Finance Manager

Job Title: Finance Manager (x2) (Revenue / Capital & Balance Sheet)

Application closing date: Sunday 12th January 2025 at 23:59pm

Location: Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT

Salary: £52,896pa - £60,693pa (inclusive of Bexley Choices)

Employment Type: Permanent

Bexley is an outer London Borough, offering a unique blend of urban and rural living, making it an ideal place to experience the best of both worlds. It sits conveniently between the vibrant energy of central London and the serene landscapes of Kent, known as the Garden of England. The Borough is home to several award-winning parks and open spaces, and boasts a number of listed heritage sites, adding historical charm and character to the area.

The challenges faced by Bexley Council reflect broader national trends, as rising energy costs, increasing demand for vital social care services, and the growing costs of essential goods and services place significant pressure on local finances. These pressures make it more difficult to meet the ever-growing needs of the community, but despite these hurdles, the council remains dedicated to its mission of prioritising the services that matter most to residents.

We are looking to appoint two Finance Managers across the following areas: Revenue / Capital & Balance Sheet.

Key Responsibilities include:

• Ensure that the Council's accounts are produced in compliance with all statutory accounting requirements
• Making use of appropriate financial data analytics in reviewing the overall revenue and capital information that forms the basis of the statement of accounts for accuracy and appropriateness.
• To manage the key reconciliations around balance sheet accounts and ensure that any suspense accounts are cleared in a timely manner.
• To produce and submit any regular VAT and tax returns on behalf of the Council within required deadlines.
• To undertake appropriate reconciliations for the Collection Fund and produce the Collection Fund statement within the Statement of Accounts.
• Input into the medium term financial strategy and annual revenue budget regarding capital charges and the impact of financing costs.
• Preparation of final accounts complying with the accounting code of practice and statutory requirements relating to all revenue and capital accounting issues.
• Input into financial planning and investment decisions regarding the cost of capital investment.
• To develop the Capital Strategy in consultation with the Finance Manager Strategy.
• Formulate and present financing options for capital expenditure, in order to optimise the use of available resources.
• Lead on the corporate grants register ensuring accurate grant records that satisfy both statutory accounting and monitoring requirements.
• Monitoring spending against specific grants and preparing grant claims as appropriate

To be suitable for the role you need to hold a CCAB accountancy qualification or equivalent. You will have detailed knowledge of capital and revenue expenditure accounting requirements and extensive accounting and budgetary experience as well as a sound knowledge of local government finance frameworks, accounting principles and standards, statutory requirements and relevant codes of practice.

For more information about the role please refer to Home | Bexley-draft or for a confidential discussion contact Rob Phillips at Allen Lane - robertphillips@allenlane.co.uk or 07921 336 507.

To apply, please submit your CV to bexley@allenlane.co.uk alongside a supporting statement (no more than two pages) stating why you are interested in applying, what you can bring to this role and highlighting your relevant experience and suitability.

Equal opportunities

Bexley Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Bexley Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.