Staff Officer Accountant
| Posting date: | 06 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £24.04 to £25.01 per hour |
| Additional salary information: | 24.04- 25.01 p/h |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 05 February 2026 |
| Location: | Belfast, County Antrim, BT2 8FD |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 4 days per week |
| Company: | Hays Specialist Recruitment |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 4758579_1767703165 |
Summary
Your new company
You will be joining the Higher Education Finance team within the Department for the Economy (DfE), based at Adelaide House, Belfast. The team provides essential financial support across budgeting, forecasting, monitoring, payments, and financial reporting activities. You will work within a supportive public-sector finance environment with access to hybrid working and flexi arrangements.
Your new role
- As a SO Accountant, you will take responsibility for the month‑end accounts process, including preparation of monthly working files, capturing actuals and forecasts, completing reconciliations, and analysing variances.
- You will manage divisional budgets, support Monitoring Rounds, attend bilateral meetings, and assist with funding bid preparation.
- You will also oversee the divisional payments function, ensuring all payments are fully validated, reconciled, and accurately recorded, including supervising staff involved in payment processing. Additional support will be provided to the DP Accountant on other departmental financial returns.
What you'll need to succeed
- Fully Qualified Accountant
- Experience preparing monthly management accounts
- Strong IT capability, particularly MS Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs preferred)
- Desirable: Experience working at a similar level within the public sector
What you'll get in return - Flexi time
- Flexible hybrid working
- Supportive finance team environment
- Career progression opportunities, opening doors- including access to external competitions for permanent roles, supported by your line manager, wider team, and myself.
- 2 days in office- 3 working from home
- Hours: 37 per week (part‑time options considered)
- Expected duration: Until at least 31 December 2026
- Flexible working options available.
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click apply now to forward an up‑to‑date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.
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