Finance Officer (Service Charge)

What is the role?

It plays a crucial part in helping us make the best use of our financial resources.

You will provide finance support across all elements of the Service Charge life cycle for tenants, leaseholders and shared owners.

You will prepare Service Charge budgets, actuals and analysis, as well as monitor and control Service Charge income and expenditure budgets and forecasts.

You will provide other accounting services such as sundry invoicing and maintaining cash books.

You will provide support and input to the delivery of strategic improvement projects being undertaken by the customer relations directorate and the finance & procurement directorate.

What will you be doing here?

·You will calculate initial Service Charges for new schemes.

·You will calculate all estimated Service Charge calculations for tenants, leaseholders and shared owners.

·You will review, monitor and control actual spend against budget/forecast.

·You will analyse monthly actuals against budget/forecast and post accruals/prepayments/adjustments as required.

·You will manage invoicing to leaseholders for Service Charges and other costs.

·You will perform calculations of actual Service Charges and reconcile to estimates for annual statements to tenants, leaseholders, and shared owners.

·You will monitor posting of Service Charges and repairs.

·You will implement continuous improvement to Service Charge policies and procedures, liaising with other teams as appropriate.

·You will perform sundry invoicing.

·You will maintain cash books for the general bank account, rent bank account and deposit bank account.

·You will support the design and implementation of strategic improvement projects across the organisation.

·You will ensure the organisation’s financial regulations are complied with.

·You will undertake such other work as determined by the organisation as being compatible with the responsibility levels of the post. This will include ad-hoc support for other colleagues within the finance and procurement team.

·You will positively support activities that help promote our new culture and behaviours.

Skills and experience

·Experience of performing, understanding and analysing accounting transactions.

·Experience of preparing, monitoring and controlling Service Charge budgets, estimates and actuals.

·Experience of collaborating with both finance and non-finance colleagues across an organisation.

·Excellent verbal, written and numerical communication skills.

·Strong digital skills, including experience of specialist finance systems and MS Office.

·High levels of attention to detail.

·Excellent problem-solving skills.

·Approachable, friendly and with a commitment to delivering a high-quality experience for customers and colleagues.

·Flexible and willing to adapt to change.

Qualifications and other requirements

·AAT qualified.

·Driving licence with own transport preferred.

·Open Accounts experience preferred.

·Social housing experience preferred.

·Experience of setting and monitoring Service Charge actuals and estimates processes.