book Accounting” reviews undertaken with the main partner contractor within the parameters of the contract Project Agreement. Attend these meetings and contribute accordingly and ensure probity to establish costs being charged to the Housing are as per the Project Agreement.
• Contribute to the annual preparation of budgetary information to deadlines as directed by corporate finance. Responsible for assessing and analysing past and future year expenditure demand and consulting with programme management to determine requirements. Provide detailed rationale for establishing base affordable budget provisions for the following year for inclusion in the annual Housing Revenue Account budget setting report to Council.
• Responsible for the analysis, accuracy, co-ordination and submission of year end closedown accruals, general ledger adjustments, reconciliations and reports for the housing service to Corporate Finance within a strict defined timeframe to meet statutory outturn reporting deadlines.
• Co-ordinates and maintains the annual main contractor pricing schedule and set up through the housing management system (currently Northgate). Responsible for managing changes, additions or deletions to the approved pricing schedule throughout the year administered through an agreed change control mechanism. Responsible for reconciling and initiating weekly payments to main and other contractors through Northgate.
• Contributes to the development and enhancement of the financial reporting requirements from housing management systems, actively participates in the provision of a range of business support activities to ensure requirements are met to enhance the capabilities of the programme management and the service as a whole. Develop and write complex bespoke reports through the housing management system (currently Northgate) to provide detailed analysis of scheme progress and background supporting data both on a regular and ad-hoc request basis.
• To collaborate with Corporate Finance on issues as required and to ensure the provision of timely and accurate financial information for reports to Cabinet or other committee or board reports as appropriate. Lead on process reviews to ensure continuous improvement of the financial management systems to support Housing Investment service delivery and target setting.

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• A competitive salary
• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service. You will also get eight public holidays per year, and three additional days off, one in May/August and one during the Christmas/New Year period
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture
• Great career development opportunities

Please ensure that you complete and submit your application by midnight prior to the closing date. We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.