JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:ACCOUNTS & ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

(12 month contract - option to extend or become permanent).

Scale / Salary: £21,000 per annum, pro rata for part-time.

Responsible to: Director of Finance and Operations

Pension: 5% employer’s pension contribution

Annual Leave: 28 days per annum plus bank holidays

Location:Central London, E1 postcode

Hours of work: 22.5 to 37.5 hours per week, days and hours flexible to

suit.

Normal office hours are 9.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Preferred start date: 1 July 2016

The Charity:

The Citizenship Foundation is an independent charity (No. 801360) working throughout the UK and internationally to promote more effective citizenship through education about the law, democracy and society. Founded in 1989, it aims to empower people, particularly the young and disadvantaged, with the knowledge, skills and understanding to engage positively with their communities. Our work includes a comprehensive range of citizenship resources for a wide audience from teachers to young offenders; nationwide training; national active learning projects for secondary schools and community-based projects to develop citizenship education as a collective responsibility.

At present, the Foundation has 20 employees and is fortunate to be supported by several consultants and volunteers. The organisation is lively and informal with a conscientious and diligent staff.

The Role:

Reporting into the Finance Manager, the Accounts Assistant will assist the Finance Director in the provision of an effective finance function to the charity. Key duties will include sales and purchase ledgers, reconciliations, payment runs, managing the petty cash and VAT records. You will manage information flows and take on some ad hoc duties as and when required.

The Ideal Candidate:

You must have experience of accounts payable and receivable, payroll processing, bank reconciliations and be proficient in the application and use of Excel. You will be capable, a team player, proactive, willing to learn and be able to use your initiative to good effect. You will as well have excellent communication skills and be organised and efficient. You will ideally be someone who is looking to move on to a more challenging role, having soundly grasped the basics in your current or previous role(s).

In return for your hard work you will gain exposure to the entire finance function of a really interesting close-knit organisation with a rich heritage that offers great staff benefits, flexible working and useful learning opportunities under a very supportive Finance Director. You will also be working in a great City location with a great staff team.

MAIN DUTIES & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

·  Processing transactions from a variety of sources into Aqilla (cloud-based accounting package).

·  Managing Accounts payable and receivable – raising sales invoices, paying suppliers (BACS runs), processing cheque receipts and payments, managing the Charity’s PayPal account and providing effective credit control.

·  Payroll - initial preparations, journal postings and reconciliations.

·  Monthly reconciliations - all relevant accounts including bank and petty cash.

·  Maintaining filing and documentation within the Finance function.

·  Provide adhoc reports to budget holders as required.

·  Assist the Finance Director in the preparation of management information and VAT returns.

·  Assist the Finance Director in the preparation of Year End accounts and Annual Audit.

·  To undertake any other task that might reasonably be required within the overall functions of the post.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Criteria: Essential (E)
Desirable (D) / SPECIFICATIONS - Education Training and Experience relevant to post
All scoring to be assessed at both application and interview. / E /  Relevant experience
D /  Experience of working in the charity sector
E /  Strong accountancy and bookkeeping skills.
E /  Strong computer skills – Microsoft Office with Intermediate to Advanced knowledge of Excel.Ability to extract, analyse and process large volumes of data.
E /  Experience of using Online banking and Cloud Accounting packages – Experience/knowledge of a unified ledger system will be a distinct advantage.
D /  Experience of using Salesforce CRM.
D / Experience of preparing VAT returns for a Charity.
E /  Strong problem solving skills and good initiative - the ability to manage and co-ordinate a variety of tasks simultaneously.
E / Excellent communication skills including tact and diplomacy.
E / An understanding and interest in the goals of the Citizenship Foundation.