Exchequer Accounts Assistant Ref: 22-25

Salary: Grade 9, £24,916 to £30,873 per annum 
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Location: Dereham (remote-enabled)
Contract Type: Permanent

Ready for your next challenge in finance?

Are you looking for a role where you can make a real difference while building your career in a supportive, forward-thinking organisation?

We're looking for a confident and capable Exchequer Accounts Assistant to join our Finance team. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone with a keen eye for detail, a head for numbers, and a drive to deliver excellent service.

You'll work across three key areas of exchequer services - purchase ledger, sales ledger/credit control, income management, and daily banking - but you'll take the lead as our sales ledger specialist, ensuring processes are accurate, efficient, and well-managed.

At Breckland Council, we don't just balance the books - we support the services that support our communities. Join us and be part of a team that values your contribution and empowers you to grow.

About the role:

You'll play a key role in ensuring the smooth operation of the Council's financial processes.

You will:

• Manage and maintain the sales ledger, including daily reports and reconciliations
• Apply correct VAT treatment to invoices
• Prepare and post journals
• Chase and recover outstanding debts in line with procedures
• Allocate incoming income to the correct accounts
• Record cheque payments accurately
• Reconcile Purchase Card usage monthly
• Raise purchase orders for the Finance team
• Support end-of-month and year-end processes
• Help streamline financial processes and improve ways of working
• Provide advice and support as the first point of contact for sales ledger queries

About you:

We're looking for someone who is organised, proactive, and passionate about getting things right.

You should have:

• At least one year of experience in a computerised office environment
• Previous accountancy experience, including bank reconciliationsand eitherpurchase or sales ledger
• Confidence using Word and Excel

What we do matters, but how we do it does too - is this you?

• Collaborative -You look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing your views and knowledge
• Ambitious - You are a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work you do and encouraging others to do the same
• Results driven- You are flexible ensuring you provide the best possible service, reviewing your own performance and asking for feedback to learn and improve
• Empowering - You ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for your own and for the organisation's development
• Supportive- You treat others as you would want to be treated yourself, ensuring you are welcoming, friendly and approachable

If you're looking to develop your finance career in a role that's rewarding, fast-paced, and full of opportunity, we want to hear from you.

Apply today and help shape the future of Breckland Council's finance service.

Closing date: 9am, Wednesday 24 June 2025

Job summary

Description of duties

Sales Ledger, Credit Control & Finance Admin

• Responsible for the maintenance of the sales ledger system, including running daily processes & reports, data entry, correct VAT treatment, journal preparation & input, month & year end processes
• Responsible for the production of all sales ledger invoices within target timescales and performance targets. 
• Responsible for actively chasing overdue outstanding debts in accordance with debt recovery procedures.  Maintain effective routines to monitor and control debt recovery.  Continually develop debt chasing procedures.
• Identify and resolve queries arising in respect of the Sales Ledger and respond by letter, telephone, email or in person.
• Perform daily procedures to import income into the sales ledger system, allocate income to the correct transactions and carry out daily reconciliations.
• Review/update central procedures for all Sales Ledger tasks on an ongoing basis
• Accurately record cheques
• Understanding of and compliance with internal controls to meet internal and external audit requirements including security, recording and handling of post, cheques and cash; Processing of all cheque and cash payments made to the Council; Using Academy and Integra for enquiries regarding accounts and payment details; Issuing receipts; End of day reconciliations; Banking; Dealing with payment enquiries from other departments and the public; Returning cheques to the sender as necessary.
• Ensure all control sheets are authorized and appropriately filed to comply with audit requirements.
• Raise Finance PO's
• Review Finance Post and work towards a paperless office and undertake audit queries, and other administrative tasks within Finance

Income Management

• Responsible for performing monthly and daily bank reconciliations for all the Council's bank accounts and investments.  Identify and deal with any problems or discrepancies, carrying out complex reconciliations where required.
• Responsible for ensuring all bank transfers, payments and income are correctly input onto the Council's Financial System.
• Perform financial reconciliations of fund transfers (eg: cash receipting system, debit card payments, banking, etc) on a daily basis.  Facilitate any changeover in bank accounts by monitoring transactions through a daily reconciliation process.
• Responsible for the identification and allocation of all un-referenced Council income (including dealing with queries), ensuring that the Suspense account is kept to a minimum and all items are dealt with promptly.
• Responsible for the allocation of all Petty Cash payments onto the Financial System, ensuring the VAT treatment and coding is correct.
• Review/update central procedures for all Income and Banking related tasks on an ongoing basis.
• Responsible for the daily banking.
• Responsible for identification and resolution of system errors within the cash management/AIM/Paye.Net systems (i.e. identification of which area of the system is at fault & contacting the relevant supplier and follow through to query resolution).
• Provide appropriate cover for other team members as required.
• Responsible for petty cash, verifying payments fall within Council guidelines and are correctly authorized. Ensuring there are always adequate funds available
• Support Strategic property to complete and maintain the rent deposit spreadsheet and complete the relevant bank reconciliation for rent deposits

Purchase Ledger & Purchase Ordering

• Responsible for the Purchase Ledger including data entry, correct VAT treatment, journal preparation & input, month & year end processes and all Purchase Ledger related queries. Maintain control over the payments/purchase order process by performing daily & weekly reconciliations.
• Responsible for performing weekly payment runs (including a constant review of BACS payments) and actioning of urgent cheque requests wherever necessary.  Ensuring creditor invoices are paid within the agreed timescales to achieve performance targets.
• Raising/goods receiving of electronic purchase orders as required.
• Responsible for the Purchase Order system acting as main contact for queries on the Purchase Order system.
• Responsible for the update, review and maintenance of the central file of authorised signatories.
• Responsible for the validation of new contractors with the Inland Revenue in accordance with the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) ensuring correct payment of deductions made are paid in a timely manner to the Inland Revenue.
• Responsible for purchase card system.  Ensure uploaded into Integra within agreed deadlines.  Check accuracy of entries and how cards are being used.
• Review/update central procedures for all Purchase Ledger and Purchase Ordering tasks on an ongoing basis.

General Responsibilities for all roles

• Assist with final accounts tasks in accordance with the final accounts timetable.
• Assist with the development/improvement of the Council's Financial management System.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of this post.
• Ensure compliance to all policies, procedures, standard operating practices, with recommendations for action and continuous improvement.

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service. This will be in consultation with the post holder, as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• One years experience of working within a computerised environment.
• Previous accountancy experience, including bank reconciliations
• Experience of working with Word & Excel
• One years experience of either purchase or sales ledger

Desirable

• Knowledge of Local Government Accounting
• Purchase ordering experience
• Cash receipting experience
• Working knowledge of the services provided by Local Government

Qualifications

Essential

• Minimum 4 GCSE's grade A-C / 4-9 including Maths and English

Desirable

• AAT qualified

Behaviours

Collaborative

• I make an effort to keep connected with colleagues: socially, emotionally and professionally
• I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge

Ambitious

• I work hard to build relationships inside and outside my own area of work
• I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same

Results driven

• I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service, wherever and whenever is best for the customer
• I review my own performance and ask for feedback to learn and improve

Empowering

• I ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for my own and for the organisation's development
• I appropriately challenge unacceptable behaviour

Supportive

• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself ensuring I am welcoming, friendly and approachable
• I understand and take care of my own well-being and of that of those around me, and give time to colleagues who need help or support

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

Exposure to office risks.

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Mandy Chenery, Senior Accountant by emailing Mandy.Chenery@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date - 9am, 24 June 2025
 

APPLY ONLINE

Please be aware that if you are selected for this role there will be a requirement to undertake a DBS check as part of pre-employment checks.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies. These are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.

DBS Requirement

Please be aware that if you are selected for this role there will be a requirement to undertake a DBS check as part of pre-employment checks.