Chief Accountant

Job Title: Chief Accountant

Team: Finance & Technical Accounting

Responsible for: This role has overall responsibility for managing staff up to 10 FTE

Main purpose of the job:

• To manage the production of the Council's Single entity and Group accounts.
• To be the primary expert on financial accounting regulations and be the primary advisor on this subject matter to the Council' s statutory section 151 Officer.
• To hold the day-to-day responsibility for the Council's system of financial controls, ensuring that all key reconciliations are produced monthly, quarterly or yearly depending on their importance and the regularity.
• To regularly liaise and manage relationships with the External Auditors at a senior level.
• To manage the end of year capital and asset accounting processes.
• To manage the financial accounting function and present to directors and councillors on the matter, where appropriate.
• To ensure that the team provide specialist financial accounting advice to budget holders and officers in other parts of Finance to support decision-making and financial modelling of major business cases.
• To manage the completion of VAT returns and corporate advice on VAT issues
• To have overarching responsibility for the Balance Sheet.
• To manage system improvements in the Council's core financial systems and improve reporting capabilities, as the day-to-day system owner.
• CCAB qualification required.

This is a hybrid role and the postholder will be required to come to the office once per week plus attendance at evening meetings as required.