Lead Accountant

Coventry City Council; Coventry; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government organization in Coventry is seeking a qualified Lead Accountant to provide strategic financial support to service areas. The successful candidate will work on financial planning and management, support major projects, and ensure compliance with professional standards. This role requires strong financial acumen and stakeholder management skills.

Benefits

Comprehensive rewards and benefits package

Guaranteed interview scheme for eligible applicants

Support for diverse applicants

Qualifications

• Experience in a challenging financial environment.
• Ability to develop and interpret complex financial models.
• Experience working with various stakeholders including directors and auditors.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial support and advice to service leads.
• Lead the production of management reports including budget monitoring.
• Contribute to financial management for large projects and initiatives.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Financial analysis

Deadline management

Value for money promotion

Education

Qualified Chartered Accountant (CCAB or CIMA)

Job description

Overview

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, accepting of all and free from discrimination and bias. We are a dynamic Financial Management Team responsible for providing a diverse range of functions to drive the Council to fulfil its transformational journey. We deliver the full range of financial management and accounting services to facilitate effective delivery of services to support the people of Coventry and deliver projects which are redefining the infrastructure of the city. Working flexibly with internal officers and external partners we aim to ensure finance is at the heart of everything that the Council does. The organisation has a high expectation of our service, and we will continue to support and develop our staff to have the skills to deliver a quality service.

Our Values In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

What is the job role?

Are you passionate about public service? Coventry is forward-thinking and a community-focused City, and we are looking for experienced finance professionals with the technical skills and enthusiasm to take lead roles in our Finance Team.

There are two roles available, the first in our Major Projects Team and the second in our Children’s & Education Services Team.

As a Lead Accountant, you will:

• Act as a primary financial business link with service leads and provide strategic financial support and advice to enable effective financial planning and management. You collaborate with your service area and the wider Council to explore challenges and identify opportunities, create initiatives that will financially benefit the Council and become a proactive and supportive financial advisor.
• Support the strategic vision of the One Coventry Plan, through reviewing new proposals and undertaking formal investment appraisals to assess the financial viability of future projects and initiatives.
• Contribute to the financial management and provision of advice to large projects from both a capital and revenue perspective to support the city’s transformational ambitions.
• Lead the production of management reports driven by the Annual Financial Cycle, including budget monitoring, final accounts and budget setting whilst ensuring these meet professional standards.
• In addition, you will be providing expert financial guidance for several strategic initiatives and programme boards.

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (CCAB or CIMA) with experience of working in a challenging financial environment who can:

• Work strategically with various stakeholders including directors, service managers, auditors, and external partners to build, maintain and promote effective working relationships.
• Work effectively under pressure including meeting unpredictable deadlines and dealing with conflicting demands.
• Develop and interpret complex financial models to inform financial analysis and subsequently present a compelling rationale for the recommended options in the form of reports and presentations.
• Promote value for money and efficiency throughout all areas of the Council’s operation and to look for commercial opportunities and innovation both in the operation of the finance function and in the activities of relevant service areas / projects.

We value and respect the diversity of our team and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities. Currently, within our middle-management team, people from minority ethnic backgrounds are under-represented, and as a result, we would like to encourage people from minority ethnic backgrounds to apply for this post.

We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability or who are neurodiverse.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process, please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview dates: 22nd-23rd October 2025

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse. At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies