JOB DESCRIPTION
ROLE:APPRENTICE FINANCE OFFICER
DEPARTMENT:FINANCE
LOCATION:EMILY HOUSE
REPORTING TO: HEAD OF FINANCE
SUPERVISING:N/A
The context of this job
Octavia Housing provides affordable homes in the heart of London. We develop, manage and maintain properties and provide a range of specialist support services to meet the diverse needs of our tenants. Our aim is to provide a service which is professional, personal, effective and caring.
The Finance team provide a comprehensive Finance and IT Service to other departments, the Board and outside agencies. Among their responsibilities and functions are processing all in-coming payments, paying invoices, managing departmental budgets and other financial services.
The purpose of this post
The post holder will be expected to undertake a formal accounting qualification, Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and to provide support to the Finance Team. This is a varied role which will initially include updating rentaccounting, purchaseand sales ledgers data,accurately recording weekly takings from Octavia’s charity shops, and providing general administrative support as required.
The post holder will also learn aspects of the cashbook, reconciliations, capital accounting, monthly management accounts, the annual budget cycle and the production of financial statements.
What is the focus:
- Improving Octavia Housing’s performance
- Building on existing skills and developing new skills
- Working closely with team colleagues to enable excellent customer service
- Specific job related focus/targets
- Achieving the AAT qualification
Key tasks
The following tasks are indicative of what will be expected during the apprenticeship.
1.RENT ACCOUNTINGDUTIES
Processing rent transactionson the rent accounting system.
Responding promptly to requests and liaising with the income team.
Maintaining a daily and weekly reconciliation of all receipts processed on the system.
- PURCHASE LEDGER DUTIES
To scan purchase invoicesonto the relevant system and distribute to the department budget holders.
Reconciling and processing paymentsto suppliers on a weekly basis.
Dealing with supplier queries on a daily basisin a fair and polite manner at all times.
- CHARITY SHOPS ACCOUNTING DUTIES
To ensure that all Octavia Foundation charity shops communicatetheir sales figures and submit receipts and supporting paperwork on a weekly basis.
Liaising with charity shop Managers as necessary to resolve anybanking discrepancies.
- CASHBOOK
To post bank account transactions into the general ledger and complete monthly bank reconciliations.
To monitor Octavia’s cash balance in conjunction with Finance managers
To administer sundry bank payments/transfers
- CAPITAL ACCOUNTING
Assist in ensuring that fixed asset records are recorded in the financial systems in a timely and correct manner.
To produce reports of spend against budget for capital projects.
To analysis all component replacement expenditure into individual components within each property
- MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTS, BUDGETS and FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Assist the Finance Manager with the preparation of annual budgets and the monthly review of budgets with budget holders
Assist the Finance Manager in the preparation of VAT returns for all the Octavia companies
Assist with the preparation of annual statutory accounts
Assist in maintaining the chart of accounts and regular reconciliation of key control accounts.
- GENERAL
To work with the team to ensure that weekly processing targets and Octavia Housing service standards are met.
To sort and distribute incoming Finance post on a daily basis.
Generic
How will the post holder know if they are performing?
Annual performance targets and assessment criteria will be agreed by the line manager and training provider. This will be monitored at regular meetings with the line manager/mentor or assessor where applicable, where feedback will be provided and the opportunity given to discuss development, personal or team related matters.
Generic requirements
The post holder will be expected to comply with Octavia Housing’s general and departmental policies and procedures at all times. This includes but is not limited to equal opportunities, confidentiality, data protection and health and safety.
Involving tenants and clients is an essential part of all roles at Octavia Housing Association. All staff are expected to support the relevant policies and procedures, and contribute to the Association’s action plan.
In order to do their job, the post holder will be trained and coached in the procedures and policies of the Association. They will be expected to familiarise themselves with the Association’s policies and procedures,and to seek advice or guidance from the line manager where necessary.
The key tasks listed above are only an indication of the main tasks required to be performed. It is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to amendment to take account of changing circumstances. Any changes will be made following discussion with the post holder. The post holder will remain co-operative and flexible in line with the needs of the post and the Association
OCTAVIA HOUSING
PERSON SPECIFICATION
POST:APPRENTICE FINANCE OFFICER
The Person Specification states the minimum knowledge, skills and experience required to carry out the job and is used for both short listing candidates for interview and to identify the areas to explore in an interview.
E = Essential criteria;D = Desirable criteria
Essential Criteria1 / Experience:
Working in an office or team environment / D
2 / Knowledge:
Knowledge of finance systems / D
3 / Skills:
Numerate
Excellent IT skills, including the use of Excel, Word & Access
Attention to detail
Aptitude to learn quickly
Ability to organise work and meet deadlines
analytical / E
E
E
E
E
4 / Other:
Abilityto undertake Association of Accounting Technicians qualification with external College or education provider
Commitment to learning and attending all College days and completing all assignments in relation to the above qualification
Commitment to the Diversity policy / E
E
E
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