Finance Officer

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Finance Officer - Children’s Services. Wirral / WFH
3 MTHS CONTRACT
£15.27 / HR

1. Work autonomously and to manage, maintain and update computer information systems as required in relation to the management and control of Direct Payments and SGO, Adoption and CAO payments. Ensuring approvals, policies, procedures and systems are complied with.
2. Update live real time financial information on all placements with. Responsibility for system administration of the payment system (controcc) and assist in all other divisional systems.
3. Oversee the input, extract and manipulation of information, whether relating to finance, service users or any other service requirement or eligibility criteria, this will include producing bespoke and more complex reports to ensure that the regulations and procedures are followed correctly. Prepare accurate Management Information (MI) reports for Senior Leadership to report performance and inform effective decisions around changes to business processes.
4. Use professional understanding to identify implications for service needs, service efficiency, and service delivery; and alert managers to potentially significant opportunities and risks and irregularities. Wirral Council: Job Role Descriptor Page 2 of 6
5. Monitor and provide a regular analysis of the services outstanding debt and to take action to reduce and minimise this where possible.
6. Provide inbound and outbound contact, with service users in response to more complex enquiries and advise on financial and administrative processes and deal with complaints within the complaint’s procedure. This may/includes home visits/ office visits to and from service users for the purpose of validation of documents and undertaking financial assessment to be presented to permanence panel and for use in the court arena.
7. Panel members on both permanence panel and direct payments panel; offering finance advice and opinion.
8. Responsible for BACS set up and administration for all SGO, Adoption, CAO, Direct Payment applications and set ups.
9. Ensure documents are processed in accordance with the Council’s retention and destruction policies for both manual and electronic systems e.g. scanning, filing etc.
10. Ensure all relevant legislation, policy and procedures and any associated documentation are complied with.
11. Contribute to the development of systems and processes to meet organisational needs and to ensure the high quality of information held.
12. Complete financial audits of all special guardians, adoption allowances, CAO payments and direct payments 6 monthly.
13. To be fully conversant with the various conditions related to DP’s, SGO, Adoption and CAO and associated areas and be able to provide support, advice and training to both internal and external colleagues on a regular basis.
14. Collaborate on the development of systems and processes/policies to meet operational needs of the Council and ensure the high quality of information held.
15. Present advice and solutions to managers regarding payments to all SGO, CAO, Adoption carers and Direct Payments.
16. Monitor and reconcile large budgets, producing financial reports and statements as requested by managers with due regard to confidentiality and safeguarding.
17. To be aware of implication of any additional expenditure on the department budget and to bring such information to the attention of the relevant manager and corporate finance.
18. Ensure all matters arising with service user enquiry is responded to in a timely manner.
19. To maintain effective working relationships with managers, internal departments, DWP and other partner agencies of the council, and to attend meeting or working parties as required.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of transactional and business support processing procedures.
• Knowledge of relevant specialist legislative requirements e.g. data protection.
• Demonstrate the ability to analyse information and make an appropriate decision on a course of action.
• Demonstrate comprehensive IT skills e.g. use of Microsoft Office etc.
• Experience of data input entry to business support systems and extrapolation.
• Understanding of confidentiality requirements.
• Ability to work to deadlines.
• Ability to work directly with customers in relation to customer accounts.
• Ability to liaise with banking organisations to ensure free flow of information in relation to customer accounts.
• Understanding of Universal benefits and entitlements.

Experience:

• Experience of basic data input entry to business support systems and extrapolation.
• Understanding of confidentiality requirements.
• Experience of working in a customer service or office environment.
• Experience of working with service users on a face to face basis. This may include undertaking visits to homes of service users or meeting service users in office spaces.
• Able to work to deadlines.
• Experience of undertaking financial assessments, monitoring, and managing accounts
• Dealing with customers to improve effectiveness and efficiency

Contract length: 3 months

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary, Contract

Salary: £15.27 per hour

Schedule:

• Day shift

Experience:

• data input: 1 year (required)
• Accounting: 1 year (required)

Work remotely:

• Temporarily due to COVID-19