Responsible Financial Officer

Saddleworth Parish Council; Oldham; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 19,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement 29 days

Job summary

Saddleworth Parish Council is seeking a part-time Responsible Financial Officer to join the team at Saddleworth Civic Hall. The role involves managing the Council’s finances, assets, and reporting, with flexibility for additional hours during busy periods.

The position is mainly office-based with some possible home-working and evening meeting attendance. The post requires strong accounting skills, experience in payroll, year-end and audits, and the ability to handle external grant funding.

Qualifications

• Experience with financial management, reporting and compliance.
• Strong accounting skills and familiarity with payroll, audits and year-end.
• Ability to handle external grant funding and financial risk assessments.

Responsibilities

• Oversee financial affairs of the Parish Council and ensure proper controls.
• Maintain asset registers and support annual audits and year-end processes.
• Prepare management reports and monitor budgets and financial performance.
• Assist with grant applications and funding administration as required.

Skills

Financial management

Accounting

Payroll

Grant funding

Asset registers

Job description

Position: Responsible Financial Officer

Location: Saddleworth Civic Hall

Saddleworth Parish Council is seeking to appoint a part-time Responsible Financial Officer.

The role would suit someone who is dynamic, loves a challenge, enjoys a busy, demanding

varied role, is community focused, and has good accounting and financial skills and

experience. The RFO needs to be a financial allrounder and be confident with finance,

accounting, asset registers, financial risk assessments, year-end, payroll, audits, financial

management reporting, and external grant funding.

The role is 20 hours per week although some additional hours may be required at busy times of the financial calendar. Occasional home-working is allowable where necessary but the position is expected to be mainly office-based.

Flexibility is needed as attendance at some evening meetings is a requirement of the role.

The RFO is a statutory role within the Parish Council with the responsibilities being distinct

and carry specific accountability under Financial Regulations. The position is central to

ensuring that the Council’s financial affairs are properly managed, transparent, and compliant with legal requirements.

The RFO reports to the Clerk, is accountable to the Council as a corporate body and must act in the public interest at all times.

Salary:

20 hours per week based on LC2 SCP 18-23.

Salary: FTE £32,578 - £35,570. Actual salary £17,610 £19,227.

Enrolment in the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.

29 days paid holidays per annum plus Bank Holidays.

Close date for applications: 12noon Friday 23rd October 2026

Interviews will take place: Tuesday 3rd November 2026

General Information

Saddleworth Parish Council serves an area of outstanding natural beauty which is over half the geographical size of Oldham Metropolitan Borough.

Saddleworth is made up of 13 population centres in the former West Riding of Yorkshire. Uppermill is the commercial centre of the parish.

The Parish Council owns and runs Saddleworth Civic Hall which is the largest public meeting place in the area and is also the home for its offices and staff. It owns a cemetery and an allotment site in Uppermill; it has responsibility for Dawson’s Field at Scouthead and other small sites across the Parish.

It is a statutory consultee on planning matters and is in the final stages of developing a Neighbourhood Plan.

The Council currently employs 7 part-time staff and 3 casual staff covering administration, events management and caretaking.

Saddleworth Parish Council is an equal opportunities employer.

The job description, person specification and application form are available from the Council Offices, telephone [phone]

or by emailing: [e-mail]

Completed application forms should be returned to the Parish Clerk, Karen Allott, Council Offices, Civic Hall, Lee Street, Uppermill, OL3 6AE

Or via email to [e-mail]

Visits are welcomed by appointment, please telephone [phone].

Supporting Documents

• RFO Job Description & Person Specification
• Application Form