Position: Chief Accountant (Interim)
Location: County Hall, Chichester, PO19 1RQ
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Duration: 6+ Months
Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week
Pay Rate: PAYE: £ 800.00 per day
Job Reference: 5303079
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the Chief Accountant’s Team of up to 20 staff.
- Provide strategic leadership for the Council’s financial governance, controls and accounting framework.
- Oversee the Council’s main financial management system, ensuring it supports changing business requirements.
- Lead the development and maintenance of Financial Regulations, schemes of delegation, financial procedures and guidance.
- Ensure compliance with CIPFA Financial Management Code, legislation, accounting standards and professional best practice.
- Lead all statutory and corporate financial reporting, including government and statistical returns.
- Lead and coordinate the annual Statement of Accounts and final accounts process, working closely with external auditors.
- Support and coordinate the annual revenue budget process, ensuring appropriate financial controls and deadlines are maintained.
- Provide expert technical accounting advice to senior officers and Members.
- Lead treasury management, VAT, banking and cash management, including the Treasury Management Strategy.
- Develop financial capability across the organisation through budget management training and guidance.
- Monitor changes in government policy, legislation and accounting requirements and advise senior management on their financial implications.
- Maintain effective relationships with external auditors, senior officers, Members and key stakeholders.
- Contribute to the strategic and operational leadership of the Finance function and Finance Business Plan.
- Ensure high-quality, accurate and timely financial information and reporting.
Person Specification
Essential Experience
- Significant senior-level Chief Accountant experience within a Local Authority is essential.
- Extensive experience of local government accounting, statutory accounts and financial reporting.
- Strong knowledge of public sector accounting principles, legislation and accounting standards.
- Proven experience leading annual accounts/final accounts and Statement of Accounts processes.
- Experience working directly with external auditors.
- Strong experience of financial governance, controls, regulations and compliance.
- Experience of revenue budget preparation and monitoring.
- Strong knowledge of treasury management, VAT, banking and cash management.
- Proven experience managing and developing finance teams, ideally in a complex local authority environment.
- Experience providing technical accounting advice to senior officers and Members.
- Strong understanding of the CIPFA Financial Management Code.
- Experience managing and improving financial management systems.
Essential Skills & Attributes
- Highly analytical with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Able to work independently and deliver to tight statutory and corporate deadlines.
- Strong leadership, organisational and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Able to build effective relationships across the Council and with external partners.
- Strong understanding of financial risk, governance and compliance.
- Methodical, proactive and commercially aware.
- Able to provide clear, authoritative advice on complex financial matters.
Qualification
- CCAB-qualified accountant or equivalent professional accounting qualification.
- Extensive post-qualification experience in Local Government/Public Sector Finance.
Pay: £800.00 per day
Application question(s):
- Do you have strong knowledge of the CIPFA Financial Management Code, Local Government accounting regulations and statutory reporting requirements?
- Are you CCAB-qualified (e.g. CIPFA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA) or hold an equivalent professional accounting qualification?
Experience:
- Chief Accountant or equivalent senior finance role: 3 years (required)
- Local Authority/Public Sector finance: 3 years (required)
- leading revenue budget preparation and financial reporting: 3 years (required)
- treasury management, VAT, banking and cash : 3 years (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
