Accountant/Senior Accountant career graded

Telford & Wrekin Council; Telford; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a dedicated Accountant/Senior Accountant to join their Finance Team. This role offers the chance to provide essential financial advice and support across key areas, ensuring high-quality services for local communities. You will engage in budget preparation, financial monitoring, and statutory returns, all while working in a hybrid model that promotes flexibility. With a commitment to professional development and a supportive work environment, this position is ideal for those looking to advance their career in public finance. Join a council that values diversity and community impact.

Benefits

Hybrid Working

Flexible Working Hours

Employee Discounts

Salary Sacrifice Schemes

Local Government Pension Scheme

Payment of Professional Fees

Generous Annual Leave

Free Parking

Career Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• Fully qualified CCAB accountant or studying towards a CCAB qualification.
• Experience in providing financial advice and support in a council setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide financial advice and support for Housing and Corporate Finance teams.
• Prepare budgets, financial monitoring, and year-end accounts.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills

Technical Accounting Knowledge

Analytical Skills

Problem Solving

Time Management

Value for Money Understanding

ICT Skills

Education

CCAB Qualification (ACCA/CIPFA/CIMA/ICA)

Tools

Unit 4 ERP

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Teams

Job description

Accountant/Senior Accountant career graded

Accountant PO5 Progressing up to Senior Accountant PO9

37 hours per week

NJC PO9 £44,711 - £47,754 per annum (Fully qualified CCAB & relevant experience)

NJC PO5 £40,476 - £43,693 per annum (actively studying CCAB & relevant experience)

There are two posts available both career graded from PO5 - PO9, depending upon qualifications & experience. (Please note the values are prior to pay offer for 2025/26. The pay award, if agreed, would be effective from 1.4.25 or the employee's start date and be in addition to the pay range above).

About us

Telford & Wrekin Council is a well-regarded and multi-award winning council, which demonstrates strong financial management ensuring that we deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents and maintain high quality services. For further information, please see the 'Why work for us' page on the Council's website - Why work for us? - Telford & Wrekin Council .

We offer our staff a wide range of benefits including:

• Hybrid working (Finance currently work in the office on one day a fortnight)
• Flexible working hours
• Employee discounts and salary sacrifice schemes
• Annual pay increments within the grade
• Local Government Pension Scheme (a defined benefit scheme with very substantial employer contributions)
• Payment of relevant professional fees, exam fees and course fees along with study support
• Annual leave entitlement of 24 days with 0-5 years' service, 29 days after 5 years, 32 days after 10 years, plus one additional concessionary day in addition to bank holidays (any previous local government employment counts towards service for annual leave purposes).
• Options to purchase up to 4 weeks additional leave.
• Free parking

The role

Robust financial advice, guidance and support plays an important part in enabling the Council to deliver a consistently high standard of services to local communities.

We are offering you the opportunity to join our Finance Team at Senior Accountant/Accountant level to provide financial advice and support for two key areas delivering services in the Council: Housing, Commercial & Customer Service and Corporate Finance teams. Applicants should have relevant experience and be either a fully qualified CCAB accountant or actively studying for a CCAB qualification.

Corporate Finance Team

Providing financial support to core corporate services including Finance, People & IDT and Policy & Governance Service directorates. You will work closely with budget holders and Service Delivery Managers and take a lead role with the preparation of budgets and pricing models as well as providing regular financial monitoring during the year, preparing financial year-end accounts and completing statutory returns.

Housing, Commercial & Customer Services

Providing financial support to the Housing, Commercial & Customer Services. Directorate. The areas receive numerous grants from government bodies, including those arising from successful funding bids to Homes England, where the post holder will produce costings through to business case submission. There will be occasions where you will provide an overview of the Prosperity & Investment directorate. Both Directorates support the high profile Towns Fund and Levelling-Up Projects.

You will be involved with the preparation of budgets, attendance at Project Boards, provision of financial monitoring during the year and the preparation of financial year-end accounts along with completion of grant claims and bids.

Both Posts

Reporting to a Group Accountant, both posts have direct day-to-day line management responsibility for a small team of Finance Officers who will provide support to the roles.

You will need excellent communication skills and will liaise with a range of stakeholders including finance and non-finance staff and managers, customers and external auditors.

The Finance team make extensive use of the Council's financial management system, Unit 4 ERP, and other software packages such as Microsoft Excel, Word and Teams, therefore a good working knowledge and aptitude for ICT is required.

Key Requirements

You will need to be a fully qualified CCAB accountant or studying towards a full CCAB Accountancy qualification i.e. ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA, ICA with Associate Membership as a minimum and active compliance with CPD requirements of professional body.

Skills and Experience

We are looking for someone with:

• Good interpersonal skills to enable effective customer support
• Good communication skills-oral and written
• Technical accounting knowledge
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex financial information for a complex budget area with minimal supervision.
• Ability to undertake complex costings and assessment of financial implications arising and solve problems
• Ability to see the broader picture and wider implications of a situation or instruction
• Prioritise effectively whilst dealing with competing demands and a challenging workload
• Ability to consistently achieve deadlines
• Understanding of the concept of value for money
• Good ICT skills for reporting including a good understanding of all systems available and effective use of these

• Able to supervise and deploy staff

We are well adapted to a hybrid model of working, including a combination of time spent in the office and at home. Our approach is to promote greater level of flexible working around personal and family commitments. Whilst in the office the post holder will be based at Darby House, located within the vicinity of Telford Town Centre and has easy access links to both road and rail.

If this role is of interest to you, further details can be found in the Job Description and Person Specification.

We intend to hold interviews in the week commencing 2nd June 2025.

If you intend to submit a CV as part of the application process, we also request that you provide a written personal statement to demonstrate your experience and skills of up to 2 sides of A4. Any CV application without the personal statement will not be considered.

We are committed to equality and diversity.

If you require any other details or wish to discuss the role further, please contact Alison Massey; [e-mail] [phone] or Edward Rushton; [e-mail] ; [phone].

Please click on the links below to view the job description and person specification.

At Telford & Wrekin Council, we know that having a diverse workforce is key to providing the best possible services to our community. We celebrate having a diverse and inclusive culture where people are able to be themselves at work, and everyone has a voice.

Posts working with children or vulnerable groups will be subject to an appropriate criminal records check. It is an offence to apply for a role that involves engaging in regulated activity with children and adults in vulnerable circumstances if you are barred from working with one or both of these groups.

A CV template is available if you do not already have a CV.

We value our employees and offer staff rewards and plenty of opportunities for personal development and career progression including:

• Competitive rates of pay
• Automatic access to a secure, flexible and tax efficient Local Government Pension Scheme
• Staff benefits and discounts including salary sacrifice schemes
• Free on-site parking
• Generous leave entitlement (24 days rising to 32 days) plus 8 bank holidays and an additional concessionary day
• Free access to our employee assistance programme and confidential counselling
• Flexible and mobile working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home - our approach is to promote greater level of flexible working around personal and family commitments

Find out further information about working at Telford & Wrekin Council including our full list of benefits.

Please note that Telford & Wrekin Council do not hold a sponsorship licence for visas.

Attached documents
Senior Accountant job description
Accountant job description