Chief Accountant

Sellick Partnership; Hempstalls; On-site; GBP 78,000 - 83,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading local authority is seeking a Chief Accountant to join their finance team on a permanent basis. The successful candidate will lead the financial accounting function, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and providing strategic financial advice. This role offers a competitive salary and hybrid working arrangements, along with generous benefits including annual leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Generous annual leave: 28 days, increasing to 33 after 5 years

Excellent Local Authority pension scheme

Family-friendly policies

Employee perks: access to online discount schemes

Ongoing development opportunities

Qualifications

• Fully qualified finance professional (CIPFA/ACCA/ACA or equivalent).
• Extensive experience within a Local Authority or similar complex public sector organisation.
• Strong understanding of Local Authority financial accounting standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the preparation of the annual accounts' closedown process.
• Provide financial advice to senior officers and elected members.
• Develop and maintain the council's capital strategy.

Skills

Leadership

Financial Accounting

Tax Compliance

Treasury Management

Education

CIPFA/ACCA/ACA or equivalent

Job description

Organisation: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

Location: Stoke-on-Trent | hybrid working

Type: Permanent

Salary: 78,364 - 82,077 (Pay award pending)

About the Chief Accountant opportunity:

Sellick Partnership is pleased to be working in partnership with a well-respected and long-standing Local Authority client in the West Midlands. We are supporting Stoke-on-Trent City Council exclusively with the recruitment for a Chief Accountant to join their finance team on a permanent basis. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is seeking an experienced, strategic Chief Accountant to lead and shape the authority's financial accounting function. This role comes with a competitive salary of between 78,364 - 82,077 and offers hybrid working to suit your work-life balance.

Purpose of the Chief Accountant opportunity:

• To lead, manage and develop all aspects of the councils technical financial accounting requirements.
• To ensure that the council's financial arrangements comply with statutory requirements in terms of accounting, financial control, treasury management and tax compliance.

Key duties of the Chief Accountant will include:

• Lead and manage the preparation of the annual accounts' closedown process.
• To provide financial advice to senior officers and elected members.
• Lead and manage the preparation of the council's capital programme.
• Develop and maintain the council's capital strategy.
• Develop and maintain the council's treasury management system.
• To be the council's technical lead on all aspects of financial accounting.
• Lead on Tax and VAT.

Required experience of the Chief Accountant:

• Fully qualified finance professional (CIPFA/ACCA/ACA or equivalent).
• Extensive experience within a Local Authority or similar complex public sector organisation.
• Strong understanding and in-depth knowledge of Local Authority financial accounting and reporting standards.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop a team including training and development.

Benefits alongside the Chief Accountant role will include:

• Generous annual leave: 28 days, which increases to 33 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays.
• Excellent Local Authority pension scheme.
• Hybrid working arrangements: flexible to suit your work-life balance and commitments.
• Family-friendly policies: excellent maternity/paternity/adoption leave.
• Employee perks: access to a wide range of online discount schemes.
• Continuous learning: ongoing development opportunities for your personal and professional development.

How to apply for the Chief Accountant position:

To find out more about working for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, or to apply for the Chief Accountant role, visit our dedicated microsite: (url removed). Alternatively, you can contact Adam Rouse in the Sellick Partnership Derby office for a confidential chat.

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.

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