Head of Accountancy - Job Description

POST NUMBER: B10333
DEPARTMENT: ENVIRONMENT DIVISION: FINANCE SERVICES & RESOURCES
RESPONSIBLE TO: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FINANCE & RESOURCES

Job Purpose

To support the Assistant Director in achieving the most effective use of financial resources for Environment Services through forward planning, financial management, monitoring and control.
To be responsible for organising and monitoring the day to day financial management of the Environment Services Department within guidelines set by the Director of Finance and Corporate Services.
To manage the Accountancy function within the Finance and Resources division including overall workload, staffing and financial resources and to contribute to the running of the Environment Department.
To be responsible for the development of the Department’s detailed financial systems to meet the corporate and legal requirements of the Service as well as those needed to record and measure individual performance in budgetary financial terms
To work with senior officers, Councillors and outside organisations to deliver departmental and corporate objectives and to improve service delivery to the public, ensuring the timely presentation of reports to senior officers and members for consideration and decision making.
To provide professional advice and develop policy, projects and initiatives on Finance, budgets and accounts.
To pursue, promote and implement the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in relation to the duties of the post.

Description of Duties

Key personal duties in order of importance:
To ensure compliance with the Council’s financial regulations, standing orders and instructions and requirements issued by the Director of Finance.
To ensure that key financial and performance management processes including revenue and capital budget preparation and monitoring and the closure of accounts are carried out effectively and on time, in accordance with guidance provided by the Director of finance, and to present reports to the departmental senior management team on these activities on a regular basis.
To give professional advice, strategic direction and to be pro-active in the generation of innovative and forward thinking ideas, to scrutinise financial comments on Committee Reports and prepare financial reports requiring decisions from the
Departmental Senior management team or Members.
To be responsible for the effective management of the Accountancy service within the Finance and Resources division, including the preparation and implementation of annual service / performance plans, and cost centre management of the divisional budget.
To manage the staff of the Finance division, including the identification of training and development needs, the allocation of monitoring of work programmes, recruitment, staff appraisal, and regular communications, within the departmental framework for IIP.
To manage the Directorate’s capital and revenue budgets including estimates, monitoring, end of year accounts and any financial virements or adjustments as may be required.
To advise the Director and senior colleagues in the Department on all financial matters including financial regulations and standing orders and set up procedures to ensure compliance.
To be responsible to the Director of Finance for financial procedures under Section 114 of the Local Government Act.
To manage specific accounts held by the Directorate such as the Parking Reserve Account and trading accounts.
To periodically review and restructure departmental and divisional budgets as required.
To set up departmental procedures that comply with good audit practice and to carry out periodic assessments of critical areas to assess that financial good practice and value for money are being achieved.
To represent the department in SLA negotiations and to monitor SLA, performance and uptake.
To act as client officer for Environment Department property and undertake periodic property reviews.
To support the Assistant Director in undertaking reorganisations, value for money reviews, budget setting and reviews of fees and charges.
To develop the Department’s capacity to inter-act and engage with its users through new forms of technology, within the framework of the Council’s IT / IS Strategy, and the e-government agenda.
To deputise for the Assistant Director as required and to undertake specific pieces of policy development, project or management work within other areas of the Directorate, as may be required from time to time.
To keep informed on Council policy, legislation and external initiatives, government guidance and other professional matters.
To take account of the legal framework for local authority activities and all relevant Council policies, procedures and codes, in undertaking the responsibilities of the post.
To take account of the Council’s equal opportunities policy in fulfilling the duties of the post.
To ensure that satisfactory health and safety and working conditions prevail in the areas of the post accountability.
To appear as expert witness at public inquiries and other legal tribunals and hearings as necessary.
To participate in the Council’s response to civil and other emergencies as may be required.
To use computer terminals (which may be desktop, handheld, fixed or mobile) to input information to, and access data from, text based databases and mobile communications equipment such as mobile phones or two-way radios, and other
technology as required to carry out the duties of the post.
To participate in the Environment department’s contribution to ensuring an effective response to civil and other emergencies using skills/expertise relevant to the functions of the post and in accordance with Council emergency procedures.

Equal Opportunities

To be familiar with the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policies and to implement them in relation to the responsibilities of the post.
To promote the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policies through the recruitment, career development and communication responsibilities of the post.