Accountant Level 3

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council; Bournemouth; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Bournemouth is seeking an experienced accountancy professional to deliver business partnering services for children’s social care. Ideal candidates should hold a professional accountancy qualification and possess strong technical and business partnering skills. This role offers an agile working policy, allowing flexibility in working locations. The salary range is £47,181 - £53,460 per annum starting from December 2025.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Wellbeing support

Career progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Professional accountancy qualification and membership of an accountancy body is essential.
• Strong technical skills with a sound understanding of financial concepts.
• Ability to explain complex financial information to non-finance managers.

Responsibilities

• Undertake business partnering activities for children's social care services.
• Work with senior officers on budget setting, monitoring, and reporting.
• Provide general financial advice and guidance to directors and budget holders.

Skills

Business partnering skills

Data evaluation skills

Strong technical skills

Education

Professional accountancy qualification (CIPFA, CA, CIMA, ACCA)

Job description

Job Introduction

From 1 December 2025, our refreshed Pay and Reward package comes into effect, bringing a new approach to how we recognise and reward roles across the Council. The salary for this role will be changing. The pay range for this role will be £47,181 - £53,460 p.a. from 1 December 2025.

You can also find out more about the new terms and conditions that we are introducing on our careers site on, More than just a job brochure.

Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole is a place where people and nature, coast and towns come together to offer a wealth of potential. At BCP Council we want to realise these possibilities. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced accountancy professional to join a progressive large unitary authority which has recently seen its Children’s Service Ofsted rating move from Inadequate to Good.

This is a key role, and we are looking for a candidate with the experience to develop and deliver a robust business partnering service for children’s social care within our accountancy team. The role requires some experience in local government finance. You will know what best practice looks like as you will be setting professional standards and guide by example.

We have a culture that enables everyone to grow and develop. Ensuring employees have a positive work life balance is really important to us. We have an agile working policy, which enables our people to work flexibly either at home or in a number of locations principally at the Bournemouth Civic Centre but also civic hubs in Poole and Christchurch.

Role Purpose

The main purpose of the role is to undertake business partnering activities for children's social care services.

Main Responsibilities

• The role reports to the Finance Manager for Children's Services.
• In liaison with senior officers and budget holders, the work includes budget setting, monitoring and reporting, project work and providing general financial advice and guidance to directors and budget holders.

The Ideal Candidate

• A professional accountancy qualification e.g. CIPFA, CA, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent and full current membership of an accountancy body is an essential requirement for the role.
• In addition to being a fully qualified accountant, with strong technical skills, you will have sound business partnering skills and be proficient in data evaluation.
• You should be comfortable explaining complex information to non-finance managers and work well with external stakeholders.

Contact

Should you have any questions regarding the role, please contact Nicola Webb at [e-mail] or Ronke Olarewaju at [e-mail]

About BCP Council

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services.

Our Benefits

A Place to Thrive - Join BCP Council

At BCP Council, we\'re not just building a workforce- we\'re transforming how we recognise and reward our people.

From 1 December 2025, we\'re proud to introduce a new Pay and Reward package, shaped through close collaboration with our trade union partners. This marks a significant step forward in how we recognise and reward our colleagues, reflecting our commitment to creating a modern, inclusive, and supportive workplace.

Our enhanced offer includes fair and transparent pay, modernised terms and conditions, and a comprehensive benefits package designed to attract and retain talented individuals. Whether it\'s flexible working, wellbeing support, or opportunities for career progression, our new approach puts people first- we\'re excited to welcome new colleagues into a Council that\'s evolving to meet the needs of both our workforce and our communities.

Check out our attractive enhanced benefits and find out more about the new Pay and Reward package at (Employee benefits | Working for BCP link to careers page)

Be the difference - Join an organisation that values you

More About us | Working for BCP