Senior Finance Officer

Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR); Belfast City District; Hybrid; GBP 37,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job summary

Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is seeking a Senior Finance Officer to deliver key financial workstreams under the Finance Manager. The role is fast-paced, collaborative and requires strong attention to detail and the ability to meet tight deadlines.

You will lead in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and support internal controls within a public-sector environment.

Qualifications

• Must be fully qualified with an accounting body (ATI/AAT) or equivalent.
• Experience toward gaining full professional qualifications is expected.
• Strong financial management, budgeting and reporting skills are essential.
• Experience in public sector finance and the Account NI finance system is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality, accurate financial information to stakeholders and prepare regular senior management reports.
• Advise budget holders on budgeting and in-year monitoring of budgets.
• Develop and maintain internal controls and governance frameworks.
• Assist in annual accounts preparation and dealings with auditors.
• Support procurement pipeline and activity and manage own staff resources.

Skills

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Self-motivation

Communication

Integrity

Education

Full professional membership of accounting bodies

Fully qualified Accounting Technician (ATI/AAT)

Tools

Excel

Microsoft Office

Job description

We are recruiting a Senior Finance Officer to be part of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to deliver important workstreams that deliver on key objectives for the Commission. The role is a fast-paced and highly collaborative role, reporting to the Finance Manager, the successful candidate will be a driven, collaborative colleague, with good attention to detail, have experience of working to tight deadlines and will possess the ability and communication skills to build strong working relationships at all levels across the ICRIR and various stakeholders.

Qualifications

Be a fully qualified Accounting Technician from one of the following professional Accountancy bodies (or equivalent):

• Accounting Technicians Ireland (ATI)
• Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)

Experience towards gaining full professional examinations

• Chartered Accountants Ireland
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland.
• The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
• The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
• The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
• The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
• The Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Ireland.

Experience and Skills

Have at least two year's practical experience, gained within the last ten years, in one or more of the following areas:

• Financial planning and budgeting; OR
• Financial Management / Management Accounting; OR
• Financial Accounting/Auditing; OR
• Development/ Implementation of Financial Systems; OR
• Strategic planning and decision support in a finance or regulatory environment;

AND:

• Proficient in using excel and other Microsoft Office packages.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• High degree of self-motivation and initiative.
• Demonstrate the values set out in the ICRIR code of Conduct
• Willingness and ability to be assessed against the requirements for CTC clearance, if not already cleared.
• Applicants must meet the nationality requirements for this role. Details of the nationality requirements can be found in the FAQs below.
• Experience of the Account NI finance system
• Public sector finance experience
• Full professional membership of one of the Accountancy Bodies referred to above

Key Responsibilities

• Provision of high quality, accurate and timely financial information to a range of stakeholders, including preparation of regular reports to senior management.
• Provision of expert advice and guidance to budget holders on budgeting and the in-year monitoring of budgets.
• Establishing and maintaining close and effective working relationships with colleagues across ICRIR and external stakeholders, as required.
• Assist in the preparation of financial forecasts and costing of research and business development opportunities.
• Provision of advice and guidance to promote the safeguarding of public funds and ensure that such funds are discharged with probity, regularity and best value for money.
• Establishment and maintenance of appropriate systems of internal control and governance frameworks, including the development of relevant policy and procedures.
• Assist in the development and implementation of financial systems and processes to support financial management and reporting processes.
• Maintaining an up-to-date understanding of current public expenditure planning, monitoring, control and accountability systems.
• Assisting in the preparation of annual accounts for ICRIR as required and dealing with auditors.
• Assisting with procurement pipeline and activity.
• Managing the resources of your own section.
• Promote high standards of accountability, integrity and probity and provide professional advice to support decision making.

Staff Management

• Lead, manage and motivate staff to ensure continuous improvement of the services they provide to ICRIR.
• Ensure effective management of staff including absence and performance management.

This list is not exhaustive, and the successful candidate will be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the post, as allocated by management.

Band: 2

Salary Range:

£37,000 - £44,450. Appointments will normally be made at the minimum of the salary range. However, candidates with exceptional skills, qualifications or experience directly relevant to the role may be considered for a higher starting salary, subject to the Commission's Pay on Appointment Policy and approval processes. The ICRIR pay policy can be found here: ICRIR Pay Policy March 2025 - Independent Commission for Reconciliation & Information Recovery

Location: Belfast

Our main operational base is in Belfast, with an operational site in London. Staff are split across both the London and Belfast Offices; therefore, you may be required to travel to London as well as maintain regular attendance in the office. You may also work from your home address, in line with the Commission’s approach on hybrid working and with the agreement of your line manager.

Contract Type

This role is offered on a permanent contract. Full time and part-time roles are available.

Security Level

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for, and ability to obtain, CTC clearance, if not already cleared. Please find further information on NSV (National Security Vetting): National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK.