Finance Process Manager

Job Title: Finance Process Manager 
Contract: Permanent  
Working Hours: 37* 
Salary: £48,710.00 to £ 53,780.00  
Location: Kelvedon Park* 
Closing Date: 8th May 2025 
 
*We are open to discuss working arrangements including flexibility over hours and location, however the expectation is that, as a hybrid role your work will be balanced between home and Services facilities, and you will be expected to attend the Service premises for at least 3 days of a 5-day working week.    
 
The Role 
 
Are you an experienced Finance Manager who would like to work for one of the largest fire and rescue services in the country? 
If so, we have an opportunity to be a key part of the finance team incorporating management of purchase and sales ledgers, cash and cash flow control.   
 
What You Will Be Working On 
 
Daily cash management including cashflow forecast, investment of surplus cash and transfers between operating bank accounts in accordance with bank facilities. 
Manage the Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable teams of ECFRS, supporting the team of 4 with queries and actively improving KPI’s.   
Maintaining all balance sheet reconciliations on a monthly basis, including the reconciliation of payroll journals to HR records. 
Ownership of the month end process, including posting all prepayments, accruals, deferred income and accrued income entries. 
Managing and processing the weekly payment runs of supplier invoices to the value of up to £1m and above. 
To advise on VAT issues, manage the production of monthly VAT returns and perform the annual partial exemption calculation.   
Assist in the delivery of the year-end financial statements, including preparation of audit deliverables and responding to audit queries. 
 
What Are We Looking For? 
 
A process driven manager with a good understanding of finance systems who will ensure the continuous improvement of the team and the wider service. 
 
Eligibility  
 
ACCA/CIMA/ACA or qualified gained by on-the-job experience 
Experience with Unit 4 ERP financial system would be beneficial 
Experience & knowledge of VAT compliance, including VAT return submission 
 
How to apply   
 
You will be required to submit a CV detailing a minimum of five years employment and / or education history, along with a supporting statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the Person Specification.  
 
You may submit this either as a word document, pdf, or an mp3 (voice note) or mp4 (video), however the word count of your supporting statement should not exceed 750 words no matter which format you choose to present your application.    
  
You may attach separate documents (such as qualifications) should you wish. Your CV and additional documents will be referred to in shortlisting to confirm eligibility (e.g., your current role and any existing qualifications). 
 
Assessment and selection:  
 
Stage 1    
9th May 2025  
Application & shortlisting (assessment of your supporting statement will be made against the essential criteria of the Person Specification)   
  
Stage 2    
16th May 2025 
Role specific panel interview and presentation – details on this will be supplied after shortlisting 
 
Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact recruitment at recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk 
 
Our Culture and Benefits 
 
Here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service we are committed to prioritising and promoting the wellbeing of our employees.  
 
You can find out more about our benefits at https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/benefits 
 
Safeguarding 
 
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment. 
 
It is our policy to require all applicants for employment to disclose if you are currently being investigated by any regulatory body or have any decisions or sanctions pending or in progress in respect of your suitability to work for the Service. 
 
You agree to inform the Service within 24 hours if you are subsequently investigated by any agency or organisation in relation to concerns about your behaviour towards children, young people or vulnerable adults. 
 
The information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and will be considered only in relation to the appointment for which you are applying. 
 
This role will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.  
 
Disability Confident 
We are an equal opportunity, Disability Confident, employer who welcomes applications from everyone and values diversity in our workplace. A commitment to promoting diversity and developing a work environment where all staff are treated with dignity and respect is central to our recruitment process and all applications will be considered solely on merit. 
As part of our offer to support all our candidates to perform to the best of their abilities during our recruitment and selection processes and we would like to let you know about a couple of support options you can access, should you wish to, including our employee forums, who are keen and willing to support all of our potential colleagues.  
Our employee forums and partners include:  
Asian Fire Services Association (AFSA), BEING (our LGBTQ+ employee support network), Christian Fellowship, Ethnic Minority Forum, Men’s Forum, and our Women’s Forum. In addition, we also have a female firefighters operational group.  
Further to the above, the Service has a Digital Accessibility Inclusion Group (DAIG) that supports all colleagues to improve their digital skills and provides additional support and guidance to colleagues with neurodivergent strengths and struggles as a result of dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia etc. We want everyone to thrive at work, and so we encourage and enable people to access digital tools to help them perform at your best. The DAIG is a group of colleagues from across the Service that unite to support others as a result of their lived experience and desire to make a difference. They support people with a range of visible and invisible disabilities to identify and access digital workplace adjustments and solutions and may be able to assist with your application too.  
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact Equality.Diversity@essex-fire.gov.uk  
You are also able to raise any queries or requests for support, including any adjustments you may require, at any stage of the process by email to recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk 
You can find out more about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service via www.essex-fire.gov.uk and about our vacancies and application processes via www.essex-fire.gov.uk/join-essex-fire