Management Accountant

Your new roleThe Management Accountant/Principal Financial Control Officer role forms part of the Financial Management Division within the Finance Directorate, at the strategic heart of the two local authorities, and comes with potential for career development as we continue to enhance our solid reputation for effective financial management.Building on a Management Accounting background, as a Principal Financial Control Officer, you will assist the Head of Service in providing high-quality financial advice and be responsible for a specified range of services or accounts, liaising with the service departments on all aspects of financial control. The post will also have a focus looking at the medium-term financial planning for both councils.We offer flexible working, and we have been operating largely as a distributed team, however some office working days are expected in line with service needs.At the councils, we care more about how you work and what you achieve, rather than where you work on any given day. We have carefully considered agile ways of working to provide the best experience for residents, stakeholders, and our staff. Our agile working strategy actively supports and encourages a dynamic work environment and daily working experience. Agile working helps put the needs of our staff at the center of everything we do, so if specific flexible working arrangements help you with this, feel free to let us know.Some of the duties you will be responsible for are:

• Contributing towards developing effective and efficient financial and administrative systems to ensure that the department can fulfil its financial responsibilities, including adhering to the system controls and procedures in place, and providing a professional and effective financial administration and support service.
• Ensuring the services for both Councils are dealt with on an equitable basis to deliver the standards required for each, as agreed annually by the Executives of both Councils.
• Assisting with other groups within the Financial Management Division as directed, to provide flexible response to peak workloads.
• Assisting in the presentation to Committee of a detailed budget report and other medium and long term forecasts of expenditure which may be required. Monitors and researches all relevant data to ensure that the budget reflects in financial terms current and projected demand for services and levels of output within the constraints imposed by legislation, government control and Council policy.
• Taking responsibility for a specified range of services or accounts, and liaising with the service department where appropriate on all aspects of financial control. Identifies explanations for all variances within this range as part of the end of year final accounts process. Assists in the drafting annually for presentation to Committee of a report on outturn for the financial year. Attends on the Councils' auditors (both internal and external) as required.
• Preparing and examining in detail statements which are comparing expenditure and income with budgets or revenue or capital, liaising with service departments to provide explanations for significant variances, recommending appropriate corrective action.
• Preparing government returns, statistical returns and other information requests after researching all necessary financial and service information. Oversees the monitoring of grant income and relevant expenditure, as appropriate.

What you'll need to succeed

• You need to have a good understanding of basic accounting principles and structures.
• Have a good experience in a budgetary control, accounting and financial reporting environment.
• You will ideally have exposure to working within a local authority however open to consider candidates from wider public sector
• Have the ability to compile complex statistical information for subsidy claims and statistical returns; and to devise validation tests to ensure accuracy of the result.
• Be part qualified CCAB or equivalent, fully qualified AAT or substantial relevant experience.
• You will also need to submit a supporting statement with your application

What you need to do now

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