Accountant

Salford-Council; Swinton; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Salford City Council is seeking an Accountant in its Place Directorate to focus on management accounting, budget monitoring, forecasting, and variance analysis, providing robust financial insight. This role is not transactional accounting.

You will work with budget holders to understand spend patterns, explain variances, and support decisions on resources while collaborating to implement the new finance and procurement system and drive continuous financial improvement.

Qualifications

• Strong management accounting experience including budget setting, monitoring and forecasting, plus variance analysis.
• Experience working directly with budget holders or non-finance managers.
• Ability to challenge financial assumptions and spending in a supportive, evidence-based way.
• Ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insight.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proactive and collaborative approach to improving financial management.
• (Desirable) Public sector/local government experience with grant funding and regulatory frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Owning budget monitoring, forecasting and reforecasting for assigned service areas.
• Producing clear variance analysis and explaining drivers, not just movements.
• Working with budget holders to understand spend patterns and resource plans.
• Challenging assumptions and promoting value for money constructively.
• Providing forward-looking financial analysis to support operational and strategic decisions.
• Identifying emerging financial risks and helping managers take corrective action.
• Supporting implementation of the new finance and procurement system.

Skills

Management accounting

Budget monitoring

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Education

Professional accountancy qualification (CIMA/ACCA) or working towards

Job description

About Us

At Salford City Council, we are committed to delivering high‑quality services that improve outcomes for our residents. Our Finance function plays a vital role in supporting informed decision‑making, protecting public funds, and ensuring value for money across the organisation.

Our management accountancy teams work closely with services to understand how resources are used, identify financial risks early, and support sustainable delivery. Collaboration, constructive challenge, and forward‑looking financial insight sit at the heart of what we do.

This is an exciting time to join Salford. We are implementing a new finance and procurement system, modernising the way we work and strengthening financial management across the Council.

About the Role

We currently have an Accountant vacancy within our Place Directorate.

This post is firmly focused on management accounting and financial business partnering.

It is not a transactional finance, treasury, or financial accounts role.

The purpose of the role is to support budget holders to manage their resources effectively by providing robust budget monitoring, forecasting, and meaningful variance analysis, alongside constructive challenge and advice.

You will work closely with managers to understand financial performance, explain variances, identify risks, and support decisions about spend and resources.

The core day to day activities will involve

• Owning budget monitoring, forecasting and reforecasting for assigned service areas
• Producing clear and insightful variance analysis, explaining drivers rather than just reporting movements
• Working directly with budget holders to understand spend patterns, pressures, and resource plans
• Challenging assumptions, profiling, and value for money in a constructive and professional way
• Providing forward‑looking financial analysis to support operational and strategic decisions
• Identifying emerging financial risks early and supporting managers to take corrective action
• Supporting continuous improvement, including the implementation of the new finance and procurement system

This role involves regular engagement with non‑finance colleagues and requires confidence in explaining financial information clearly and pragmatically.

This role is not for you if you are primarily looking for:

• Accounts payable or accounts receivable roles
• Treasury or cash‑management‑focused positions
• Financial accounting, audit, or statutory reporting‑led roles
• Roles with limited stakeholder engagement or financial challenge

About You

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Strong management accounting experience, including budget setting, monitoring, forecasting, and variance analysis
• Experience working directly with budget holders or non‑finance managers
• Confidence to challenge financial assumptions and spending decisions in a supportive and evidence‑based way
• An ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insight
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A proactive and collaborative approach to improving financial management and ways of working
• (Desirable) Experience within a public sector finance environment, ideally local government, with an understanding of grant funding, regulatory frameworks and public sector financial processes.

You may be fully qualified, part‑qualified, or actively working towards a professional accountancy qualification. We are happy to discuss development pathways for the right candidate.

What success looks like in this role

Within your first months, you will be a trusted finance partner to services - providing meaningful variance analysis, producing reliable forecasts, and helping managers understand and actively manage their financial position.

Contact and Application Information

To find out more about this role, please contact Paul Guest at:
[e-mail]

What we need from you if you are invited to interview:

• Passport/ID - You will be required to provide original documentation confirming your right to work in the UK. Successful candidates will also be required to provide proof of address.
• Qualifications/registrations if applicable for the role.

Want to know more about Salford?
As an authority we are dedicated to improving the lives of our residents, and as an employer we are passionate about helping individuals to thrive in their work. We are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive culture and are proud of our professional accreditations which champion this.

Find out about our city as a place to live, work & grow, and learn more about the amazing work we are doing. You'll also find out about the wealth of benefits we have to offer you on our Salford pages!

Privacy Statement and Data Protection
Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the council's primary Recruitment and Employment Privacy Notice which can be found at https://www.salford.gov.uk/gdpr