Senior Accountant

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Finance

Senior Accountant

Ref: 001745

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £48,738 - £53,051 per annum (Grade 9)

Hours: 36.66 per week

Location: Spindles Centre, George Street, Oldham, OL11 HDD

Closing Date: Tuesday 13 October 2026

Interview Date: TBC.

Are you an ambitious accountant looking for a role where your work makes a real difference to communities?

At Oldham Council, we're committed to creating a place where residents, businesses and neighbourhoods can thrive. As a Senior Accountant, you'll play a key role in supporting financial decision-making across the organisation, helping to ensure public funds are managed effectively and sustainably to deliver the services that matter most.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated finance professional who enjoys partnering with senior leaders, influencing strategic decisions and driving continuous improvement. You'll join a forward-thinking organisation that values innovation, collaboration and professional development.

We currently have two Senior Accountant opportunities available:

Adult Social Care supporting one of the Council's largest and most complex service areas, helping shape the delivery of care and support services for vulnerable residents while navigating significant financial and operational challenges.

Capital & Treasury supporting the Council's ambitious capital programme, treasury management activities and long-term financial planning, helping to ensure sustainable investment in the borough's future.

What You'll Be Doing:

As a Senior Accountant, you'll act as a trusted financial adviser, providing high-quality financial management, planning and reporting support across the Council. You'll help ensure strong financial governance, support effective decision-making and contribute to the successful delivery of service objectives.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading budget preparation, monitoring and forecasting activities across revenue or capital budgets.
  
• Providing strategic financial advice, support and challenge to budget holders and senior managers.
  
• Supporting the production of annual accounts, statutory returns and financial statements.
  
• Interpreting financial guidance and contributing to consultation responses and policy developments.
  
• Identifying financial risks and opportunities, recommending practical solutions and mitigating actions.
  
• Developing financial models, business cases and investment appraisals to support decision-making.
  
• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, accounting standards and Council policies.
  
• Driving continuous improvement and contributing to the ongoing development of the finance function.

About You:

We're looking for someone who combines strong technical expertise with excellent communication skills, the ability to build trusted relationships and the confidence to provide constructive challenge and influence decision-making at all levels of the organisation.

This role offers the opportunity to further develop your commercial, strategic and leadership skills while working closely with senior stakeholders across a diverse range of services.

You'll ideally have:

• A professional accounting qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent), or significant experience operating at Senior Accountant level.
  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  
• Experience of partnering with operational and senior stakeholders.
  
• The ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and confidently to a range of audiences.
  
• A proactive approach and a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes.
  
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.
  
• Experience within local government or the wider public sector would be advantageous. However, we also welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate strong transferable skills and experience from other sectors.

Whether you're already working in local government or looking to bring your expertise into the public sector, this is an opportunity to influence meaningful decisions, tackle complex financial challenges and make a tangible difference to the lives of residents across Oldham.

If you're looking for a challenging and rewarding role where your contribution truly matters, we'd love to hear from you.

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package:

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and Privacy:

For details of how we use your data please see our Privacy Notice

Important Information:

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

Right to Work in the UK from 1st July 2021.doc