Strategic Planning Accountant & Finance Partner

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service; Winsford; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service is seeking a qualified accountant to turn financial information into well-founded decisions and lead financial planning. You will partner with senior managers, consolidate forecasts, and coordinate annual budgets and medium-term plans, aligning resources with Community Risk Management priorities.

You will supervise planning work, challenge assumptions, and enhance reporting usefulness.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with experience in financial planning and business partnering.
• Able to strengthen business cases and drive performance reporting.
• Experience in collaborating with budget holders and senior managers.

Responsibilities

• Leading the planning and monitoring calendar, including monthly forecasting, annual budget preparation and medium-term financial planning.
• Providing effective finance business partnering to senior managers and complex service portfolios.
• Consolidating revenue forecasts and explaining movements, risks and actions.
• Coordinating pay and establishment forecasting with People and payroll teams.
• Leading financial monitoring of the capital programme and its cost, timing and revenue implications.
• Assessing business cases and investment options using whole-life costing and risk analysis.
• Producing clear reports and committee papers with required actions.
• Line managing the Assistant Accountant and coordinating planning support across Finance.
• Improving TechnologyOne and Power BI reporting requirements with finance and digital teams.

Skills

Financial planning

Budgeting

Business partnering

Forecasting

Management reporting

Power BI

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACCA/CIMA/CPA)

Tools

Power BI

TechnologyOne

Job description

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service is seeking a qualified accountant to turn financial information into well-founded decisions and lead financial planning. You will partner with senior managers, consolidate forecasts, and coordinate annual budgets and medium-term plans, aligning resources with Community Risk Management priorities.

You will supervise planning work, challenge assumptions, and enhance reporting usefulness.