HRA Accountant - Castle Point Borough Council
Castle Point Borough Council
Temporary, Full Time
Up to £350 per day umbrella
Location: Castle Point
Closing Date: 25th August 2025
Job purpose
The Council seeks an interim HRA accountant to compile the HRA 30 year business plan. To do this, you’ll take and build upon the existing work and transform this into a new, modern and fit for purpose model. This model will clearly identify all assumptions made and will allow manipulation of these variables to undertaken scenario planning and sensitivity analysis. The model will contain all the detailed workings and have appropriate summaries to enable presentation to Housing management, senior Council officers and the Council’s Cabinet Members. In compiling the model, you will check, challenge and refresh the existing work and will work closely with the Housing and Financial Services teams to refresh information and ensure there is robustness and accuracy throughout.
*This will be a time limited piece of work, estimated at no more than 6 weeks, with occasional on-site presence as required.
Key accountabilities:
1. Delivery of a HRA 30-year business plan model which allows for changing assumptions and summarises information for different audiences.
2. Provide advice and financial input into the Council’s financial planning processes including input and guidance into business plans, utilising financial modelling, options appraisal and risk analysis tools and techniques as appropriate.
3. Advise budget holders and other stakeholders of the financial implications of changes in national legislation or local practice.
4. Ensure compliance with Council financial regulations, protocol and guidance, including Financial Regulations, Contract Procedure Rules, and Schemes of Delegation
5. Provide robust challenge to budget holders, acting as a critical friend, to ensure their financial plans and projections are accurate and realistic.
6. Identify and support the business to become more commercial in its thinking.
7. To identify, investigate and support the reduction of cost pressures, saving opportunities and solutions through robust planning. To develop effective working relationships to support co-operative ways of working, effective decision-making and management of financial resources.
8. Support the Council to deliver its strategies with an understanding and inputting into the analysis of changes to accounting and reporting requirements.
The Experience You Will Bring
9. CCAB or CIMA qualified
10. Extensive experience in Housing Revenue Account budgeting and accounting procedures.
11. Strong consulting and negotiation skills, including excellent communication and interpersonal skills
12. Ability to quickly make strong and influential relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, providing both challenge and support
13. Ability to translate and explain complex technical accounting concepts into formats easily understood by non-finance staff
14. Ability to create detailed financial models which are easily maintained and understood by others
15. Demonstrates experience of providing advice, challenge and support to business/service areas in order to obtain the best possible outcomes and value for money
16. Extensive experience in the use of financial modelling and options appraisal techniques, particularly the use of spreadsheets and business intelligence tools.
Castle Point Borough Council is proud to be a disability confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.
Castle Point Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.