Group Financial Accountant

Job description, key responsibilities and experience

Salary: £64,111 – £73,036

Closing date: Sunday 15 September 2024

• Do you want to work for an organisation that values you as an individual?
• An organisation that will support your professional development?
• What about an organisation that is embedding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of everything that it does?
• How about an organisation that does all these things and more?
• Yes? Then look no further than the West Yorkshire Combined Authority!
• Listen to what our staff say on our 'Life at West Yorkshire Combined Authority' webpage.

We currently have a vacancy for a Group Financial Accountant to join our Finance Team to provide expert advice and analysis of budgets, funding and financing.

It is an exciting time to be joining the Mayoral Combined Authority. We have a wide variety of exciting projects that we are working on which will help shape the West Yorkshire region.

In 2021 the £1.8bn devolution deal was secured for West Yorkshire. This meant the first Mayor of West Yorkshire was subsequently elected, with Tracy Brabin taking up post in May 2021. The devolution deal and election of the Mayor has enabled us to start to drive up living standards for local communities while tackling the climate emergency and helping to deliver our commitment to become a net zero carbon city region by 2038.

To find out more about the work the Combined Authority is involved with take a look at our latest news stories.

The role

Reporting into the Head of Finance your key responsibilities will include: 

• Lead and manage the financial accounting team, ensuring the provision of high quality financial record keeping, controls and procedures.
• Lead the production of group statutory accounts and returns in accordance with professional standards.
• Provide expert technical advice to senior stakeholders on a range of finance matters including financial modelling on debt and capital, taxation and audit 

Please review the Role Profile for more information about the responsibilities.

About you

You will have the following key skills, attributes, education and experience

• A degree or equivalent relevant experience in Local Authority financial accounting
• CCAB (ideally CIPFA) or CIMA member
• Significant practical experience of successfully performing in a similar role
• Extensive experience of interpreting local government funding and financing regulations as applied to treasury management and statutory accounting activities, and related reporting standards, CIPFA Code and Prudential Codes, and applying these practically
• Strong systems knowledge and understanding of effective financial controls and management and significant experience of applying and managing these in a complex financial environment

Our offer

Alongside a competitive salary, we offer an excellent benefits package including:

• 28 days Annual Leave (increasing upon years of service) plus bank holidays
• Generous Employer-Contribution Pension Scheme
• Free Travel on rail and buses across West Yorkshire with the M-Card (Zones 1-5)
• Flexible Working Practices with Health & Wellbeing initiatives, including agile working options if you would rather work from home, or another suitable location, as well as a generous flexi-time scheme to ensure you achieve the best work/life balance and career goals.

Having recently undergone a major office refurbishment we have bright, airy, modern office space, with all latest technology, and just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station. 

Have a look at our Employee Benefits webpage to find out more.

To apply

If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements within the Role Profile. Please review our Role Profile Guidance for support in completing your application form.

Further information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity. or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent. To find out more about inclusivity at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority please visit our dedicated webpage.

Applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met.

Whilst agile working is an option for most staff, there is an expectation that employees are able to attend the office in central Leeds as and when required.

Candidates will be notified of invitation to interview by e-mail and interviews will be carried out either by phone, video or face to face. If you have any difficulty with the type of interview you are invited to, please inform the recruiting manager at your earliest convenience to enable them to consider an alternative solution.

Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases, on an annual basis.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we are unfortunately unable to respond to every applicant. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has not been successful. We do however thank you for your application and encourage you to continue looking for roles on our Careers with Us website page.

Candidate information will be retained by the Combined Authority for six months unless you make a request for this to be deleted.

This post is subject to vetting clearance.

Due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will be subject to relevant vetting checks at the appropriate level and any job offer will be conditional subject to successful vetting clearance. Applicants should be aware that it is not possible to make meaningful vetting enquiries in many jurisdictions outside the UK. Vetting clearance cannot therefore be granted if the applicant has not been resident in the UK for the relevant minimum period and comparable vetting enquiries cannot be made in jurisdictions where the individual has been residing. The relevant periods are three years for NPPV 1&2 and five years for NPPV3.

How to apply

Apply via the Penna website.

Contact: Delina Teklehaymanot 

Email: delina.teklehaymanot@penna.com or, Phone: +44 (0)7752 791 517