Chief Accountant (Hybrid)

Essential Employment; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Essential Employment is seeking a Chief Accountant for a hybrid role in Redditch. The post leads a small finance team and reports to the Assistant Director of Finance and Customer Services.

The role focuses on delivering the annual Statement of Accounts, IFRS compliance, and treasury management. You should be CCAB-qualified with at least five years post-qualification experience, with a track record in local authority accounts and strong governance.

Qualifications

• Fully CCAB-qualified accountant with at least five years’ post-qualification experience.
• Proven track record of producing local authority Statements of Accounts.
• Experience in managing teams and budgets within a complex financial environment.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership, excellent stakeholder engagement and high-quality financial advice.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the annual Statement of Accounts, ensuring IFRS, CIPFA requirements and deadlines.
• Oversee treasury management, balance sheets, fixed asset registers, budgets and general ledger controls.
• Coordinate budgets across revenue and capital programmes and support the annual budget-setting process.
• Liaise with external auditors and authorise financial transactions; oversee borrowing decisions and treasury activities.
• Drive system development, robust reconciliations and continuous improvement of financial processes and controls.
• Develop staff and maintain governance and regulatory compliance; provide strategic financial advice to service managers and stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Treasury management

Budget monitoring

Education

CCAB-qualified accountant

Job description

Chief Accountant (Hybrid) needed in Redditch, £453.40 per day (negotiable)PAYE - Reference: RQ1790201

Hybrid Working, Ideally once per week in office

• The Chief Accountant will play a pivotal leadership role within the Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate, reporting to the Assistant Director of Finance and Customer Services and managing a small team including a Technical Accountant, Systems Accountant and Reconciliation Officers.
• The postholder will lead the delivery of the annual Statement of Accounts for the client, ensuring compliance with IFRS, CIPFA requirements and statutory deadlines, while maintaining responsibility for treasury management, the balance sheets, fixed asset registers, corporate finance budgets and general ledger controls.
• The role will oversee budget coordination and monitoring across revenue and capital programmes, support the annual budget-setting process, monitor savings delivery, manage grants and external funding, and provide strategic financial advice to service managers, senior leaders and stakeholders. Responsibilities also include liaising with external auditors, authorising financial transactions, overseeing treasury activities and borrowing decisions, ensuring robust reconciliations and systems development, and driving continuous improvement across financial processes and controls.
• As a senior finance professional, the successful candidate will be expected to lead and develop staff, maintain strong governance and regulatory compliance, communicate effectively at all levels, and contribute strategically to the financial management and long-term sustainability of both authorities.
• The ideal candidate will be a fully CCAB-qualified accountant with at least five years’ post-qualification experience, ideally a proven track record of producing local authority Statements of Accounts, managing teams and budgets within a complex financial environment, and the ability to provide strategic leadership, excellent stakeholder engagement and high-quality financial advice.

This is a Full time role on a temporary contract basis.

All our roles may be subject to pre-employment checks including references so please beprepared.

Due to high volumes of CVs received we are not able to respond to all unsuccessful applications. You will always however hear from us by phone if we are able to take your CV forward to the next stage.