Assistant Accountant

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Assistant Accountant to work for Thames Valley Police at their headquarters in Kidlington.

This is a temporary role until March 2026 and there will be an element of hybrid working and you will need to be in the office when required and you would need to be in the office in the first few weeks.

PLEASE NOTE DUE TO THE POLICE VETTING AND SECURITY CLEARANCE CRITERIA YOU MUST HAVE RESIDED WITHIN THE UK CONTINUOUSLY FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS AT THE TIME OF APPLICATION. PLEASE NOTE YOU WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IF YOU HAVE NOT MET THIS CRITERIA.

The overall purpose of the role is to: Support the force in delivering strategic priorities by ensuring accurate financial management of force budgets, working with key stakeholder within the force, to ensure financial reporting and forecasting.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITY AREAS

• Support the Finance Business Partners/Corporate Accountants to develop and deliver an efficient and effective financial management service that is aligned to the strategic priorities of TVP, continually striving to improve through reflective practice and lessons learnt.
• Pivotal in the production of the Force MTFP and MTCP and annual budget by providing information and analysis on BAU budgets, bids, and offering recommendations for budget modifications and alternative options, thereby facilitating informed decision-making.
• Enable a successful financial performance monitoring process by identifying and extracting data from source systems, validating / reconciling the data, evaluating predicted expenditure levels, identify exceptions and providing feedback to Accounts and Business stakeholders to enable informed decision-making.
• Responsible for monthly preparation of financial analyses and costings for both internal and external purposes, offering feedback to stakeholders as necessary to support crucial decisionmaking. Assume full responsibility for completing and providing analyses, as well as providing expert advice on matters pertaining to legislative, professional, or force-related financial regulations.
• Manage and maintain financial records in strict accordance with audit requirements while ensuring full compliance with legislation, accounting standards, and force regulations at all times.
• Accountable for managing and maintaining accurate information and accounting records. Ensure timely processing of journals, budget virements, requisitions and invoices according to Forces financial regulations. Uphold evidential standards to support the year-end audit.
• Accountable for executing specific tasks in accordance with the agreed statutory year-end schedule. Precisely submit grant returns within strict deadlines. Facilitate the recovery of income by promptly and accurately invoicing sundry debtors. Provide a timely high quality service when managing customers queries.
• Deputise for the Finance Business Partners/Corporate Accountants on financial matters during times of absence or as directed. Attend meetings where they are required to supply financial data/information/advice and guidance. Work closely with the OPCC to align on goals and objectives and ensure value for money.
• Work closely with project and programme managers as the financial expert, providing the current financial position of project/programmes to enable informed decision-making. Be the force expert in matters relating to financial data and analysis to support the completion of business cases and contract tender evaluation documentation.
• Take ownership of the critical role of managing the force budgeted and temporary establishments at both a departmental and force level, ensuring changes are properly documented, actioned and funded appropriately. Prepare and collate the overall force's monitoring data, analysing the returns for anomalies or issues, and drafting a report of the positions for the Accounts SLT, CCMT and the PCC.
• Overall responsibility for managing and forecasting the end-to-end police pay and allowances budgets (circa £270m), ensuring the forecasts accurately reflect known changes and agreed recruitment plans.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Fully AAT Qualified. Attained or willing to work towards achieving.
• Proven practical and technical post qualification experience in a finance environment.
• High level of computer literacy; especially, MS office applications, Excel and databases.
• Proven ability to produce and accurately manipulate, interpret and analyse highly complex financial data to produce insightful information to assist decision making and performance management across the force.
• Proven ability as a good communicator who can clearly deliver financial information (verbal and written).
• Proven ability to work as a team member and independently.
• Part-qualified in a professional accountancy qualification (ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) having achieved passes/exemptions in at least 2/3 of the exam papers.
• Ability to draft final financial reports and deliver reports to the appropriate audiences.
• Enhanced knowledge of all areas of the organisation and how interdependencies can influence financial decisions or advice.
• Ability to lead on and represent the finance department in complex initiatives or annual processes such as the Annual Planning Process (APP) bids, the force productivity savings plan.

Adecco acts as an employment agency for permanent recruitment and an employment business for the supply of temporary workers. The Adecco Group UK & Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

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