Assistant Accountant London, England
Job description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Finance
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
The Assistant Accountant role is a trainee accountant position requiring a strong academic background and numeracy. They will be a member of a small Finance team of qualified accountants. The role involves helping to account for the financial instruments traded by several of the Government’s Exchequer funds, which the UK Government uses for its investments and borrowings. This means that the role will involve exposure to certain financial markets and provide an insight into Government financing and day-to-day cashflows. The Assistant Accountant will be supported by the Finance team in learning a wide range of financial reporting, reconciliations, and other analysis tasks.
This role offers support for undertaking the ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent qualification.
Job description
The Finance team is responsible for the accounting and other financial activities of the Exchequer funds under the care of the DMO (namely the Debt Management Account, the funds of the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, and the PWLB lending facility).
The Finance team is responsible for controlling the General Ledger and reporting the financial activities of the Exchequer funds in a wide range of daily, weekly, monthly and annual reporting requirements. The team comprises two other qualified accountants, led by the Senior Accountant - the Head of Finance oversees this team as well as another team which accounts for the budget of the DMO.
The Finance team is a small, friendly team that maintains high standards. Outputs are a team effort and this is reflected in our close collaboration and open communication.
Person specification
- Lead on daily tasks, including General Ledger maintenance and cash & bond reconciliations, to help ensure the accuracy of the General Ledger.
- Identify potential errors arising from daily maintenance/reconciliation tasks and investigate these, taking responsibility for their resolution.
- Support production of bank-style annual accounts under IFRS - this includes team coordination, document management and liaising with other government bodies.
- Support production of wide ranging monthly reporting to senior management and other government bodies, including management accounts.
- Contribute ideas for development of financial reporting models to enhance efficiency and reliability of reporting.
- Contribute ideas for development of systems, controls, and other processes to reduce delivery times and reduce operational risk.
- Coordinate timely distribution of Finance deliverables to ensure reporting deadlines are met.
- Maintain clear and comprehensive records of issues, actions, progress, and conclusions so that the team is aware of how activities are progressing.
- Deal with stakeholder queries and deliver ad-hoc analysis in response to emerging issues.
- Maintain, adapt, and update procedure manuals so that team members are able to cover for each other
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- You will be asked to undertake a short excel test during the assessment to hep gauge your level of excel knowledge
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
To apply, please send a CV and covering letter explaining how you meet the person specification to [email protected]
The candidates who are assessed, from the information provided as best meeting the requirements of the role will be invited to interview. Please note that only candidates shortlisted for interview will be informed of the progress of their application. Feedback will only be provided to those invited to attend an interview.
As part of our pre-employment security checks, if you are invited to interview, you will need to bring:
- Proof of identity, e.g. your passport or driver’s license. Documents must be in date and valid.
- Proof of your National Insurance (NI) number, e.g. letter from DWP confirming your NI number, or P60
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team :
Further information
