Accountant and Governance Manager

Grade:              3

Reports to:      Director of Finance and Corporate Services                            

Job Function:  Reporting to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services, this role has overall responsibility for managing day-to-day financial, audit and governance processes and procedures and reporting on financial performance, Governance compliance and internal and external audit.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

FINANCE

• Responsible for the preparation of the monthly accounts and annual financial statements as prescribed by FRS102 and Statutory Requirements for a Company Limited by guarantee and a Public Body
• Responsibility for preparation of all working papers and audit file for presentation together with financial statements for external audit and annual report
• Lead on implementing process improvements across the finance function
• Design and maintain Internal Financial Controls to ensure excellent budgetary management and accountability
• Report to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services on performance against budget on a monthly (or as otherwise specified) basis
• Support the Director of Finance and Corporate Services in developing and maintaining robust and fit for purpose budgetary control systems and processes which are up to date and sector appropriate
• Ensure timely and accurate turnaround of third party requests for key financial/budgetary information including the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and Comptroller and Auditor General.
• Develop, implement and report on suitable budgeting and costing techniques
• Work with the Director of Finance and Corporate Services in developing and maintaining appropriate Policies and Procedures for the Finance, Governance and Procurement function as the need arises
• Providing support to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services in ensuring adequacy of financial management and reconciliation systems
• Oversee the work with the Finance team and continuously review and improve the service delivery processes with the view to achieving efficiency, consistency and transparency;
• Deputise for the Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Board and other meetings as deemed appropriate and supervision of staff as appropriate

AUDIT, GOVERNANCE AND RISK

• Work with the Director of Finance and Corporate Services to develop and maintain a strong control framework across all areas of operation of the Institute
• Oversee and report to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services monthly on compliance with the Institutes Governance Manual which is based on the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016
• Work with the Director of Finance and Corporate Services to implement processes and procedures across the Institute to ensure compliance with all Governance obligations as required by a State Body and a Company Limited by Guarantee
• Report to the Director of Finance and Corporate Services on the status of assurance arrangements across the Institute
• Liaising with the external auditor and internal auditor and deal with all related queries
• Work with finance team to provide support and documentation where required for the Internal Audit Function
• Maintain and report monthly on Governance actions tracker including internal and external auditor recommendations
• Provide administration support to the Chief Risk Officer in the provision of a risk management process as required by the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016 and good Governance guidance
• To carry out any other duties, as appropriate, that may be assigned from time to time

Person specification

Essential attributes:

• Full membership of a prescribed accountancy body supervised by the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA); e.g., ACCA, ACA, CPA
• Minimum 3 years relevant experience
• Experience preparing audit reports and audit files
• Experience of producing annual financial statements
• Well-developed IT skills, familiarity with Financial Management Systems and advanced experience using Microsoft Excel;
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including the ability to communicate with Senior Managers, Board members, Committee members, Internal and External Auditors and internal and external stakeholders.
• Flexibility and be results-focussed with the ability to work under pressure, to tight deadlines with attention to detail;
• Excellent project management and organisational skills;

Desirable attributes:

• A good understanding of public sector accounting and financial management systems;
• Knowledge and experience of governance within the public service, particularly the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies 2016;
• Experience of managing staff and other resources;
• The capacity to complete work thoroughly and to a high standard.
• Experience of financial audit and internal audit in private or public sector organisations;
• Experience preparing financial and non-financial reports and reporting to senior management;
• Experience of effective Corporate Governance processes.

Full details, including full job description, a summary of terms and conditions for each role and general information for applicants is available on https://www.ipa.ie/corporate/careers.234.html or from Katherina McCaul, Director of HR & Company Secretary on 01 240 3647. Applications, to include a CV and covering letter, to be forwarded by email to recruit@ipa.ie by:12.00 noon on Monday, November 4^th 2019.