Chief Accountant (Hybrid)

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

Job summary

Essential Employment seeks a Chief Accountant for a hybrid role in Redditch. You will lead the Finance and Corporate Resources Directorate, deliver annual Statements of Accounts, and supervise a small team.

Ideal candidate is CCAB-qualified with at least five years post-qualification experience, experience with local authority accounts, and strong stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Fully CCAB-qualified with at least five years’ post-qualification experience.
• Experience producing local authority Statements of Accounts.
• Experience managing teams and budgets within a complex financial environment.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership and stakeholder engagement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of the annual Statement of Accounts in line with IFRS and CIPFA.
• Oversee treasury management, balance sheets, fixed asset registers, and general ledger controls.
• Coordinate revenue and capital budgets; support the annual budget setting and monitor savings.
• Manage grants and external funding; provide strategic financial advice to managers and leaders.
• Liaise with external auditors and oversee borrowing decisions and reconciliations.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes and systems development.
• Lead and develop staff; ensure governance and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic financial advice

Governance & compliance

Communication

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.

Essential Employment is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy. Essential Employment is an Equal Opportunities Employer.