Assistant Financial Accountant

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The purpose of this position is to support the Ministry’s Financial Accounting Control functions. This will include helping to process financial transactions, preparation of reconciliations, assisting the Financial Accountants and the Senior Financial Accountants with data collection, assisting with reporting, and helping to maintain Fixed Asset Registers and other key systems and processes.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Experience in and good understanding of the principles and processes for processing/administering accounts receivable and payables in a large organisation.
• Experience working with and familiarity of financial statements and knowledge of public sector reporting requirements.
• Intermediate to advanced excel skills.
• Understanding of financial reporting and reconciliation processes.
• Experience and working knowledge of computerised financial information systems.
• Demonstrated communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical information in plain language both written and verbally.
• A passion for improving business processes while maintaining a strong internal control environment.
• A positive, flexible, and agile approach to work with a can-do attitude.
• Experience in the processes of Government is desirable.
• Credit check required (yes)
• Required to drive (no)
• Police vetting (yes)

Prerequisites

• Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand.
• Must consent to and satisfactorily complete a credit check.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Financial accounting services

• Preparing and finalising bank reconciliations and working with Finance Operations to clear out outstanding bank items and following up bank recs related queries.
• Completing month end processes in line with task management assignments and meeting deadlines to facilitate reporting.
• Detailed monthly General Ledger Balance Sheet reconciliations across all entities are provided to seniors to review and clearing any outstanding reconciling items identified and all balances are validated by supporting documentation.
• Supporting Trust accounts accounting and reporting.
• Assist in the delivery of specialist Financial Accounting services that actively support and contribute to the achievement of the Ministry’s outcomes and that deliver to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the implementation and ongoing refinement Finance System Programme along with other system process automation across the financial control environment.
• Process asset additions, disposals, and any change of assets requests in compliance with MBIE’s Fixed Asset Policy and procedures.
• Process offshore payroll payments and journal entries.
• Monitor Financial Accounting inbox, answer and follow up the queries from business or other teams.
• Seek opportunities for continuous improvement in financial controls, reconciliation and month end processes and transaction postings.
• Ensure all processes are documented and regularly reviewed/updated.
• Work collaboratively across all of Finance + Performance and other MBIE teams to deliver quality outcomes.
• As business needs require it may be necessary for the role to perform duties of other members of the team in the Finance, Performance and Assurance.

Customer focus

• Provides excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders in all situations, including existing service level agreements, to a required standard.
• Provision of operational support and guidance on all Finance and Performance systems, including ad-hoc internal stakeholder support and instruction to ensure operation in alignment with MBIE policies and procedures.
• Delivers the requirements and expectations of customers.
• Treats internal customers with the same courtesies they would extend to external customers.
• Works hard to meet customer deadlines.
• Always looks to improve service.
• Maintains professionalism.
• Looks for opportunities to provide value.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables continued

Wellbeing, health & safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Assistant Financial Accountant position reports into the Manager Financial Accounting within Finance, Performance and Assurance branch. The branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission