Assistant Finance Manager

Beighton; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Flexible working opportunities

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking an Assistant Finance Manager (Service Accounting) on a fixed-term basis until Autumn 2027. You will work with Finance Managers to coordinate service accounting activities, supervise junior staff, and support the delivery of statutory and operational accounting processes.

A major focus is helping finance transformation, including implementing and embedding the FP&A system, redesigning processes, and driving standardisation and automation to improve controls and

Qualifications

• Coordinate and oversee service accounting activities across the Council.
• Support delivery of statutory and operational accounting responsibilities.
• Lead, supervise and develop junior staff within the team.

Responsibilities

• Supervise junior staff and contribute to technical and statutory returns.
• Support the delivery of key accounting activities across the Council.
• Review, redesign and improve processes and increase standardisation.
• Support automation opportunities and embed new ways of working.
• Strengthen controls and improve visibility of work across the service.

Skills

Financial management

Process improvement

Supervisory experience

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

FP&A system

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Additional Assistant Finance Manager Opportunity

Service Accounting (Fixed Term until Autumn 2027)

A further opportunity to help shape the future of finance in Sheffield

Earlier this month, Sheffield City Council advertised three Assistant Finance Manager opportunities which closed on 18 August 2026. We are now pleased to offer an additional opportunity within our Accounting Team for an Assistant Finance Manager (Service Accounting) on a fixed-term basis until Autumn 2027.

To support a fair and efficient recruitment process, interviews for all four Assistant Finance Manager vacancies will be undertaken as part of a single recruitment exercise during September 2026.

If you have already submitted an application for one of the previously advertised Assistant Finance Manager roles and would also like to be considered for this vacancy, you will have the opportunity, if shortlisted, to discuss your preferences as part of the recruitment process.

If you did not apply for the earlier vacancies, this is your second chance to join a finance function undergoing significant transformation and modernisation.

Assistant Finance Manager – Service Accounting (Fixed Term until Autumn 2027)

This is an exciting opportunity to join Sheffield City Council's Accounting Team and play a key role in supporting the delivery of high-quality service accounting during a period of significant change and improvement.

Working closely with Finance Managers and colleagues across the wider finance function, you will coordinate and oversee a broad range of service accounting activities, ensuring that financial processes are delivered efficiently, consistently and to a high standard. You will supervise junior staff, contribute to technical and statutory returns, and support the delivery of key accounting activities across the Council.

A major focus of this fixed-term role will be supporting ongoing finance transformation activity, including the implementation and embedding of the Council's Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) system. You will help review, redesign and improve processes, increase standardisation, support automation opportunities and help ensure that new ways of working become embedded across the service.

The role offers significant exposure to operational and technical accounting processes and provides an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys problem-solving, process improvement and helping teams work more effectively. You will work with a wide range of stakeholders, helping to strengthen controls, improve visibility of work and support the delivery of sustainable service improvements.

This post would suit an ambitious finance professional who is organised, adaptable and committed to delivering excellent public services while supporting the Council's wider transformation ambitions.

This role provides the opportunity to develop your career within one of the largest and most diverse finance functions in local government. You will work alongside experienced finance professionals, contribute to important corporate priorities and help ensure that public money is managed effectively and transparently for the benefit of Sheffield's residents.

In return, we offer the opportunity to work on meaningful and challenging issues, gain exposure to complex financial and operational matters, develop your professional skills and be part of a finance function committed to innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.

What you will get from the role

This opportunity will allow you:

• Build your technical accounting and financial management expertise.
• Develop experience in service accounting within a large and complex organisation.
• Support statutory and operational accounting responsibilities.
• Contribute to finance transformation and systems implementation.
• Develop your leadership and supervisory skills.
• Drive continuous improvement and process optimisation.
• Make a visible contribution to public value and the effective stewardship of Council resources.

Our values

We are looking for people who reflect the Council's values: putting people at the heart of what we do, working with openness and honesty, and getting things done together.

Application Note

Applications for this vacancy close on 28 August 2026. If you have already applied for one of the Assistant Finance Manager vacancies advertised earlier in August and would like to be considered for this role as well, please indicate this within your application. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted will have the opportunity to discuss their role preferences as part of the recruitment process.

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on ourSheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyoneand where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.