Finance Officer Position Description

Finance Officer Position description

The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) is seeking a part-time Finance Officer to maintain its financial and accounting systems and support IPEd’s operations under a new structure from 1 July 2016.

About IPEd

The Institute of Professional Editors, a company limited by guarantee, is the national association representing Australian professional editors. It is in the process of restructuring to a direct membership organisation from the former peak body for seven state and territory societies of editors, which will be branches in the new structure.

The governance and management structure will include IPEd Council (the board of directors elected by the branches), standing committees (including the Accreditation Board), branch executive committees and national staff.

Under the new structure, IPEd will have about 1200 members, some of whom work in-house for publishers and other organisations, while others work as freelance editors across many sectors, including publishing of various types, tertiary education, government and business.

IPEd and its branches will provide membership services, including professional development workshops, standards for editorial practice, accreditation, member information, newsletters and national conferences.

Position overview

The Finance Officer will report to the Executive Officer (EO) and will be responsible for all aspects of IPEd accounting, banking, payroll and BAS returns. Branches, Council, standing committees (including the Accreditation Board) and national staff approve expenses according to IPEd’s Delegated Financial Authorities Policy (DFAP) and submit transactions to the Finance Officer for processing and payment.

IPEd uses the web-based accounting system Xero. The membership system, MEMNET, linked to a payment gateway for online payments, provides income and accounts receivable ledger exports to the accounting system.

National office staff (initially the Executive Officer, Finance, Membership and Communication Officers and Company Secretary) will work remotely, communicating with each other and the branches using email, web-based discussion and chat tools, teleconferencing and video conferencing.

The FO position will initially be 0.2 FTE.

Key responsibilities

The Finance Officer’s responsibilities and tasks will be primarily to:

· advise and assist branch officers, Council and staff officers in the preparation of budgets and the approval of expenses according to the DFAP

· coordinate the approval of transactions that require approval by the EO or Council

· process purchase and expense claim transactions and prepare online banking payments for approval by the account signatories

· raise subscription renewals

· record payments received for subscriptions, events, accreditation and other IPEd services

· process approved refunds

· manage IPEd’s online banking accounts

· process payrolls and superannuation contributions for national staff

· reconcile IPEd accounts

· prepare regular, scheduled financial reports for the branches and IPEd overall, including budget variances and explanations

· work with the Secretary, Membership Officer and Communication Officer in relation to member services and communication, and provide the Executive Officer with information on IPEd operations

· prepare other financial information as required by the EO

· prepare and submit income tax and quarterly BAS returns

· liaise with the IPEd auditors as required

· carry out other responsibilities and tasks as directed by the EO.

Selection criteria

Essential

· Demonstrated capacity and experience in:

o covering the complete accounting cycle, including reconciliation and financial reporting

o using an accounting application such as MYOB, Xero or QuickBooks

· Highly developed skills using the Microsoft Office suite of programs

· The ability to work in a systematic way with a minimum of direction

· Strong attention to detail

· Excellent interpersonal, spoken and written communication skills

· The ability to work effectively as part of a team

· Access to a reliable, fast internet connection (allowance provided)

Desirable

· An accounting qualification

· At least two years’ experience in using Xero

· Experience in online banking

· Solid experience in preparing BAS returns

· Good payroll and superannuation experience

· Experience working remotely and with minimal supervision

Enquiries

For further information about the position, contact the IPEd Secretary, Margaret Telford.

E:
M: 0416 118 701

Submitting an application

Applicants should submit a written application that:

· addresses the selection criteria, citing evidence to support claims

· includes a curriculum vitae that provides contact details, qualifications, previous employment and experience

· includes the names and contact details of at least two referees.

Applications should be submitted by email to:

Margaret Telford, IPEd Secretary

Applications close 5 pm EST 29 March 2016.