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Chief Accountant

Employer
Rykneld Homes
Location
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Salary
Starting at £38,647 and increasing to £40,303
Closing date
19 Oct 2020

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Sector
Housing
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time

We are looking for a fully qualified Chief Accountant to support the Head of Finance, managing a small team to provide a customer focussed finance service to the organisation and preparing full financial statements.  If you have experience of Financial and Management Accounting, enjoy working in a small team, being involved in a range of diverse tasks, in a role that offers challenge and responsibility we would love to hear from you. 

Previous housing knowledge and experience would be an advantage. 

In return we offer a competitive salary of £38,647 - £40,303, flexible working opportunities (including homeworking), great opportunities for development as well as the option to join the Local Government Pensions Scheme and generous leave entitlement.

For an informal discussion please contact Rachel Sellars on 01246 217493

Key Accountabilities

  • To support the Corporate Finance Manager in providing a comprehensive financial accounting service to the Company.
  • To prepare, monitor and report on the Revenue Budgets of the Company.
  • To complete the statutory Financial Statements.
  • To control, administer and manage key financial systems
  • Ensure the Company’s statutory requirements for VAT and Construction Industry Scheme are adhered to. 
  • To manage the Finance Team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

To support the Corporate Finance Manager in providing a comprehensive financial accounting service to the Company

Management Accounts

Budget Preparation and Control

  • To prepare base budget information for the Company as part of the annual budget setting process.  The base budget preparations include ensuring that detailed salary budgets are completed to ensure they reflect the agreed establishment.
  • To review and assess all budget submissions and assumptions to ensure the base budget preparation is both robust and realistic.
  • To prepare regular budget reports throughout the process to ensure all approved changes are tracked and reflected in the final budget
  • To support and advise in the preparation of the capital investment programme.
  • To ensure that all approved budgets are correctly reconciled within the financial ledger and distributed to budget managers prior to the new financial year.
  • To provide budget training to budget managers of the Company.

Monitoring

  • Produce accurate and timely monthly and quarterly budget monitoring information for the Corporate Finance Manager, budget managers and senior management.  Preparing appropriate accruals to ensure the information is a true reflection of the financial position of the Company. Analysing variances and exploring issues and potential problems as they arise with budget managers and senior managers. Making appropriate recommendations and advising of the impact on the business.
  • To maintain a range of management information reports tailored to the individual needs of budget and service managers
  • To control, record and update the financial ledger with all approved budget transfers.
  • To liaise with the Financial Team at NEDDC during the year to ensure all intercompany transactions are up to date and correct.
  • To undertake month end procedures for the General Ledger system
  • To provide budget management training to budget managers of the Company.

Financial Reporting

Final Accounts

  • To prepare a detailed timetable and task list for the Finance Team and budget managers to ensure all year end processes and tasks are completed.
  • To support budget managers in the year end processes and prepare a timely communication plan to ensure all year end tasks are completed.
  • To review all income and expenditure at the year end to ensure it reflects the true financial position of the Company; undertaking appropriate corrections where necessary
  • To provide a lead in the preparation of the Company Financial Statements and Group Accounts in accordance with current regulations and statutory requirements.
  • To prepare the supporting detailed audit deliverable working papers.
  • To manage and liaise with the External Auditors during the annual audit process.
  • To liaise with North East Derbyshire District Council's finance team to ensure that all the information is provided to enable the completion of the Group Accounts and their audit requirements.

Financial Systems

  • To provide a system administration service for the Company’s main financial system.
  • To provide general ledger and financial system training to all new employees and where appropriate provide refresher courses to existing staff
  • To maintain a directory of assured general ledger reports with precise specification for users
  • To oversee the financial control of the debtors and creditors systems. To include authorisation of monthly reconciliations for each system and ensure all system controls are maintained.
  • To manage the identification of Sundry Debtor accounts to be considered for write off and prepare a report to SMT with appropriate recommendations. To ensure all approved write offs are processed through the Debtors System and within the Financial Ledger.
  • To oversee monthly payroll reconciliations and prepare associated control reports on payroll costs.
  • To oversee Bank for the Company and prepare appropriate working papers and to report on any significant issues arising from the process.
  • To maintain an up to date signatory list for the Company for all approved officers and to ensure that relevant procurement and finance officers are aware and apply the authorisation limits  
  • To ensure all financial systems are kept up to date and regular “housekeeping” and control duties are undertaken.
  • To ensure all interfaced financial information is accurate and correctly posted within the General Ledger. 
  • To create and maintain budgets and related structures and hierarchies within the financial systems.
  • Responsible for ensuring the satisfactory completion by the team of financial system reconciliations and other items held on the Accounts Control Framework and providing an approval sign-off in accordance with the frequency designated within the framework. To take responsibility for satisfactory conclusion / completion of issues arising from reconciliation work.
  • To manage the month end and year end processes within the financial systems to ensure prompt processing of data for the closure of the period/year end. This will include ensuring all completed jobs are closed on time and to ensure regular housekeeping is undertaken of open jobs within the system.

Statutory Responsibilities

  • Ensure the Company’s statutory requirements for VAT are adhered to.
  • Ensure the Construction Industry Scheme requirements are adhered to and the monthly returns are completed and submitted within the required deadlines. To ensure that the finance officers who process invoices are kept up to date on the scheme rules and how to process invoices with CIS implications. Prepare the Company quarterly VAT return and submit to HMRC.
  • Prepare a quarterly VAT Partial Exemption calculation to ensure VAT is correctly accounted and allocated within the statutory limits.
  • Ensure accurate and timely completion of the Office for National Statistics monthly and annual business returns. 

Financial Advice and Guidance

  • To attend departmental and service area management team meetings contributing to discussions on all financial matters. Be the finance representative on the Health & Safety Action Group and other groups as required.
  • To evaluate business processing reviews to ensure planned service changes and developments do not impinge on financial controls or have significant financial implications for the Company.
  • Interpret and communicate complex financial and non-financial data to staff and managers at all levels of the organisation.
  • To play an active role in the provision of benchmarking information ensuring data is both accurate and comparable for the benchmarking to be meaningful and to help interpret and use benchmarking data to improve and develop service provision.
  • Monitoring and evaluating information systems and making recommendations for improvements or enhancement as needed.
  • Such other duties commensurate with the grading of the post as may be from time to time determined.

Staff Management 

  • To be responsible for the supervision of the Senior Technical Accountant, Assistant Accountant, Finance Assistant and two Payment Officers.

Key Contacts

  • Rykneld Homes Senior Management Team
  • Rykneld Homes managers and staff
  • NEDDC Finance Team
  • Internal and External Auditors

 

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