Accountancy Assistant

Peterborough City Council; Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave 25 days + bank holidays

Local Government Pension Scheme

Employee Benefits Platform discounts

Cycle to Work scheme

Car lease scheme

Job summary

Peterborough City Council is seeking an experienced Accountancy Assistant to join the Schools Finance Team. The role involves supporting budgets, responding to finance queries, reconciling payroll data, processing funding payments and reviewing month-end/year-end returns.

Hybrid working is available and based at Sand Martin House, Peterborough. The successful candidate will have strong ICT skills, be able to analyse large datasets, and communicate effectively with finance and non-finance staff.

Qualifications

• Experience as an Accountancy Assistant or similar financial administrative role.
• Strong ICT skills with the ability to analyse large data sets.
• Excellent attention to detail and effective communication with non-finance staff.

Responsibilities

• Support maintained schools with setting, monitoring and managing budgets.
• Respond to finance-related queries from school staff and stakeholders.
• Reconcile payroll information and resolve discrepancies.
• Process and administer funding payments to schools.
• Review month-end and year-end financial returns for schools.

Skills

Communication skills

Data analysis

Time management

Tools

Excel

Job description

All about the Role

We are looking for an experienced Accountancy Assistant to join our Schools Finance Team. This is a varied and rewarding role, providing financial support and guidance to maintained schools while helping to ensure the effective management of school budgets and financial processes.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting maintained schools with the setting, monitoring and management of their budgets.
• Responding to a range of finance-related queries from school staff and stakeholders.
• Reconciling school payroll information and resolving any discrepancies.
• Processing and administering funding payments to schools.
• Reviewing and validating maintained schools' month-end and year-end financial returns.
• Raising purchase orders and processing invoices in line with financial procedures.
• Assisting with budget monitoring and forecasting for capital projects.
• Contributing to the provision of accurate financial information to support decision-making and compliance with statutory requirements.

The successful candidate will have strong financial administration skills, excellent attention to detail and the ability to build positive working relationships with schools and colleagues across the organisation.

The closing date for the role is the 13th of November. To be shortlisted for interview, applicants should evidence how they meet the essential & desirable criteria in their application.

Interviews have been provisionally scheduled for 26th/27th November.

All about our Team

The post is part of the Accountancy Team within the Local Authority but works closely with schools and teams within the Education service.

The post is based in Sand Martin House, Peterborough. Hybrid working is available.

All about You

We are seeking an experienced Accountancy Assistant with excellent ICT skills, with a strong attention to detail, who is able to work on their own initiative with a minimum of supervision. You will be a competent Excel user and be able to analyse large and complex data sets. You will possess strong communication skills, with a proven ability to communicate with both finance and non-finance staff. You will have strong time management skills which will mean you can respond to tight deadlines and urgent requests for information.

Our Benefits

We value our colleagues and have developed a number of benefits in addition to our generous annual leave starting at 25 days + bank holidays, sick pay and local government pension scheme…

• Access to a range of benefits via our Employee Benefits Platform, including in-store and online discounts as well as our Cycle to Work and Home & Electronics schemes
• Buy up to 10 days additional annual leave (pro-rata)
• Access to car lease scheme
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared Cost AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings
• Access to development opportunities including apprenticeships to support your personal and professional growth
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day
• Access to our equality, diversity and inclusion network
• Opportunities to receive Employee Recognition Awards

Our Commitments

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to fostering diversity, advancing equity, and building an inclusive workplace for everyone.

We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and particularly encourage those from underrepresented groups, including disabled people, care leavers, and individuals from minority ethnic communities.

Your unique perspectives and experiences are encouraged and valued and will play a vital role in our success.

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible.

If you are a person who has or considers yourself to have a disability and you require reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you've already applied and completed the recruitment process for this position within the last three months, there's no need to reapply. We really appreciate your interest and thank you for considering us.