Finance and Benefits Officer

We are Britain’s national equality regulator and a United Nations accredited ‘A status’ national human rights institution.
We uphold people’s rights without fear or favour. We use the full force of our legal powers to defend people from unfair or unequal treatment and to challenge breaches of the law. We advise on developing laws and provide guidance, training and support to enable compliance.
We bring people together to create change. We work with employers, governments and a wide range of organisations, to promote understanding of equality and human rights and we support them to make improvements in practice.
Our strategy for 2022-25 gives us a strong platform to show that we will use our powers to protect and promote equality and human rights, and that we have identified the main challenges in society where we can make a difference in our role as a regulator., This is an exciting opportuning to join the Commission in a newly created role responsible for the delivery of accounting services and payroll benefits. The core finance team is responsible for delivering the accounting operations and payroll processing for the Commission, ensuring that financial controls and policies are maintained and adhered to, providing advice and guidance to colleagues across the Commission.
The core finance team works with all other teams across the Commission to enable them to deliver their business plan. The wider directorate is made up of different teams and professional functions, including Finance, Planning and Programme management, Estates, Information Technology and Corporate and Regulatory compliance.
We are looking for an individual who is organised, logical, and has a good level of financial awareness to join the team. The successful candidate will be required to have the ability to prioritise and be able to manage their own workload, you will have great communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders such as colleagues in other teams and suppliers. This is a role requiring diligence, a problem-solving aptitude and attention to detail.
You will need to fulfil this role in a way that is in-keeping with our values of fairness, dignity and respect and display a high degree of flexibility, accountability and initiative.
Working in the finance team based in our Manchester you will be involved in a variety of finance and payroll tasks including:
+ Processing invoices and making payments to our suppliers using our finance systems; matching invoices to purchase orders and dealing with any discrepancies, helping to resolve queries and ensuring that controls are maintained and clear audit trails are kept.
+ Preparing journals and completing balance sheet reconciliations, including procurement card and bank reconciliations ensuring that supporting documentation is maintained.
+ Providing timely and high quality payroll services, administering the Commission’s employee benefits package including eye care, pensions administration assisting with the production of the monthly payroll.
+ Maintaining our on-line expenses system and ensuring that all payments are made according to policy.
+ Provide wider business support with any financial processes/matters where required, explaining finance processes to non-finance staff, providing training and ensuring compliance with organisational and government policy.
+ Managing the Finance Helpdesk Electronic Mailbox, providing support to the finance and procurement directorate, co-ordinating activity and dealing with correspondence.
+ Acting as the Finance Team’s data champion, maintaining our policies and procedures and intranet content.
+ Assist in the preparation of accurate and timely information to support reporting, including management information, working closely with our Finance Business Partners to resolve queries promptly.
+ assist in administering the finance system (e.g., setting up new suppliers or cost centre codes, adding new users).
+ Assist with external and internal audit, as well as the completion of regulatory and stakeholder returns., If this sounds like the role for you, please review the attached Candidate Pack for more information and submit your application today!
Please ensure to submit your application as soon as possible. If a high volume of applications is received, then we may close the advert early.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window), Appointment to the Equality and Human Rights Commission is overseen by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email the Commission’s People Helpdesk in the first instance.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Alongside your salary of £27,000, Equality and Human Rights Commission contributes £7,821 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
In return you can expect to receive a competitive salary, 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays (full time FTE) and access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and partnership pension schemes.
We will provide investment in your career, giving you access to Civil Service Learning, our peer learning programme, specialist training and mentoring.
We offer a range of family friendly benefits, such as enhanced parental leave, flexible working including non-contractual hybrid working.
You will also have access to our wellbeing offering, including our employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders, health checks, discount gym membership and retail discounts, cycle to work scheme and other salary sacrifice options. In addition, we have a range of staff networks and social groups.