Job title /

Finance Officer

Contract type / Permanent
Grade/starting salary / 3 -£26,527 - £28,400
Reporting to / Financial Accountant
Direct reports / None
Purpose of the Role

To ensure that financial transactions are correctly recorded through the use of good, and continuously improving, systems, processes and controls.

·  Ensure effective management of the purchase ledger

·  Manage payments of suppliers and staff expenses

·  Assist the Financial Accountant with maintaining financial ledgers, accounting processes, systems, internal controls and training.

·  Manages and reconciles specific balance sheet accounts

·  Contributes to effective business processes and documentation.

·  Maintain Bank mandate

Key tasks and responsibilities

Ensures the effective management of the purchase ledger

·  Produces and investigates control reports to ensure accuracy of purchase ledger (such as goods receipted not invoiced, outstanding purchase orders, outstanding invoices etc) working with Finance Assistant and budget holders as appropriate.

·  Maintains supplier accounts on the finance system ensuring that all information is accurate and up to date.

·  Performs supplier statement reconciliations and works with Finance Assistant and suppliers to resolve exceptions.

·  Resolves supplier queries and reconciles supplier statements.

·  Manages fortnightly BACS payments, resolving all issues in a timely fashion.

·  Identifies and implements improvements to accounts payable and payments systems

Manages payments of suppliers invoices and staff expenses

·  Manages fortnightly BACS payments, resolving all issues in a timely fashion.

·  Ensures that all AAUK suppliers & staff are paid:

o  according to credit terms

o  having been appropriately authorised

o  in an appropriate form (BACS, petty cash, bank transfer, cheque and manual payment)

·  Sets up and maintains direct debits and standing orders for regular payments as required.

·  Develops and communicates payment calendar to the Internal stakeholders

Assists the Financial Accountant with maintaining financial ledgers, accounting processes, systems, internal controls and training.

·  Maintains sales ledger

·  Raises sales invoices and credit notes as requested and update the tracking form.

·  Allocates receipts to the debtors account.

·  Raises and send statements to debtors.

·  Assists with all aspects of finance systems training for internal stakeholders.

Manages and reconciles specific balance sheet accounts

·  Identifies and reconciles accruals and prepayments

·  Prepare and calculate dilapidation accrual for all leasehold buildings, and processes all other fixed asset and depreciation transactions.

·  Manages and processes recharges from other parts of the ActionAid Federation to AAUK and vice versa, and resolves all queries raised through Intercompany reconciliations.

·  Reconciles credit card statements for all card holders.

·  Reconciles creditors and debtors ledger.

·  Reconciles bank accounts, ensuring no exceptions as a result of transactions posted in Chard and London.

·  Reconciles petty cash, floats and staff loans accounts.

·  Reconciles any other balance sheet accounts as and when needed.

Contributes to effective business processes and documentation

·  Ensures that process are documented, clearly communicated to and understood by the organisation.

·  Maintain an up to date Payment authorisation list

·  Monitors and ensure that policies and procedures are adhered to within the organisation. Addresses non-compliance and escalates if required.

·  Maintain Bank Mandate

·  Ensure bank mandate has current signatories and ensure updated register is maintained.

·  Maintain FD online register

Other Accountabilities

·  Supports the Financial Accountant and Head of Finance in the delivery of information to support the year-end process as requested.

·  Supports the administration and development of BluQube.

·  Manages “Footprints” system, responding to, and resolving, all queries in a timely fashion.

·  Manages contents of the Hive pages

·  Covers for Financial Accountant and Finance Assistant as and when needed.

·  Maintains own continuous professional development.

·  Assists the Financial Accountant in supporting new or ad-hoc projects as and when necessary.

Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential / Desirable
·  Experience of managing a purchase ledger, dealing with supplier queries and making payments through the usual channels / ·  Knowledge and experience of charity accounting
·  Experience of using online banking systems and managing day to day banking
·  Experience of performing Balance Sheet reconciliations and resolving issues which arise
·  Experience of using Fixed Asset, Purchase Order and reporting modules
·  Commitment to ActionAid’s vision, mission and values
Skills and Abilities
·  Significant experience in similar role/ AAT qualified or CIMA ACCA part Qualified / ·  Effectively prioritise workload and meet deadlines
·  Advanced Excel skills and proficient with other MS Office Products / ·  Able to enforce agreed business processes
·  Ability to influence, negotiate with peers / ·  Personal commitment to customer service and ability to foster a customer service ethos amongst colleagues
·  Effective oral and written communication skills,