Finance Assistant Apprentice (Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber)

1. Finance administration and transactional support

• Process supplier invoices accurately and promptly, ensuring they are appropriately coded and submitted for approval, and following up outstanding approvals
• Assist with preparing supplier payment runs in accordance with established financial controls and authorisation procedures
• Raise sales invoices and support debtor monitoring and credit control, including following up outstanding balances as appropriate
• Process staff expenses, corporate card transactions and other expenditure in line with organisational policies and procedures
• Support the maintenance of purchase orders and ensure expenditure is recorded against the correct programme, project and cost centre
• Administer vouchers and similar payments to project participants in accordance with agreed processes and controls
• Respond to routine finance queries from colleagues, suppliers, customers and project teams, referring more complex queries to the Finance Manager where appropriate

2. Month-end accounting and financial control

• Support the monthly management accounts process, helping to ensure transactions are complete, accurately coded and supported by appropriate documentation
• Assist with preparing and processing routine monthly accounting journals, subject to appropriate review and authorisation.

This may include:

• Fixed asset additions, depreciation and maintenance of the fixed asset register
• Prepayments
• Other routine month-end adjustments
• Assist with regular bank and balance sheet reconciliations, investigating discrepancies and escalating unresolved items where necessary
• Undertake basic checks and reconciliations of monthly actuals and quarterly forecasts, with appropriate guidance
• Assist with investigating and resolving reconciling items and coding queries
• Support balance sheet reviews and maintain clear, accurate supporting schedules
• Maintain accurate and complete financial records in Xero and associated finance systems
• Follow established financial controls and procedures, seeking guidance where a task falls outside the postholder's knowledge or delegated authority

3. Management reporting, budgeting and forecasting

• Support the preparation of monthly financial information for budget holders and programme teams
• Download, organise and check Verto project information to support monthly financial and project reporting
• Assist with variance analysis and other financial reporting as knowledge and experience develop
• Support the preparation and maintenance of budgets and forecasts
• Help gather financial information from budget holders and programme teams
• Develop an understanding of programme finances and contribute to analysing actual and forecast expenditure
• Maintain the finance team's library of costing sheets, ensuring approved versions are clearly identified, organised and accessible

4. Funder and project reporting

• Support the preparation of financial information required by funders and commissioners
• Compile supporting information and evidence for defrayal submissions and claims
• Maintain clear and accurate records to support funder reporting, financial monitoring and audit requirements
• Work with project teams to help ensure financial information is complete, accurate and available for reporting deadlines
• Escalate discrepancies or missing information that could affect reporting accuracy or deadlines.