Accountancy Manager Ref: 63-24

Salary: Grade 4 (£56,230 - £66,040 per annum - pay award pending 01.04.2025)
Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week
Place of Work: Dereham (remote-enabled)
Basis: Permanent

Are you ready to help shape our council's financial future?

As Accountancy Manager, you'll lead a respected team of professionals across finance and insurance services. You'll serve as Deputy Section 151 Officer - working with our Assistant Director of Finance (S151) - and use your financial expertise to deliver a comprehensive and professional accountancy service for Breckland, helping ensure we make the most of our resources to deliver the best possible services to our residents, businesses and visitors. 

Working closely with our Corporate Management Team, you'll play a major role in supporting the Council's priorities with the Finance Team, ensuring we continue to be financially resilient as a Council while being solution focussed to make the most of the resources we have at a time of significant change.

About you:

We are looking for a fully qualified CCAB accountant with experience in leading a finance service and team and you will be supported by our Assistant Director of Finance (S151).

You will have a full understanding of financial regulations and keep up to date with technical accounting changes and how these impact the organisation, be able to work with a wide range of external stakeholders and partners, have strong management and leadership skills, be highly organised, able to meet tight deadlines and prioritise, constantly look for better ways of doing things and have strong communication and interpersonal skills.

You will take responsibility for producing the annual statement of accounts, the medium-term financial plan and associated budgets, treasury management and investments, be part of the Senior Management Team and be responsible for leading and developing the finance team.

Collaborative - You encourage individuals and teams to work, learn and deliver together. You make sure people feel trusted, valued, informed and supported.

Ambitious - You always ask yourself 'How could we do this better?', taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt to, implement and embed change. You act as a role model, leading by example: motivating, influencing and inspiring others

Results-driven - Your team are clear on what they need to achieve and how their work fits into the Corporate Plan. You keep to your promises and challenge yourself and others to deliver high-quality service

Empowering - You show energy and drive to explore new opportunities and challenge the status quo. You make sure individuals have control and a sense of purpose about their work.

Supportive - You help create an environment where individuals feel comfortable to be themselves and where they feel heard, included and valued. You treat others as you would want to be treated yourself ensuring you are welcoming, friendly and approachable.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Alison Chubbock by emailing alison.chubbock@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date: 9am, Monday 7 April 2025

Job summary

Description of duties

Primary Functional Objectives of the Role

• Manage, co-ordinate and prepare the production of the Council's year end accounts within statutory deadlines for submission to external auditors, ensuring work is completed in accordance with the CIPFA Code and any other financial and audit regulations.
• To report as appropriate on the Council's financial position (both monitoring of the current position and the final outturn and reserves) to Council meetings identifying key variations and issues and making recommendations for action.
• To provide a financial and management accountancy service to the Council.  This includes Treasury Management, budget preparation, management accounts, the capital programme and external audit.
• Responsible for the planning and control of the production of the Council's capital and Treasury budgets in accordance with corporate objectives.
• Responsible for developing and implementing the Capital Strategy and Medium Term Financial plan in conjunction with the Assistant Director Finance.
• Responsible for preparing and adhering to the Treasury Management and Investment Strategy and Policy.
• To provide and present financial information for Committee reports, working groups and to assess the financial implications of any proposals to Committees and working groups.
• To act as the Council's Deputy S151 Officer.
• To provide professional, technical advice and guidance to managers, Members and colleagues on matters relating to finance.
• To work positively, effectively and collaboratively with partner organisations for mutual benefit and to deliver the outcomes required by the Council's priorities.
• To assist the Assistant Director Finance in all aspects of the financial services provision.
• To ensure the financial integrity of the Council's accounting systems and compliance with legislative, CIPFA and current accounting standards.
• Ensure that business continuity plans for all finance services are maintained.
• To ensure that proper internal controls are in place, adhered to and monitored where required.
• Responsible for co-ordinating, completing and submitting statistical and government returns to deadlines.
• Responsibilities will also include writing reports, attending internal and external meetings, giving presentations and working to tight deadlines.
• Ensure compliance to all policies, procedures, standard operating practices, with recommendations for action and continuous improvement

Primary Line/Performance Management Objectives of the Role

• To ensure that the Council has a strong focus on customer service and needs.
• To encourage and champion matrix-style working, making the best use of talent and skills across the organisation to deliver outputs through multidisciplinary teams
• To promote the corporate values of the organisation always acting as a role model and by delivery of a customer-focused service

Primary Leadership Objectives of the Role

• To provide the leadership and vision necessary to coordinate the activities of the finance service and team to drive forwards the organisation's key priorities through the effective management of resources and by ensuring that opportunities for improving customer service are maximised.
• To provide leadership to develop and implement opportunities for innovative and new ways of working.
• Responsible for management and supervision of staff, including motivating, conducting appraisals, identifying training and development needs and putting in place activities to meet those identified needs.

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Management experience with a local authority or other medium and complex organisation.
• Post qualification experience.
• Knowledge of national government policies and strategies as they affect local government service delivery.
• Ability to work flexibly.

Desirable

• Experience of advising on and presenting upon local government finance.
• Experience and knowledge of the legal, statutory and corporate framework relating to local government.

Qualifications

Essential      

• Fully qualified CIPFA (or equivalent) accountant.
• Full membership of a relevant professional qualification (CIPFA or equivalent).

Essential Behaviours:

Collaborative

• You encourage individuals and teams to work, learn and deliver together
• You make sure people feel trusted, valued, informed and supported.

Ambitious

• You act as a role model, leading by example: motivating, influencing and inspiring others
• You always ask yourself 'How could we do this better?', taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt to, implement and embed change

Results-driven

• Your team are clear on what they need to achieve and how their work fits into the Corporate Plan
• You look for opportunities to develop people, nurturing future talent
• You keep to your promises and challenge yourself and others to deliver high-quality service

Empowering

• You embrace new technology and look for new ways for our services to become digital not forgetting to be accessible for all
• You make sure individuals have control and a sense of purpose about their work.

Supportive

• You help create an environment where individuals feel comfortable to be themselves and where they feel heard, included and valued
• When individuals are finding things hard, you give them chance to talk and give them the help and support they need

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

• As an employee of Breckland Council you must comply with the Health & Safety policy and attend the compulsory Health & Safety training as and when requested.

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (30 days plus bank holidays)
• Essential User car allowance
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Breckland Council's Terms and Conditions are in accordance with the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical Services (APT&C). These are collective agreements negotiated between the council and APT&C. The exception are those conditions affecting salary, which are subject to a locally negotiated salary structure.

Other Terms and Conditions may be implemented following collective agreements negotiated and agreed with the Trade Union recognised by Breckland Council for collective local bargaining purposes. The Principal conditions are set out below:

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Alison Chubbock (Assistant Director - Finance) by emailing alison.chubbock@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date - 9am, Monday 7th April 2025

APPLY ONLINE

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce which reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies - these are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.