Senior Financial Analyst - Deputy Chief Accountant

Hays Senior Finance; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading role at Brent as a Deputy Chief Accountant, contributing significantly to the Council's financial integrity and governance. This position offers the opportunity to lead a high-performing team, manage complex financial processes, and gain exposure to senior stakeholders. Ideal for an ambitious finance professional aiming to advance into Chief Accountant positions.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Local Government Pension Scheme

Generous holiday entitlements starting from 27 days

Family friendly policies, including maternity and paternity leave

Flexible working patterns, including hybrid working

Training and development opportunities

Good travel links and cost-saving travel schemes

Discounts and local offers through My Brent Rewards

Work at Brent Civic Centre

Qualifications

• Strong track record in public sector financial reporting.
• Experience auditing local government or NHS organisations.
• Knowledge of local authority capital accounting advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation and delivery of financial reporting for Brent Council.
• Oversee VAT reporting and contribute to financial policy development.
• Act as liaison with auditors and ensure timely and accurate financial documentation.

Skills

Planning

Organisational Skills

People Management

Continuous Improvement

Education

Qualified Accountant (CCAB or equivalent)

Job description

Your new company
At London Borough of Brent, finance is more than just producing the accounts-it's about enabling transformation, safeguarding public resources, and helping shape the future of our borough. Working closely with colleagues across the council to ensure that financial insight is at the heart of decision-making. Their work is grounded in fairness, inclusion, and respect, and great pride is taken in creating a team environment where every voice is heard, and every success is celebrated. These values are not just aspirations-they are embedded in how they lead, how they support each other, and how they deliver for Brent's communities.


Your new role
As Deputy Chief Accountant, you will play a central role in ensuring the financial integrity and transparency of Brent Council's statutory reporting. Reporting to the Chief Accountant, you will lead the preparation and delivery of the Council's Statement of Accounts and other financial reporting, ensuring compliance with all statutory and regulatory requirements. You will also oversee VAT reporting and contribute to the development of financial policies and procedures that support robust financial governance.
This is a high-impact role that requires strong technical expertise and the ability to manage complex financial processes across the entire organisation. You will lead a small, high-performing team-including Finance Analysts and graduate trainees-providing mentorship and fostering professional development. You will also act as a key liaison with internal and external auditors, HMRC, and other stakeholders, ensuring the Council's financial reporting is accurate, timely, and audit-ready.
This role offers an excellent development opportunity for an ambitious finance professional looking to progress into a Chief Accountant position in the future. You'll gain broad exposure to senior stakeholders, strategic financial planning, and high-level reporting-making it an ideal next step in your career.


What you'll need to succeed
You will be a qualified accountant (CCAB or equivalent) with a strong track record in public sector financial reporting-ideally within local government or the NHS-or with experience auditing such organisations. You will bring excellent planning, organisational, and people management skills, with the ability to lead complex year-end processes and deliver high-quality outputs under pressure. Knowledge and experience of local authority capital accounting will be highly advantageous. This team has a strong track record of getting the Council's accounts finalised and audited. You will be committed to continuous improvement and eager to contribute to the Council's financial resilience and strategic goals.


What you'll get in return
Benefits include

• competitive salary
• the opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
• generous holiday entitlements starting from 27 days' holiday a year
• a full range of family friendly policies, including generous maternity and paternity entitlements and childcare schemes
• flexible working patterns, including hybrid working
• training and development opportunities
• good travel links in and out of Wembley and a range of cost-saving travel schemes
• access to My Brent Rewards, our dedicated website for staff with big brand discounts and local offers
• work at the outstanding state-of-the-art Brent Civic Centre

The closing date will be 28th July but please note that applications will be reviewed as they are received. Please do not wait until the closing date to apply.

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