Finance Officer (FTC 12 months)

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

We have an exciting opportunity for an individual to join us with experience in finance tasks who is eager to learn and grow.

About you…

We are looking for someone who can keep calm under pressure whilst providing impeccable customer service. A polite, caring and empathetic nature is essential.  We are looking for someone who will go the extra mile to ensure that we have satisfied service users. 

An understanding of IT systems and the Microsoft Office suite is essential as Forestcare utilises assistive technology to meet the needs of our clients.

You will require the following skills to be considered for this role:

• Experience in a credit control role.
• Experience of communicating clearly with people of all levels, including external customers, using telephone, written and face to face contact.
• Good ICT skills including the use of spreadsheets and word processing.
• Experience of a multi-system finance department environment.
• Ability to achieve objectives through planning, monitoring and re-appraisal.

About the team…

This role is based at Waterside Park and Time Square and provides variety as we strive to provide emergency assistance to Bracknell Forest residents and the wider communities.

You will be working in a team that has recently won ‘Team of the Year’ at the Pride of Bracknell awards with long standing staff members of all ages and experiences.

The control centre operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The team consists of several different roles but everybody works together to provide a very effective and professional service.

Being an assistive technology control centre, the work environment can be variable. One moment it can be quiet and relaxed, the next, noisy and busy! This ensures that every day is rewarding but very rarely the same!

Key responsibilities...

• Maintenance of the accounts receivable database in relation to Adult Social Care.
• Assist with debt management procedures, including the resolution of customer queries, using your initiative to diarise and chase payments, liaising with the council’s legal department on arrears cases and supporting debt management group activities.
• Raise invoices, credit notes and reminders to the council's customers in a timely manner.
• Ensuring Adult Social Care charges and terminations are completed promptly, liaising with the Adult Social Care Finance team to enable this.
• Ensure repayments relating to refunds or overpayments are processed in good time.
• Ensure all the council’s direct debit payments are properly collected and reconciled to Agresso with BACs notifications and amendments noted as received.

Our benefits… 

• 25 days* increasing to 28 days* after 3 years’ continuous service.
• The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days* annual leave per year and sell 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance. 
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice for an electric car at a fixed monthly cost (subject to eligibility).
• An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks. 
• Local government pension scheme.
• Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme)
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave. 
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits such as annual leave entitlements, occupational maternity/paternity leave, and more. (Terms and Conditions apply – please refer to candidate pack for more information.)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities. 
• A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre. 
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing. 
• Sports and Social Club.
• Staff dental and health plans. 
• Discounted leisure centre and gym membership. 
• Supermarket discount. 

*(pro rata for part time)

Our Values...

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you. 

Reasonable adjustments...

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process.

Interview date...

Interviews will be held on 12th June 2025.

Interviews will be held online via the Teams app. We reserve the right to amend this to in person interviews at our offices.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question? 

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact: 

Marney Ahmed - Commercial Manager

Tel: 01344 786500

At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambition and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details.

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Any successful internal candidate will be offered the position as a secondment and, in line with Section 8.1 of the Secondment Policy, must consult with their manager before applying.

 We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.