Chief Accountant Role type Police Staff Contract duration Permanent Contract type Full Time Business Area Corporate Services Department Finance Location Force Headquarters, Winsford Scale SM1 Salary £65,040 - £69,114 Please note, if this is a paid role and the role is part time then the salary quoted will be pro rata based on the hours worked per annum. Hours per week 37 Closing Date 28/06/2026, 23:55 Job description CHIEF ACCOUNTANT Cheshire Constabulary presents an exciting opportunity as we are recruiting to the role of Chief Accountant (Deputy s151) within our high performing Finance Department based at Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters in Winsford. The Chief Account supports the overall financial management and governance of Cheshire Constabulary and provides an in-depth support to the Chief Finance Officer (s151), acting as their deputy as and when appropriate. This role is responsible for leading on the technical accounting and strategy functions within the Finance Team including but not exclusively, Treasury Management, taxation and capital accounting and represents the finance function at Management & Operational meetings as well as being responsible for providing strategic financial and business planning advice, along with developing financial strategies, which allows Cheshire Constabulary to understand its current and future financial positions. In this role you will be expected to interpret policy and be skilled in presenting complex, and sometimes uncomfortable information, making persuasive arguments for a course of action to a range of senior managers and senior police officers. You will provide expert knowledge on technical financial issues and will be a subject matter expert on financial management. At all times you must ensure that statutory accounts and financial returns conform to national accounting standards to reflect a true and fair view and meet all appropriate timescales. You will be required to adhere to your professional bodies' requirement for Continual Professional Development, maintaining an understanding of changes in the financial environment and be guided by national policy to develop appropriate processes in response. You will also be expected to ensure that finance systems and processes are appropriate and efficient to meet business needs and comply with Section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972. You will have a proven track record of managing a professional finance team with a strong customer focus, preferably in a public sector environment. You will also have a comprehensive understanding of financial legislation and best practice in the public sector along with excellent verbal and written communications skills with the ability to make risk-based decisions. We welcome applications from candidates who are CCAB qualified (CIPFA preferable) with a minimum of five year's post qualification experience as well as substantial public sector experience and experience of working in a political environment. If this role if for you then we welcome an application from you. Further information about the role is available in the attached Role Profile and to apply for this role please submit a comprehensive CV of your full career history along with a 500-word personal statement detailing your suitability for this role. Candidates who pass our paper sifting process will be invited to attend an initial screening interview. If successful at this stage of the process, you will be invited to attend a Competency based interview at Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters. Please note that this advert may close early if we receive applications from a number of suitable candidates prior to the initial advertised closing date. Role Profile The Competency Values Framework (CVF) The Competency Values Framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes behaviours required by all officers and members of staff and it will be used in the recruitment process to assess your suitability for the role to which you are applying. It is not a requirement that you should have a detailed knowledge of the framework, should you wish to familiarise yourself with it to support you in the recruitment process please follow the below link. This role operates at level of the CVF: 3 Cheshire Constabulary is fully supportive of diversity, equality and inclusion and strives to employ a workforce which is representative of the community it serves. Applications are welcomed from all underrepresented groups and support will be made available throughout the recruitment process for all applicants. Under-represented groups include: People of ethnic minority Individuals who identify as having a visible or invisible disability Gender in relation to female representation for PC entry routes Gender in relation to male representation for Staff entry routes Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) FOR POLICE OFFICER NEW RECRUITS ONLY The Constabulary recognises that some may possess additional skills such as fluency in other languages; if you have such a skill and are willing to be contacted about this potentially being considered in relation to deployment and posting decisions, please highlight this in the application. Please note that any posting decision will be made by the organisation as is its prerogative however in circumstances where there is a cultural-competence/skill that may also enhance the Constabulary's service to its communities then in consultation with an individual and their consent then a posting may be agreed accordingly. Please note, you will require the following detail to complete this application form; NI Number, ID detail, address information, referee information, full employment history including dates and any qualifications you may have attained. You may also be requested to provide photos of any visible tattoos you have. The application system only remains active on a single page for a period of 60 minutes. Please therefore ensure you allow time to complete this fully as incomplete pages will not be saved. As part of the application process, you may be asked to provide evidence of your Qualifications, proof of identity and address, so it is important to make sure you have this information to hand before you complete your application.