Are you looking to build a long-term career in Accountancy? Then look no further! Start your career today with a level 7 apprenticeship with Ashford Borough Council and Kaplan. You will be gaining valuable workplace experience whilst working towards the CIMA qualification.

To work within the Council’s Finance Department and undertake a range of learning experiences, through work experience, study, training and development, in order to complete an agreed level 7 apprenticeship qualification through CIMA/ACCA.

To assist in the preparation of monthly budget monitoring information and provide quarterly comments for the Budget monitoring report.

• Process journal transfers within the General Ledger.
• Perform reconciliations and correct miscoding’s.
• Work as part of the Accountancy Team during the budget setting period, starting out assisting Officers in the build, learning to progress and lead in own Budget Area, supporting the Budget Managers in setting their budget.
• Work as part of the Exchequer and Accountancy teams at year end in the preparation of the final accounts. This will require meeting timetable deadlines and supporting officers with tasks.
• Assist in providing financial information to enable informed decisions to be made.
• Respond to routine enquiries from other Council officers.
• Work with teams within the finance department to gain knowledge in The General Fund, the Housing Revenue Account, the Collection Fund, Capital Accounting, including maintaining the asset register, VAT accounting and Pension Fund.
• To gain knowledge and understanding of the Council’s General Ledger, income management and reporting systems.
• To lead on project work with the support of your manager and other team members.
• To attend meetings as appropriate.
• To undertake a range of finance and accountancy-related tasks suited to the current level of training and development.

Training provided:

Accounting And Taxation Professional Apprenticeship Level 7.

If you’re looking to develop your accountancy skills to lead finance departments or provide management accounting consultancy, CIMA is your ticket. CIMA is split into Certificate, a standalone ‘beginner’ qualification, and Professional, which is split into three levels: Operational, Management, and Strategic.

• The Certificate in Business Accounting is your starting point if you're new to accountancy. You'll learn the fundamentals of business economics, financial accounting, management accounting, and ethical considerations of commercial activity.
• Operational teaches you about organisational management, costs and analysis used in production, and financial reporting and taxation.
• Management equips you with the skills to perform advanced management accounting and advanced financial reporting tasks.
• Strategic develops your leadership and strategic management abilities, and teaches you about risk management and financial strategy.

Training will be provided by attending either face-to-face classroom based lessons, Live Online sessions or OnDemand. An apprenticeship has to be relevant to the job you are undertaking and you must dedicate 20% of your time towards it.

All roles are advertised internally in the first instance so the successful post holder will have access to all vacancies.

Required:

• A minimum 2:1 degree in any subject OR hold the Level 4 Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification.
• Good standard of education with GCSE grade 9/A*-4/C Maths and English as a minimum.
• Good numeracy skills.
• Good interpersonal and team skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure
• Integrity and honesty.
• A willingness to work hard and succeed in the full apprentice three year programme.

Benefits include:

• 30 days annual leave including bank holidays.
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Free onsite parking.
• Hybrid working and flexi time.

Please note, salary range is between £21,852 to £25,116 dependent on experience.