Bookkeeping Specialist

**Position purpose**:
The purpose of this role is to provide full bookkeeping services to the agreed congregations and presbyteries in a timely manner and to provide services and financial system support to Mission Support areas across the Queensland Synod ensuring overall performance is cost effective, efficient and aligned to the Church's strategic plans and objectives.

The role will oversee the administration of the bookkeeping function and provide the Senior Accountant support in delivering the requisite standard of client service and deliverables.

***Key responsibilities**:

- Understand business challenges, priorities and the strategic landscape and use this to support the delivery of high-quality bookkeeping services to congregations and presbyteries within the Synod Office with regard to related finance and system administration queries.
- Ensure Xero queries for mission support areas are provided in an efficient and consistent approach across the bookkeeping team.
- Actively manage workloads and client allocations amongst the bookkeeping team ensuring efficient and balanced support is achieved.
- Have oversight over the work being undertaken by Bookkeeping Officers in their interaction with congregations.
- Coach and liaise with congregation Treasurers and key users to support resolution of various accounting issues that are encountered by treasurers.
- Work closely with the Senior Accountant and Synod Finance staff in supporting our mission support areas after conversion to Xero software to support a smooth transition and uptake of the software, as well as for day-to-day support for bookkeeping activities.
- Complete regular or periodic reconciliation of congregation and presbytery accounts and contributions ensuring that their transactions are accurately reflected and reported into the financial system and that appropriate action is taken if an issue or discrepancy is noted or delay occurs in receiving payment of contributions.
- Manage, control and monitor access and use of the financial accounting and reporting system according to existing financial reporting structure ensuring that all access have been updated according to legitimate business requirements and authorisation provided by the Senior Accountant and Finance Manager.
- Liaise with congregation and presbytery auditors to answer queries, and provide any additional information, documents or refer to other relevant parties.
- Assist users, where needed, to meet their reporting requirement to committees and councils of the church.
- Day to day activities such as: assist users to log on or add users, connect bank feeds, create journal or unusual transactions, reconcile accounts.
- Assist with adapting chart of accounts when required.
- Provide leadership, perform day to day supervision, inspire others to perform, build trusting relationships, conduct performance appraisal/management and facilitate professional development of direct reports.
- Maintain and in-depth understanding of all culture elements and values. Embody and continually demonstrate the value-based behaviours by setting a clear clean and consistent example for others
- Model the values of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod in day-to-day work including interactions with managers, lay staff, ministry agents, clients and stakeholders.
- Compliance with Queensland Synod policies, procedures and relevant legislation.
- Comply with Health and Safety directions and Public Health directions.
- Undertake other duties as and when directed within the scope of the role and the capabilities of the incumbent.

**Key performance indicators**:

- Complete the bookkeeping services within designated target as declared by the Senior Accountant after the end of month.
- Produce management reports to each congregation/presbytery within 6 working days of each month.
- Workload and client allocations are balanced.
- Comply with delegations of the Office of Synod where delegations have been permanently or temporarily assigned to the position.
- Maintain alignment with the Office of Synod purpose, culture and values (values referenced under additional requirements).

**Reporting relationship and delegations**:

- This position reports to the Manager - Senior Accountant.
- Bookkeeping Officer positions report into this position.

**Selection criteria**:
Qualifications:

- Relevant tertiary financial qualifications.

Experience and skills:

- Demonstrated proficiency in using Xero software, ideally for a small to medium size organisation.
- Excellent reporting skills with the ability to present and speak about qualitative/quantitative data to non-finance stakeholders, to listen, analyse and identify key issues, and to communicate complex information clearly.
- Strong numeracy skills and understanding of accounting principles.
- Extremely focussed on client service within the Synod office and its stakeholders.
- Ability to acquire and utilise of the Uniting Church congregational and