Finance Assistant

Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental organization in Wales is seeking a Transactional Finance Services member to manage financial activities. The role involves invoicing, payment processing, and collaboration with stakeholders. Flexible working options are available, and candidates are encouraged to apply even if they don't meet every requirement.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension Scheme

28 days annual leave

Health and wellbeing benefits

Professional development commitment

Weekly wellbeing hour

Qualifications

• Experience in a shared service centre environment.
• Ability to communicate confidently with excellent customer service skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage sales ledger, issue invoices, and process payments.
• Support accounts payable and ensure compliance with approval processes.
• Provide excellent customer service and resolve queries.

Skills

Customer Service

Organizational Skills

Communication

IT Skills

Data Entry

Tools

Finance System

Job description

Team / Directorate:

Transactional Finance Services / Finance and Corporate Services

Starting salary:

£28,932 rising to £30,955 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part-time applicants)

Contract type:

Permanent

Work pattern:

Full-time 37 hours per week (Part-time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term-time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)

Interview date:

To be confirmed

Post number:

201950

The role

As a key member of our Shared Services Centre, you will be responsible for a broad range of transactional finance activities. Your duties will include managing the sales ledger, raising and issuing invoices, allocating incoming payments, and processing bank statement entries. You will also liaise regularly with internal stakeholders, administrators, and liquidators to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of financial transactions.

In addition, you will support the accounts payable function by registering, reviewing, and verifying supplier invoices, ensuring appropriate approval processes and coding are followed. You will also be responsible for invoice reconciliation and supporting month-end activities as required. Strong communication skills and attention to detail are essential, enabling you to collaborate effectively across teams and deliver high-quality service to both internal and external customers.

As an organisation, we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the NRW office at the above location, and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed upon appointment. Any regular face-to-face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Rhiannon Hardman at [e-mail].

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Successful external applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

What you will do

• Provide excellent customer service and foster a culture of continuous improvement in delivering:
• BACS/Cheques/Direct Debits
• Sales to Cash
• Billing Systems
• Credit Control, Legal Debt Recovery
• Wales Purchasing Card
• Statutory returns
• Customer & Supplier support
• Query resolution & escalation
• Project Implementation support & testing
• Provision of statistical and financial information
• Other transactional services for NRW's customers and suppliers.
• Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
• Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, and understand how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
• Be committed to your own development and that of your staff through effective use of your personal development plan (Sgwrs).
• Any other reasonable duties requested, commensurate with the grade of this role.

Your Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge And Skills

In your application and interview, you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method:

• Experience of working within a shared service centre environment
• Good understanding of using a Finance system and other software/applications to meet the requirements of your area of responsibility.
• Good organisational skills.
• Good written and verbal skills and the ability to communicate confidently, with excellent customer service skills.
• Good inter-personal skills with the ability to work under pressure using your own initiative to meet tight deadlines.
• Strong IT and accurate data entry skills.
• Experience of implementing change or process improvement would also be advantageous.

Welsh Language Level Requirements

• Essential: Level A1 - able to pronounce Welsh and use basic phrases

Please note: If you do not meet the A1 requirement, i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and pronounce Welsh names correctly, NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during your employment.

Benefits

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
• Generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
• Commitment to professional development
• Health and wellbeing benefits and support
• Weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose

See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.

Please keep reading: If you think you have what it takes to do this role, but don't necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch, and we will be happy to discuss the role with you in more detail.

We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, culture, or religion. We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity, and respect at the heart of our values.

We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale, and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge, stay current in their field, and continue to learn as their careers progress.

We are a Bilingual organisation that complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop, and use their Welsh language skills.