Finance Assistant - Financial Assessment Service

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The Opportunity 

The Financial Assessment Service is responsible for ensuring that Essex Citizens who are in receipt of care services are financially assessed to determine the charge they must contribute towards their care. The Finance Assistant role supports the team in achieving these objectives.  The team are required to attend County Hall on one set day per week to undertake team working and activities. 

Purchase to Pay (P2P) and Income 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.  

The Finance Assistant supports the Purchase to Pay (P2P) and Income teams to deliver the business plan for financial transactions. With a working knowledge of financial processes and systems across P2P and Income, ensuring data or income is input accurately, timely and within policy and legislation standards.  

Experienced in working as a team member across a flexible and multi skilled workforce, delivering excellent customer service to a variety of Functions by maintaining financial transactions and data within local systems. Recognising and supporting changes in technology to streamline the customer experience.  

Accountabilities 

• Contributes to the delivery of the business plan for financial transactions, in support of the wider organisational vision.
• Responsible for processing and managing financial transactions, following defined business processes, inputting, and interpreting data to ensure quality, consistency, accuracy, timeliness, and high performance. 
• Responsible for delivering all activities to meet defined deadlines, proactively reporting any risks or issues for early resolution. 
• Provides support and guidance to internal and external customers in a professional manner, in line with financial processes, ensuring that policy and legislation are met. 
• Carries out basic reporting for P2P and Income and external customers, which contributes to the management of organisational performance, maximises income and ensures compliance with Financial Regulations and ECC Policies. 
• Work flexibly and collaboratively across P2P and Income to deliver finance support. 
• Recommend process improvements and redesign to achieve best practice and organisational efficiency. 
• Contributes to maintaining currency on legislation changes and translating these into local policy and procedure, to identify and review potential changes in technology.   

The Experience You Will Bring 

• Educated to RQF Level 2 (GCSE) must include English and Mathematics, or equivalent by experience. 
• Commitment to continued personal development within a working environment. 
• Some knowledge of P2P/Income systems and demonstrable accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchase to pay and e-invoicing experience would be desirable. 
• Good 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.   

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service.  The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate.  This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.  For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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