Service Charge Finance Officer

Salary: Up to £30,500
Job Type: Full Time, Permanent
Location: Head Office - West Didsbury
Benefits: Competitive pension, 26 days holiday plus bank holidays, increasing with service, cycle to work scheme, season ticket loans for public transport plus much more.

You will report to the Service Charge Team Leader and will provide an effective and efficient Service Charge function to Great Places Housing Group.

What you’ll be doing:

• You will support budget holders in the annual setting of Service Charges
• You will produce annual accounts for audited and non-audited schemes in accordance with the group timetable
• Conduct monthly variance analysis of Service Charge income and expenditure by schemes to ensure costs are allocated correctly.
• To regularly meet and support budget holders and contract managers by providing analysis and scheme performance information highlighting overspends and poor financial management;
• Prepare routine journals to ensure the Service Charge accounts accurately report income and expenditure and the balance sheet accurately reports assets and liabilities for each period;
• Use the monthly variance analysis to support the production of the Directorate Packs, analysing in month and year to date variances against budget and projection and quantifying the year end impact and any potential impact to future years budgets;
• Advise and train budget holders in matters of financial understanding, Service Charges and budgetary control;
• Provide information for the annual Service Charge audit and respond to auditor queries ensuring a clean audit;

What you’ll need:

• Service Charge experience
• Keep up to date on all relevant Service Charge legislation
• Attention to detail
• Experience of cross organisational working and engaging stakeholders;
• Data analysis
• Use of full range of Microsoft Office

What we need from you:

• A commitment to understand the challenges and opportunities that exist in the communities in which we work. We particularly value lived experience in social housing
• A passion to advocate on behalf of people and communities
• A commitment to work in partnership with others for the benefit of Great Places
• A commitment to continuous learning and improvement
• Ability to work flexibly and when needed outside normal working hours to ensure service continuity
• An ability to work in uncertainty.
• To be professional and work with integrity, inclusivity and respect for diversity
• You will be required to attend a number of face to face training sessions as well as virtual sessions and e-learning this part of your role is vital and of equal importance as the day to day aspects

What we give you in return for your hard work and commitment

• Pension | DC scheme (up to 10% contribution from both colleagues and Great Places)
• WPA | Healthcare auto enrolled at no contribution level with £1250 of savings available - option to increase & add family members
• Annual leave |Start at 26 days annual leave, increasing up to 30 days + Bank Holidays
• Flexi time | Allows colleagues to achieve a healthy work life balance whilst carrying out requirement of the role. A maximum of 13 days flexi can be taken in a year
• Professional fees | The business pays the cost of one professional membership fee for each colleague
• The Market Place |high street, restaurant & supermarket discounts, gym memberships, cycle to work, smart tech loans and much more
• Health and wellbeing initiatives | Our colleagues enjoy wellbeing campaigns throughout the year, with activities designed around our four pillars of wellbeing, these include career wellbeing, mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing and financial wellbeing

REF-214 152