Position Description Management Accountant

Title: MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT

Award: Parts A and B Swan Hill Rural City Council Enterprise Agreement 2014

Classification: Municipal Employee – Within Band 5 PERMANENT POSITION (30hrs to Full Time)

Name of Occupant: VACANT

(Signature)

Approved: ASHLEY FREE (Supervisor) Financial Accountant

(Signature)

DAVID LENTON Director Corporate Services

(Signature)

Date:

Records Only: Document ID Number:

File Number:

Management Accountant

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Accountability Statement The Management Accountant is responsible to the Financial Accountant for the presentation of timely Financial Reports, Reconciliations, Accounting Adjustments, Grant Acquittals, Asset Accounting, Budget Worksheet Preparation, Calculation of Employee Entitlement Provisions, data input, preparation of FBT/GST source documents and other related tasks.

Position Objective Preparation of accurate and timely financial reports summarised from Council’s financial databases, assist with maintenance of the accuracy of the financial database and assist Council in achieving its Statutory Reporting obligations including Commonwealth and State Government requirements.

Key Responsibility Areas The Management Accountant is an integral member of the Finance team. The officer is accountable for:

Preparation of Council’s Business Activity Statement, under direction of the Financial Accountant.

Assisting with the preparation of the annual FBT return and maintenance of supporting information.

Assisting with the preparation and presentation of Council’s Statutory Financial Reports such as Annual Budgets and Financial Statements.

Preparation and customisation of reports from within the financial database(s).

Preparation of standard reports and enquiries from within the database(s) in an accurate and timely manner.

Providing assistance to all staff in gaining access to relevant and appropriate information within the financial database(s).

Preparation of various Grant Acquittals as required.

Data input of budgets into BIS, and profiling of each line item.

Other data input as required.

Raising various accounting adjustments to correct errors or omissions, internal allocation journals, accrual entries to reflect timing adjustments etc.

Retrieval of information to enable the maintenance and reconciliation of Council’s database in preparation of Statutory returns such as the Victoria Grants Commission questionnaire

Prepare accounting entries to reflect changes in Council’s Plant & Equipment and Furniture & Fittings asset group registers.

Relieving for other staff members as required in particular during times of absence of the Payroll Officer and Payroll Support Officer.

Other duties related to the nature of the position at the direction of the Finance Manager or Financial Accountant.

Preparation of Councils loan repayment vouchers and maintaining loan schedules.

Inventory Control allocations and associated reconciliations.

Administrator duties of BIS software system, including the inception of new users and daily updates from the corporate finance system (currently Civica).

Management Accountant

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Occupational Health and Safety

Comply with all Occupational Health and Safety procedures and requirements with reasonable care in relation to personal health and safety and the health and safety of other staff.

Understand and observe Council's Risk Management Policy and related Procedures and undertake the requirements of the position.

Participate in the maintenance and practice of business continuity plans. Undertake business continuity and disaster recovery duties as directed by a relevant supervisor or the Disaster Recovery Committee.

Accountability and Extent of Authority The incumbent is accountable for:

Provision of appropriate assistance to Senior Finance staff in preparing statutory information, grant acquittals and taxation returns.

Preparation of summarised financial reports from the accounting system in accordance with reporting deadlines, and formats determined by Council and the Director Corporate Services, Finance Manager or Financial Accountant.

Timely preparation of financial management reports (budget vs actual) on a monthly basis, and raising necessary accounting adjustments.

Responding to queries of Auditors in areas under the incumbents’ direct control and assisting with the provision of relevant information to Auditors as directed by the Finance Manager or Financial Accountant.

Appropriate interrogation of the Financial System to retrieve information relevant to the position.

Accurate and timely monitoring and adjustment of various parts of the accounting system as required by the Financial Accountant or Finance Manager.

Judgment and Decision Making Management of own works schedule to ensure compliance with established deadlines, accuracy

and quality requirements of all outputs generated by the position as determined by the Financial Accountant or Finance Manager.

Under general guidelines, legislative direction and Council policy, provide specialist advice to internal / external customers on finance related matters.

Reports regularly to the Financial Accountant to ensure adherence and progress to allocated responsibilities.

Judgement and decision-making skills are limited to those specific functions and responsibilities covered by this position description.

Utilise personal judgement in the allotment of time and quality standards relative to the completion and presentation of work.

Ability to discern matters as they relate to confidentiality and the Privacy Act.

Specialist Skills and Knowledge Excellent numeracy skills.

Well developed oral and written communication skills.

Demonstrated knowledge of Microsoft Excel 2007 or higher including pivot tables and vertical lookups.

Management Accountant

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Working knowledge of Software products, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access along with Alfresco (document management system) and Zimbra (email).

Working knowledge of Civica (Authority) finance modules (GL, WO, PY, AP, AR, LN, IC)

Understand and demonstrate a strong commitment to the values of the Swan Hill Rural City Council.

Ability to liaise effectively at all levels.

Management Skills Ability and commitment to work in a team environment.

Ability to use own initiative and judgment.

Mature approach to dealing with a varied workload.

Setting of priorities and preparing work plans to achieve set objectives and targets, within the resources available and within set timeframes.

Ability to act as an internal consultant to work units and liaise with all levels of management, both internal and external to the organisation.

Strong organisational skills.

Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving capabilities.

Capacity to adapt to changes in priorities and objectives.

Ability to deal with a variety of complex issues concurrently with minimal supervision.

Interpersonal Skills Ability to maintain confidentiality as appropriate.

Ability to deal with a wide variety of people in all situations and in an efficient and pleasant manner.

High levels of energy, drive and determination.

Adaptability, flexibility and initiative.

Willingness to put in additional effort when required.

Well developed written and oral communication skills to provide information in a simple and direct manner to individuals or groups that present a professional image of the organisation.

Ability to gain co-operation and assistance from employees and others.

Ability to communicate confidently with all stakeholders.

Proficient customer service skills

Commitment to ongoing professional development and training.

Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a high pressure environment.

Ability to work as part of a team, or autonomously, as required.

Qualifications and Experience Graduate or near qualified Tertiary Degree majoring in Accounting.

The achievement of high academic standards, particularly in management accounting, budgeting and business computing subjects within the incumbent’s Degree will be highly regarded.

Relevant work experience, while not essential, will be highly regarded.

Management Accountant

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Organisational Relationships Reports to: Financial Accountant

Supervises: No direct reports Internal Liaisons: All staff including those of Associated Bodies External Liaisons: Government departments

Suppliers and Debtors Auditors Ratepayers and Residents Banks Software Suppliers Legal Firms

Performance Criteria The performance of the Officer will be formally reviewed annually, and shall take into consideration performance against both key indicators and specific objectives set for the term of the review.

Key performance indicators Performance against key requirements of the position description. Planning and organisational abilities. Communication and team work within the Officer’s work area and across the organisation. Productivity levels Technical and Operational Skills Customer Service competencies

Key Selection Criteria Demonstrated ability to organise and plan workflow, set priorities and meet deadlines to address

the position’s key responsibility areas.

Possession of well developed communication skills, both verbal and written (including the use of computer based programs), in negotiation, facilitation, report preparation and conflict resolution.

Demonstrated administration / clerical skills including working knowledge of Microsoft Office and accounting principles.

Demonstrated Financial Management experience and any desirable tertiary qualifications relative to the position requirements.

Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative and work with and gain co-operation from both internal and external liaisons in the development, management and successful delivery of Councils Financial Operations.