Accountant

Folkestone & Hythe District Council; Folkestone; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

Up to 31 days annual leave + holidays

Birthday leave and Christmas office闭

Local Government Pension Scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Professional membership reimbursement

Cycle to Work and lease car schemes

Job summary

Folkestone & Hythe District Council is looking for an Accountant to join our Finance Team. You will help deliver high-quality financial services, shape financial strategy and advise senior officers and elected members.

You'll work with service managers on budgets, monitoring and statutory reporting, and contribute to the development of an Assistant Accountant within a culture of continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• AAT qualification as a minimum, or CCAB part-qualified status.
• Significant recent experience in a finance environment, ideally local government.
• Experience of budget setting, monitoring and year-end accounts.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to explain financial information to non-finance colleagues.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proactive approach with attention to detail and commitment to customer service.

Responsibilities

• Lead budget setting, monitoring and year-end accounts processes.
• Provide statutory reporting, final accounts preparation and financial planning support.
• Support development of an Assistant Accountant and drive continuous improvement in finance.

Skills

Budget setting

Budget monitoring

Year-end accounts

Analytical skills

Communication

Stakeholder management

Customer service

Education

AAT qualification or CCAB part-qualified

Job description

Are you a finance professional looking for an opportunity to make a real difference within a forward-thinking local authority?

At Folkestone & Hythe District Council, we're seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Accountant to join our Finance Team. This is an exciting opportunity to support the delivery of high-quality financial services across the Council and its subsidiary companies, helping to shape financial strategy, support key projects and provide expert financial advice to senior officers and elected members.

Working closely with service managers and budget holders, you'll play a key role in budget setting, financial monitoring, statutory reporting, final accounts preparation and financial planning. You'll also support the development of an Assistant Accountant and contribute to a culture of continuous improvement across the finance function.

About You

• AAT qualification as a minimum, or CCAB part-qualified status
• Significant recent experience in a finance environment, ideally within local government
• Experience of budget setting, monitoring and year-end accounts
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to explain financial information to non-finance colleagues
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• A proactive approach, attention to detail and commitment to delivering excellent customer service.

Why Join Us?

• Flexible, agile and hybrid working
• Up to 31 days annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Birthday leave and Christmas office closure
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Ongoing learning and development opportunities
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Reimbursement of professional membership subscriptions
• Cycle to Work and lease car salary sacrifice schemes

Our Values

At FHDC, our values are Customer First, One Team, Thinking Ahead and Performance Counts. We're looking for people who share these values and are passionate about delivering excellent services for our communities.

Join us and help shape the financial future of Folkestone & Hythe.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact [e-mail].

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Sunday 20th September 2026.

Please note:

This vacancy may close earlier than the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of applications.

Interviews will be held on Wednesday 30th September & Thursday 1st October 2026.

Further information on this vacancy

• Accountant JDPS