Jobs

Finance Officer

Fixed Term, Full Time

£25,081 to £27,653 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Monday 30th March 2026 at 11.59pm

Please note that this is a Fixed Term Contract / Secondment opportunity for a period of 12 months.

This position is an Anywhere Worker role with the expectation that the successful worker will attend County Hall, Chelmsford on a flexible arrangement for training & meetings.

Interview Dates: 15th, 16th & 17th of April 2026

The Role

The Finance Officer role is responsible for processing high volumes of payments which range from day-to-day council spending to include, high value contracts and social care payments for Adults & Children that encompass high levels of data. We are a small but busy transactional team who utilise technology to maximise efficiency, such as interfaces between line of business systems and data loaders. There will be potential take part in ongoing projects plus management of BAU processes.

Attention to detail is paramount with a demonstrable understanding of key controls & reconciliations to ensure payments are correct and on time. Exceptional experience in all aspects of Microsoft particularly Excel with an ability to analyse and investigate data in collaboration with key stakeholders.

The Opportunity

Purchase to Pay (P2P) aims to provide a comprehensive financial transactional and support service, maximising new and innovative technology to provide excellent customer service using a multi skilled workforce.

Finance Officers in Purchase to Pay (P2P) will contribute to the delivery of the business plan for financial transaction processing, by ensuring payment data is accurately maintained and managed within policy and legislation standards. Responding to more complex customer queries and supporting changes in technology to streamline the customer experience.

Educated to Level 3, with knowledge of P2P systems and demonstrable accounts payable, purchase to pay and e-invoicing experience. The role requires good interpersonal and communication skills to deliver excellent customer service.

Accountabilities

• Provides financial support in relation to ECC's payments to both internal and external customers, contributing towards delivery of the business plan for financial transactions, in support of the wider organisational vision.
• Contribute to data management of payee records, adding, amending, and archiving data in line with GDPR.
• Provides technical support to team members and customers answering more complex queries in a professional manner in accordance with financial procedures. Acts as the subject matter expert for P2P processes.
• Contribute to the identification and clarification of customer needs, to deliver process and technology changes, which drive efficiency and value for money.
• Contribute to improving financial awareness and capability across the organisation, to promote the culture of empowering budget holders in line with financial regulations.
• Carries out data analysis to produce reports for P2P and external customers, to support the management of organisational performance, maximise income and ensure compliance to Financial Regulations and audit requirements.
• Contributes to service improvement projects/programmes to achieve best practice and organisational efficiency by recommending process improvements and redesign.
• Contributes to maintaining currency on legislation changes and translating these into local policy and procedure, to identify and review potential changes in technology.
• Working collaboratively and flexibly across teams within P2P to deliver a high level of service to all functions.
• Contribute to identifying risks and supporting the resolution, to minimise financial impact and loss to the organisation.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Educated to RQF level 3 (A level) including English and Mathematics, or equivalent by experience.
• Commitment to continued personal development within a working environment.
• Knowledge of P2P systems and demonstrable accounts payable, purchase to pay and e-invoicing experience.
• Strong knowledge of accounts payable/P2P 3-way match process and regulations
• CIS (Construction Industry Scheme), Data Transparency and Oracle experience is preferred.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy in data entry and organisational skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written
• Aptitude and willingness to work flexibly in multi skilled Operational Teams.
• Level of good competency using Microsoft office packages including, Outlook, Word and Excel
• Ability to interpret varied information for supporting continuous improvements in service delivery.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with internal and external customers, suppliers, and partners.

Company: Essex County Council

Salary: £25081.00 - £27653.00 per annum + + 26 Days Leave & Local Gov Pension

Location: Chelmsford, Essex

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Finance

Job Role: Officer