Finance Officer

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council; Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 31,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Ipswich is seeking a Finance Officer for a full-time, fixed-term position of 18 months. The successful candidate will earn a competitive salary of £31,537 - £36,363 per annum and will support the Reconciliations and Accounts Receivable Teams. We value strong communication skills, experience in finance, and a commitment to continuous improvement. The role offers an opportunity to work within a dynamic team and develop skills in various financial control processes.

Benefits

Generous leave entitlement (26 days)

Local Government Pension Scheme

Wellbeing Support Programs

Private Health Care Options

Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Paid volunteering days

Flexible working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Hands-on role requiring experience in a busy finance team.
• Ability to work with high volume transactions.
• Commitment to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely monthly reconciliation of income and expenditure.
• Post entries into the housing system for Universal Credit.
• Process cheques received by the Councils.
• Manage Emergency Accommodation invoice processing.
• Implement process improvements for efficiency.

Skills

Experience of Accounts Receivables

Experience of Reconciliations

Strong communication skills

Aptitude for Finance Software

High-volume transaction handling

Ability to work to tight deadlines

Team collaboration

Strong work ethic

Education

AAT or equivalent qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council are looking to recruit a Finance Officer to join our team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. You will join us on a full-time, fixed-term or secondment opportunity for 18 months. The successful candidate will earn a competitive salary of £31,537 - £36,363 per annum (pro rata for part time).

This role is open to full time, part time, and job share applications, all of which will be assessed equally.

Join our team

We are looking for a Finance Officer to join our Finance Team. If you share our values and you are motivated to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities, we would love to hear from you.

About the role

You will support both our Reconciliations and Accounts Receivable Teams with time split equally between the two teams. This is a great opportunity to gain and develop experience in a variety of financial control processes and procedures.

Main responsibilities of the role

• Ensure timely and accurate monthly reconciliation of income and expenditure within our finance systems, with relevant sign off and explanations of variances and how these will be corrected in future periods.
• Posting of entries into the housing system for Universal Credit and allocation of housing benefits.
• Processing of cheques received by the Councils.
• Emergency Accommodation invoice processing, refunds and debt recovery.
• Ad hoc invoicing.
• Setting up Direct Debit mandates.
• Monitoring the Death Register.
• Reviewing exceptions within our transaction matching system Pay360.
• Involvement in process improvement to work more efficiently by reviewing procedures and policies ensuring they are fit for purpose.
• Transaction allocations into our finance system Unit 4 to clear Balance Sheet codes and reduce the number of outstanding items.

About you

We are looking for a hands‑on Finance Officer, with experience of working within a busy finance team.

To be successful, you will demonstrate:

• AAT or equivalent qualification is an advantage but not a requirement.
• Experience of Accounts Receivables and Reconciliations.
• Experience of high-volume transactions and working to tight deadlines.
• An aptitude and experience of Finance Software as well as Microsoft Office.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate within a team.
• Strong work ethic.
• Commitment to making a difference through continuous improvement.

About us

At Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils we are passionate about building communities that people want to live, work, visit and invest in. We serve around 200,000 residents across our two districts and are well known for our collaboration and partnership working across public, private and voluntary sectors. We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work, with:

• 60 conservation areas
• Two National Landscapes
• Many picturesque market towns

It is no surprise we are ranked among the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Generous leave entitlement (26 days a year, rising to 31 days after 5 years).
• Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Wellbeing Support and Employee Assistance Programs.
• Private Health Care Options.
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements (Business needs permitting).
• Great learning and development opportunities.

Our ways of working

We believe work is what we do, not just where we go. We work in a hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote‑based working (Business needs permitting). Our hybrid working arrangements support flexibility and collaboration, helping our teams to thrive.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, providing opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible services for our residents.

Closing date: 5pm, 2 January 2026.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this Finance Officer role, even if you don’t meet all the requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.