Assistant Accountant

Job summary

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

We have an opportunity for a Assistant Accountant to join our Finance Team within Corporate Enablers Directorate.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government’s response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government’s White Paper, A new vision for water.

Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements for Wales.

While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.

You can find out more about why you should join Ofwat, our strategy, values and our framework for success in the attached Information for Candidates Pack.

Job description

We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented finance professional to join our Finance team as an Assistant Accountant.

The Assistant Accountant role is varied and involves providing essential support in financial operations and assisting in the effective management of financial resources. This role will report into the Financial Accountant and will work with other team members to ensure accuracy, compliance, and transparency in financial activities.

As an Assistant Accountant, you will predominantly support the financial control and accounting functions including purchase ledger; sales ledger; capital and fixed assets; staff expenses; reconciliations; VAT and tax; government data returns; maintenance of the Oracle finance system; internal and external audit; and the production of the Annual Report & Accounts. You will also develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders e.g. Finance Business Partners, Internal and External Auditors, and HM Treasury.

This opportunity will be particularly interesting to candidates with an interest in government and public sector accounting.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Provide support to the accounts payable and accounts receivable functions including audit of employee expense claims
• Support completion of month end closedown activities e.g. opening/closing accounting periods, preparing prepayment journals and other ad hoc journals
• Prepare monthly accounts payable and receivable reconciliations and other control account reconciliations, e.g. monthly balance sheet reconciliations
• Maintain the asset register and the leases model and prepare monthly asset and lease reconciliations
• Maintain the licence fee income models and calculate and prepare the respective sales invoices
• Prepare the monthly VAT returns and annual Tax returns
• Prepare statutory returns and transparency returns for publication
• Support maintenance of the Oracle finance system
• Support the preparation of the financial statements and associated documentation required for audit
• Provide documentation to internal and external auditors and working with them to resolve queries during the audit
• Support the preparation of the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) and the Main and Supplementary Estimates
• Support the analysis of current processes to identify and implement ways to improve processes and financial control
• Support the maintenance and compliance of finance policies
• Complete other ad hoc tasks to support the Financial Accountant

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge:

Experience, skills and knowledge

1. Lead criterion 1: Proven experience in a financial accounting environment, with a solid understanding of core accounting principles and their application in month-end reporting and reconciliation tasks.
2. Lead criterion 2: Proficient Excel skills including V-lookups and pivot tables, with the ability to analyse and present data with attention to detail and numerical accuracy.
3. Proven capability in reconciling balance sheet accounts using data from ERP financial systems, with a focus on maintaining precise and reliable records while ensuring full compliance with financial policies and audit standards.
4. Qualified to AAT or equivalent e.g. finance/accounting university degree.
5. Familiarity with financial software and ERP systems used for financial reporting and ledger management e.g. Oracle Fusion, including system administration.
6. Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present financial information clearly and confidently to various audiences and putting complex financial issues into layman's terms for non-specialist audiences.
7. Experience of supporting the preparation of financial statements and audit requirements, with a proven ability to improve finance processes and strengthen financial controls.

Attributes

8. Committed Learner
9. Makes Relationships Count
10. Delivers Outcome

Attributes as per Ofwat's Framework for Success for the relevant salary grade. You can read more about Attributes here.

Benefits

Why You Should Join Us:

Our people are at the heart of Ofwat, and our People Strategy defines the goals that keep this focus central to everything we do. Our 2025 People Survey highlights several key strengths. Nine in ten colleagues say that they are treated with respect and that Ofwat values individual differences. The same proportion say that their work is meaningful and that they are being trusted to carry out their roles effectively. 79% of our people rated their manager highly, and 85% described their team environment as positive.

You will also benefit from:

• Good employer pension contributions.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing to 30 with each year of service) plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave
• Access to exclusive discounts on a varie