Finance Assistant

Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XJ £25,583 - £25,989 Contract If you are interested in beginning a rewarding career in Finance, or if you are looking for an opportunity to be an essential part of a team to play a crucial role in Finance & Commercial Services. This role will allow you to make the difference. To use your communication skills to support your colleagues across the council, providing guidance and administration to ensure efficient and safe finance arrangements. You will have the opportunity to support us in finding new efficient ways of working. Recently we have migrated our finance systems to one, and there is still more work to continue this process. There are exciting and interesting times ahead and lots of projects to be involved in. We are a truly collaborative team who openly support and develop each other, going out of our way to offer knowledge, time, and practical support. We also offer hybrid and flexible working around the needs of the team and the service, that supports a healthy work-life balance. Your opinion counts. You can take part in Employee surveys, staff engagement sessions and Employee Forum's. The Employee Forum's act as a 'voice' and helps us shape the future. What will you be doing? You will provide high quality, technical and financial support services to the Council. It is an essential part of the role to ensure that consistent, accurate and timely financial management information and advice is available for managers and other stakeholders to be able to make informed decisions about their services. We currently have Accounts Receivable, Income Management and Accounts Payable Vacancies. Please express your preference on your application form. Income Management We make sure that bank files are uploaded each day along with multiple other tasks. This is crucial to the running of the organisation. Allocation of income from the bank statements is equally important as this will reduce the amount of aged debt within the Council. Accounts Receivable The role involves raising accurate invoices promptly in line with agreed procedures, maintaining strong attention to detail to ensure data integrity. You will also take a key role in early-stage debt chasing, contacting customers in a professional and courteous manner to secure timely payments, resolve queries, and minimise aged debt. Working closely with internal teams and external stakeholders, you will help maintain positive relationships while supporting the organisation's financial health through efficient income management and recovery processes. Accounts Payable The role involves accurately processing high volumes of invoices, ensuring they are matched, coded, and authorised in line with financial procedures and deadlines. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to accuracy, you will play a key role in maintaining financial controls and supporting the smooth operation of the organisation's payment processes. There is also the opportunity to be involved in projects as we are always looking at improvements and also have changes that we need to make. An example of a recent project was making Tax Digital. This was a large exciting project and you will have the opportunity to be part of these working groups to help shape Dorset Council.

• We are looking for someone who is motivated and works well within a team and also as an individual. You will need to be able to trouble shoot where necessary.
• You will be able to communicate financial information confidently with customers, colleagues and managers.
• You will be willing to learn and understand the work of colleagues, other teams, customers and developing services to support them better.
• Full training is given but experience in previous financial roles is desirable.
  
  For this role we can carry out the majority of work from home but there is still a requirement to travel to the office one day a week. This is also subject to change and review.
Four of these posts are fixed term for two years and one post if maternity cover for 1 year. At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video: Unable to show this video due to your cookie preferences At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future. We:
• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive
You will:
• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application. This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement. If you're passionate about making a difference, we'd love you to join us.