Job title: Finance Assistant

Salary: B3 £25,584 - £27,269

Hours: 37 p/w

Contract: Temporary until 31/08/2025

Location: Leeds City Council - Civic Hall 1-2 days a week with hybrid working offered.

Internal vacancy. Applications will only be considered from existing Leeds City Council employees.

Leeds is made up of 812,000 people - from a diverse range of backgrounds, speaking over 175 different languages. A city with a unique geography - a vibrant urban centre surrounded by towns, villages and more rural areas, each with their own distinct history and character. We are proud to be a welcoming city, where our rich culture and diversity is celebrated and accessible for all. Every person in Leeds counts and should have the opportunity to contribute their strengths to Team Leeds.  Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees and we seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

We are seeking a self-motivated and enthusiastic individual who is looking to build a career within Financial Services.

This is a great opportunity to move into a financial role which can offer a variety of work in a vibrant and forward thinking environment. You would be working as part of the team providing a comprehensive financial administration support service to the wider financial management team.

You will need the ability to organise and co-ordinate your workload with your line manager to meet tight deadlines, to have a flexible approach to work demands and be able to work as part of a team and on your own initiative. 

Applicants will be required to provide evidence of numerical and literacy skills to meet the essential qualification criteria for shortlisting:

GCSE Maths & English Grade C or new numbers 4 and above or subject specific equivalents and a Willingness to study for the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification (AAT)

There would be an opportunity for the successful candidate to study for a professional qualification with the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).

The AAT qualification is a 3-year on-the-job apprenticeship, delivered by a mix of college and online learning, with exams at each level and a portfolio of experience to complete.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

We have a strong track record of helping people develop their Finance careers, alongside our commitment to improving diversity and wellbeing. In addition to training, development and mentoring, employees can also gain experience in our different Finance teams.

You can also take advantage of our various flexible working patterns including our ‘hybrid’ working model. Staff within Financial Services at present have the option to work both in the office and from home, with an average of 1-2 days worked from the office a week depending on business need.

How to apply

Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 2^nd March – with in-person interviews scheduled for Thursday 13^th and Friday 14^th March 2025

To give yourself the best chance of being shortlisted for interview, please ensure you describe how you meet the essential requirements for the role, using appropriate examples where appropriate.

Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. Read our guidance for further advice.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the roles, please contact either:

• Rob Turner, Finance Manager on 0113 37 89395 or email Turner@leeds.gov.uk
• Danny Mackey, Finance Manager on 0113 37 88839 or email Daniel.Mackey@leeds.gov.uk 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds and the communities we serve. Leeds City Council is recognised in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2024. We are also an Age-friendly Employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, candidates must consider their own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the 'standard' salary rate of at least £38,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. For more information visit Skilled Worker visa on the government website. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Working as part of the team providing a comprehensive financial administration support service to the wider financial management team, the post-holder will model the Council’s values and behaviours in order to help us achieve our ambition of being the best council in the country. 

Responsibilities for Grade:

• Respond to routine financial queries from non-finance staff in relation to their use of the Financial Management System (FMS) for example, implementing changes to FMS User access, maintenance of FMS hierarchies, delivering training and providing ad-hoc advice re process, coding, etc.
• Assist with the reconciliation of financial information held within FMS to other financial systems
• Raising Ad-hoc orders for the Financial Management Service and being the registered Purchasing Card owner for transactions
• Assist Finance Officers in the preparation of financial information
• Support the processing of virements and internal recharges, journals and other financial transactions
• Maintain group e-mail lists and access to share-point sites
• Explaining financial matters or to provide basic training to financial and other staff, using well developed communication skills to undertake this clearly and understandably.
• Assist Finance Officers in monitoring specific budgets and the provision and collation of information contributing to revenue and capital budget reporting.
• Assist Finance Officers with annual financial processes including the preparation of budgets and year end accounts.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade
• To participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills
• To improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Educated to a minimum of GCSE level including English and Mathematics at grade C or above or equivalent

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION: Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview, and Certificate

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities:  Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements

Skills Required

• Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written
• Good IT skills including the use of Microsoft office applications, particularly Excel
• Sound numeracy skills and the ability to work with large data sets
• Good interpersonal skills
• The ability to work within tight deadlines
• Flexible approach to work demands and team-working
• Ability to respond independently to unexpected problems and situation, and organise your own workload, deciding when and how to carry out the work for which you are responsible.

Knowledge Required

• Have a sound working knowledge of standard IT applications used in an office environment and the use a computerised financial ledger
• Understanding of employees’ responsibility for health and safety.

Experience Required

• Experience of maintaining good working relationships with others
• Experience of working successfully to strict deadlines

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

• To demonstrate the council’s values, behaviours and manager habits in all aspects of your day to day work.
• Positively promote the equalities agenda
• To carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under the Council’s Health & Safety Policies and Code of Conduct.
• To take ownership of your personal development planning and be willing to actively participate in learning and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge and skills

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS: It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role.  Candidates are not required to meet all the Desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates. 

Knowledge Required

• Working knowledge of accountancy in a financial service background including budget planning, monitoring and closure of accounts

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

• Willingness to study for the Association of Accounting Technicians qualification

Apply for this job