Financial Accountant (Public Sector)
Salary: £65,000 - £69,000
An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Financial Accountant to join a high-performing public sector finance team within a Corporate Finance / Financial Accounting function. This is a broad, technical role with exposure across statutory accounts, treasury, VAT, fixed assets and capital accounting, supporting strong governance and high-quality financial reporting.
Key responsibilities (5 bullets)
Support and help lead the annual closedown and production of the Statement of Accounts, including liaison with external audit
Manage fixed asset accounting and maintain the asset register, ensuring accurate valuation and robust controls
Deliver/support Treasury Management activity (cashflow, borrowing/investments, leasing) and contribute to strategy development
Provide a high-quality VAT advisory service, including returns, partial exemption calculations and HMRC liaison
Produce clear financial reports, analysis and briefings for senior stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement to processes/controls
Person Specification
Essential
Qualified accountant (CIPFA / ACCA / ACA / CIMA or equivalent) or demonstrably equivalent experience in a technical finance role
Strong knowledge of public sector/local government finance and statutory reporting requirements (or highly transferable experience in a similarly regulated environment)
Proven experience contributing to year-end accounts/closedown and working with auditors
Experience in at least two of the following: fixed assets, capital accounting, treasury management, VAT
Strong analytical capability with excellent Excel/financial systems skills; able to interpret large datasets and explain outputs clearly
Confident communicator with experience producing written reports for different audiences and advising senior stakeholders
Desirable
Direct experience preparing/monitoring capital programmes and related accounting entries
Knowledge of IFRS/CIPFA Code environment and local government returns (where applicable)
Experience supporting or supervising staff / coordinating workloads in a small finance team
Evidence of process improvement, control enhancement, or finance transformation activity