Closedown Accountant

Vivid Resourcing Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Vivid Resourcing Ltd is seeking an experienced accounting professional to support a local authority’s year-end closedown. You will deliver allocated elements of the timetable, prepare accounting entries and working papers, and produce disclosures for the Statement of Accounts.

The role requires strong CIPFA knowledge, balance-sheet reconciliations, and the ability to respond to external-audit queries. You will liaise with service accountants and budget holders to meet tight statutory deadlines.

Qualifications

• Recent hands-on closedown experience within a local authority.
• Experience preparing Statement of Accounts working papers and disclosures.
• Strong understanding of the CIPFA Code and local-government accounting.
• Experience completing complex balance-sheet and control-account reconciliations.
• A successful record of responding to external-audit queries.
• Availability to increase commitment around key reporting deadlines if required.

Responsibilities

• Deliver allocated elements of the year-end closedown timetable.
• Prepare accounting entries, reconciliations and supporting working papers.
• Produce or review relevant notes and disclosures for the Statement of Accounts.
• Complete control-account and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Investigate and resolve historic balances, miscoding and unreconciled items.
• Review accruals, provisions, reserves and other year-end adjustments.
• Support capital, grant, Collection Fund, pensions or group-accounting workstreams where relevant.
• Ensure working papers provide a clear audit trail and meet external-audit requirements.
• Liaise with service accountants and budget holders to obtain outstanding information.
• Respond to external-audit queries and provide supporting evidence.
• Track outstanding actions, risks and dependencies against the closedown timetable.
• Apply the CIPFA Code and relevant local-authority accounting requirements.
• Recommend improvements to closedown processes, controls and documentation.

Skills

Excel

Ledger analysis

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Statutory deadlines

Education

CCAB or CIMA qualification

Tools

Closedown software

Finance system

Job description

Key responsibilities

• Deliver allocated elements of the year-end closedown timetable.
• Prepare accounting entries, reconciliations and supporting working papers.
• Produce or review relevant notes and disclosures for the Statement of Accounts.
• Complete control-account and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Investigate and resolve historic balances, miscoding and unreconciled items.
• Review accruals, provisions, reserves and other year-end adjustments.
• Support capital, grant, Collection Fund, pensions or group-accounting workstreams where relevant.
• Ensure working papers provide a clear audit trail and meet external-audit requirements.
• Liaise with service accountants and budget holders to obtain outstanding information.
• Respond to external-audit queries and provide supporting evidence.
• Track outstanding actions, risks and dependencies against the closedown timetable.
• Apply the CIPFA Code and relevant local-authority accounting requirements.
• Recommend improvements to closedown processes, controls and documentation.

Essential experience

• Recent hands-on closedown experience within a local authority.
• Experience preparing Statement of Accounts working papers and disclosures.
• Strong understanding of the CIPFA Code and local-government accounting.
• Experience completing complex balance-sheet and control-account reconciliations.
• A successful record of responding to external-audit queries.
• Strong Excel, ledger-analysis and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work accurately under demanding statutory deadlines.

Desirable experience

• CCAB or CIMA qualification, or substantial specialist closedown experience.
• Experience supporting delayed or challenging local-authority audits.
• Knowledge of capital accounting, Collection Fund, pensions, leases or group accounts.
• Experience with the authority’s finance system and closedown software.
Availability to increase commitment around key reporting deadlines if required.