Accountancy Assistant

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Chester; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an enthusiastic Accounts Payable professional to join the busy Financial Services, Accounts Payable Team. You will input and pay invoices, reconcile supplier statements, and resolve queries to support a efficient service across directorates.

The role requires prior AP experience, good knowledge of financial systems, and be proficient with Microsoft Excel. NHS environment familiarity is advantageous.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in an Accounts Payable environment.
• Knowledge of financial systems and procedures.
• AAT Intermediate level or NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent).
• GCSEs including Maths and English at grade C or above.

Responsibilities

• Process purchase ledger invoices and credit notes, with accuracy.
• Perform reconciliations and supplier statement checks; resolve queries.
• Liaise with internal teams and suppliers; maintain attention to detail.
• Utilise Excel and Word; assist with basic accounting system tasks.

Skills

Accounts Payable experience

Knowledge of financial systems

Education

AAT Intermediate level / NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience

5 GCSEs at Grade C or above (Maths & English)

Job description

Job summary

Working Full Time: 37.5 hours per week

A great opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and self-motivated person to join the busy Financial Services, Accounts Payable Team at The Countess of Chester Hospital.

As a member of the Financial Services Team, you will contribute to providing an efficient and effective accounting service to the Trust Directorates and Service Departments. To undertake the input and payment of invoices in accordance with the Trust's Standing Financial Instructions. To ensure queries are resolved in a timely manner.

Main duties of the job

• Reporting to the Finance Team Manager the post holder will be responsible for the processing of purchase ledger invoices and credit notes, but will also include reconciliations and other duties. The post holder will also be required to reconcile supplier statements and resolve supplier queries.
• The tasks will involve both working as part of a team and independently and require a keen attention to detail.
• The candidate should possess excellent communication skills as liaising both internally and externally is an essential part of the role.
• Experience in the use of Microsoft Excel and Word as well as experience of an integrated computerised accounting system would be an advantage

About us

The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery

Job description

Job responsibilities

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.

If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?

Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.

The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.

If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• AAT Intermediate level/NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience
• 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above (including Maths & English)

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Previous experience of working within Accounts Payable environment
• Knowledge of financial systems

Desirable

• An understanding of NHS accounting policies and procedures

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Countess of Chester Hospital Liverpool Road Chester CH2 1UL United Kingdom

Employer's website