Position description

Title:Assistant Accountant – Crown and Agent Reconciliations

Group:Organisational Support

Location:Palmerston North

Reports to:Team Leader – Crown Revenue

Date:December 2011

Purpose of position

The Assistant Accountant (Crown and Agent Reconciliations) is responsible for a wide range of financial activities including

-Management of the external Agent financial pay-over process and commission generation

-Assisting in maintaining internal process verification and improvement

-Financial analysis of general ledger information to provide monthly information to internal and external parties

-Review and completion of general ledger reconciliations to resolve variances

-Providing training and support to other team members.

In addition this role will provide a cover for the Crown Revenue team to back-up when annual or sick leave is taken.

This role contributes to the organisations goals and strategies. A focus is also given to supporting the Agent Network throughout the country where the majority of business on behalf of NZTA is transacted.

Organisation profile

The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is a Crown entity set up to contribute to an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable land transport system for New Zealand as set out in the Land Transport Management Act 2003.

Our three main functions are -

-Planning and investing in land transport networks

-Managing the state highway network

-Providing access to and use of the land transport system

In 2011-14, we will focus on five priorities as we progress towards the government’s long-term transport impacts:

-Plan for and deliver roads of national significance (RoNS)

-Improve the road safety system

-Improve the efficiency of freight movements

-Improve the effectiveness of public transport

-Improve customer service and reduce compliance costs

We employ approximately 1300 staff throughout New Zealand and are structured into six business groups. We encourage staff to work collaboratively across the organisation. We are committed to linking people together and drawing from the combined skills and knowledge held within the organisation, in order to develop innovative solutions and work more effectively with stakeholders.

NZTA purpose and behaviours

Our purpose

Our purpose is ’creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand.’

Whatever your role is in the NZTA, we are creating transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand. It’s the same whether you work in planning and investing in land transport networks, providing the State highway, or managing access to and use of the land transport system.

We are solutions-oriented, focusing on the needs of our customers.

If New Zealand is to thrive, transport is vital — for connected communities, and a growing economy.

Our behaviours

-Sign up – Commit to where we are going and put our heart into what we do. Get engaged every day.

-Team up – Enjoy the people we work with. Appreciate their talents. Use joined-up thinking to find solutions for our customers.

-Front up – Be courageous. Tackle the difficult issues. Know our own value and bring it to work with confidence and good judgement.

Business Group Background – Organisational Support

The Organisational Support Group, one of six business groups within the NZTA, comprises a cluster of five units with a purpose of “We sign-up, team-up and front-up to provide fit for purpose services to enable the NZTA to deliver”. The functional units in the group are:

-Finance

-Information Services

-Legal Services

-Corporate Services

-Assurance and Risk

The Group’s key drivers and leadership messages are:

-Developing our people – growing our people and building our culture

-Partnering and customer service ethos – embedding a service culture and ethos

-Transform and optimise – understanding the business and bringing the service culture, people and technology together to transform the way we do business.

-Value for money – offering enhanced value for money.

-Trusted business advice – adding real value to the business

-Fit for purpose solutions – providing services that focus on the real value-add

-Transparency and accountability – what we do is transparent, open and inclusive.

Business Group Background - Crown Finance

The Crown Finance is a key business unit of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). Its primary role is revenue collection the motor vehicle, driver licence registers and tolling business. In doing this it provides a wide range of customer services to the general public and its agents, and the incumbent will support this strategy through the fulfilment of the accountabilities detailed below.

Key accountabilities

Financial Management and Reporting

  • Management of the external Agent financial pay-over process and commission generation
  • Generate and manage the weekly agent direct debit advice process and Agent reporting requirements
  • Initiate the monthly commission report, advise the Finance Processing team of commissions payable, and reconcile Agent commissions paid
  • Investigate agent inquiries relating to financial pay-over transactions
  • Action any adjustments where appropriatein MVR including understanding the financial effect of fee-waive, reversals and refund transactions
  • Action all Agent financial information requests
  • Calculate, advise and reconcile the financial pay-over and non-financial information for Crown fund third party recipients (ACC and New Zealand Transport Agency Corporate Division)
  • Develop and maintain financial audits of NZ Transport Agency Agents to ensure accuracy and integrity of the Agent Pay-over process
  • Financial analysis, review and reconciliation of general ledger accounts to ensure the validity and accuracy of general ledger reports
  • Generate and manage the monthly volume reporting process to provide accurate monthly non-financial information
  • Financial analysis of MVR data reports to determine appropriate general ledger correction entries
  • Reconciliation of Agent and Debtor general ledger accounts, investigating and resolving any variances, and identifying any potential system, internal or external control issues
  • Provision of monthly cashflow information
  • Analyse and update daily cash movements for all Crown funds
  • Reconcile the Crown bank accounts
  • Calculate and advise the GST pay-over of Crown funds to the IRD
  • To upload NZTA MVR Register debtor information and initiate monthly tax invoice runs
  • Answer any customer queries, and participate in other Finance projects as required
  • To answer any queries from managers, staff or external stakeholders
  • On going development of procedures
  • Assist the Team Leader Crown Revenue and Crown FinanceManagement where required

Risk and issue management

  • Escalates any significant risks and issues to their manager in a timely way and looks for opportunities to promote the NZTA or Group
  • Oversees a comprehensive risk management approach to the way the business is managed on a day to day basis. Identifies threats to business and the NZTA so that risks can be managed, mitigated or minimised
  • Identifies and takes advantage of opportunities so that there is continuous improvement in business processes, and improved value is delivered to customers and stakeholders.

Process improvement

  • Maintaining internal process verification and improvement.
  • Responsible for detection, analysis and resolution of problems with daily MVR and Agent transactions.
  • Review and sign off of general ledger journal entries to ensure accuracy of the ledgers.
  • Review internal working processes to identify areas for improvement, and to better meet the requirements of NZIFRS and the Public Finance Act.

Relationship management

  • Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal, external stakeholders, vendors, contractors and suppliers.
  • Assisting individual team members in processing non-standard transactions.
  • Providing training and assisting in the induction of new team members.
  • Answer any queries from managers, staff or external stakeholders.

Customer Service

  • Develops a customer service ethos that focuses on the provision of high quality, proactive and timely service, support and advice, which is aligned to the NZTA’s needs and strategies.

Health and safety

  • Takes responsibility for health and safety of their staff and self;
  • Ensures all hazards are identified and controlled;
  • Provides staff with appropriate information, training and supervision; and
  • Actively encourages and supports local work place safety management practices.

Self development

  • Takes responsibility for personal development and continually develops own professional expertise.

Dimensions

Financial: None

Staff: None

Key relationships

Internal

  • Team Leader Crown Revenue and Crown Revenue Management
  • Business Support Services
  • Contact Centre
  • Crown Revenue Team
  • Tolling Financial Operation Team
  • Debt Management Unit
  • Corporate Finance
  • Business Advisors
  • Information Systems

External

  • NZTA Agents e.g. AA, VTNZ, VINZ, NZ Post etc.
  • General public of NZ through national contact centre services for DL, RUC, and MVR
  • Accident Compensation Corporation
  • Ministry of Transport

Person specification

Education and training

A financial degree is preferred, or the job holder has made significant progress towards achieving this. Alternatively, significant experience in performing data analysis and reconciliations may be considered.

Knowledge and experience

  • Extensive understanding of general and subsidiary ledger environment;
  • Extensive understanding and experience in understanding the financial accuracy of transactions.
  • Preparation and resolution of balance sheet reconciliations;
  • Experience in preparation of financial information for external users;
  • Extensive understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and NZIFRS;
  • Understanding of the requirements of the Public Finance Act;
  • Extensive experience in relating to others;
  • Good time management skills
  • Use of hyperion suites for data mining

Personal attributes

  • Actively demonstrates, promotes and models desired organisational behaviours and values.
  • Promotes a high quality climate of innovation, collaboration, change and adaptation in own area.
  • Actively looks for opportunities to improve services and support organisational change.
  • Takes accountability for the responsibilities of the positions and own actions.
  • Displays strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Experience in building and fostering relationships
  • Displays a strong customer service ethos
  • Possesses a strong achievement/delivery focus – sets high standards including accuracy and attention to detail, meets deadlines
  • Displays strong team skills, contributing to team success

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