Temporary Finance Assistant (Income) - 3 months

Finance Assistant (Income) - Salford - Temporary - 3months - £17 to £20 per hour

We are seeking a highly organised and detail-focused Finance Assistant to join a busy Income team within a housing organisation on a 3-month temporary basis.

This role will support the effective operation of the finance function, with a particular focus on rent ledger management, income posting, and Housing Benefit processing. You will play a key role in ensuring income is accurately recorded and managed, while also providing cover across core finance functions when required.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and allocate rent ledger receipts from bank statements, separating Housing Benefit, tenant rent, and utility payments
• Download and process remittance advices from Housing Benefit portals, ensuring accurate allocation across multiple tenant accounts
• Manually post receipts to tenant accounts, investigating unidentified payments and resolving discrepancies
• Process rent ledger adjustments, including tenant refunds
• Support Income Officers in arrears management by raising invoices for shortfall amounts
• Run weekly rent debit routines and upload transaction data into the Financial Management System (FMS)
• Monitor and manage the Housing Benefit mailbox, responding to and actioning incoming queries
• Provide cover for finance functions, including posting receipts and payments within the FMS
• Liaise with internal departments to resolve income-related queries
• Support reporting requirements, including budget monitoring, year-end audit, and statutory accounts processes
• Maintain accurate filing and record-keeping systems (electronic and paper-based)
• Handle incoming telephone enquiries relating to rent and income accounts
• Maintain and update process documentation for key tasks
• Work to agreed KPIs and performance targets within the income team
• Ensure GDPR compliance in all correspondence and handling of customer data
• Complete mandatory training and support continuous professional development
• Provide ad hoc support to the wider income team as required

About You

• Previous experience in a finance or income-focused role, ideally within housing or the public sector would be desirable
• Strong understanding of rent accounting, Housing Benefit, and income reconciliation processes
• Experience working with rent ledgers and Financial Management Systems (FMS)
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a high-volume workload
• Confident communicator with the ability to liaise effectively across teams
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel