Accounts Officer

What will you be doing?

Key Responsibilities

Utility Management

• Manage utilities for vacant and rechargeable properties within the portfolio.
• Coordinate disconnection and reconnection of services, resolving discrepancies promptly.
• Negotiate and agree utility contracts with suppliers.
• Liaise with utility companies to ensure timely invoice processing and avoid late payment fees.
• Calculate and process utility recharges for applicable properties.
• Raise purchase orders, receipt invoices, organise refunds, and close purchase orders at year-end.
• Raise sales orders to tenants for utility recharges.

Tenant & Property Coordination

• Coordinate utilities for tenants moving in and out of properties.
• Verify meter accessibility and condition, reporting faults or tampering.
• Arrange installation of smart meters where required.
• Maintain accurate meter information (serial numbers, readings, location).
• Provide reception cover and meet-and-greet services for visitors, tenants, and dignitaries.
• Assist visitors with queries and direct them appropriately.
• Liaise with tenants and internal colleagues regarding meeting bookings and events.

Reception & Administrative Duties

• Answer telephone calls and general enquiries professionally.
• Undertake mailroom duties including distribution, franking, and special deliveries.
• Photocopy and prepare documents as required by tenants.
• Record data for sundries invoicing and assist with diary coordination for meeting rooms, including catering arrangements.
• Update telephone system for billing purposes.
• Assist with Fire Evacuation process and hold Fire Warden and First Aid certification.

Supplier Liaison

• Open, close, or transfer accounts for vacant units.
• Submit meter readings promptly and accurately.
• Resolve discrepancies with suppliers, including incorrect charges or usage queries.
• Track and manage ongoing supplier communications to ensure timely responses.

Invoice & Cost Management

• Receive, review, and process utility invoices.
• Check invoices for accuracy, including dates, meter readings, and tariff application.
• Flag and resolve anomalies such as unusual consumption or billing errors.
• Maintain accurate financial records for utility costs during vacancy.

Administration & Reporting

• Maintain an up-to-date log of properties, meter details, suppliers, and contract statuses.
• Ensure documentation complies with company processes and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare regular reports summarising meter readings, costs, queries, and outstanding issues.
• Maintain accurate records on the ERP system and utilities spreadsheet.
• Support the wider property management team with utility-related queries.
• Additional ad hoc duties as required by the service area.

About you

Person Specification

• Organisational Skills: Ability to prioritise and manage workload effectively.
• Problem Solving: Proactive approach to resolving issues with suppliers and tenants.
• Customer Service: Professional and courteous when dealing with tenants, suppliers, and visitors.
• Teamwork: Willingness to support colleagues and cover additional duties when required.

Our benefits

Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.

You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!

Why choose us?

We offer a vibrant working environment with:

• a competitive salary
• a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
• lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
• generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
• hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.

We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.

About us

Our Values and Behaviours

Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:

Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.

Disability Confident Employer

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.  

Our Employment and Disability Service provides bespoke support to individuals facing barriers to employment, helping them work towards their goals to start, stay and succeed in employment. For further information please click here The Employment and Disability Service (EADS) | North Northamptonshire Council

Armed Forces Community 

The council obtained the Gold status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS).

Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)