INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY Accountant
INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY Accountant
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Job Description
***Internal Applicants Only***
Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Salary: PO8 57663 - 60819
Contract Type: Permanent Full-time
Working hours per week: 36
Application Deadline: 1st September 2025
Proposed Interview Date(s): Week Commencing 8th & 15 September 2025
DBS: Standard
Reference:1847
About Us:
Bursting with culture energy and opportunity the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.
We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused insight-led digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.
London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of Londons Good Work Standardemployers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions workplace well-being skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.
The Councils preference is for online application. However if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application please email so we can arrange an alternative application method.
About the role:
Are you a strategic thinker with a strong financial background and a passion for driving service excellence Were looking for a Strategic Finance Advisor to provide high-level financial advisory and support to our Planned Works team and the wider Asset Management function within our Housing this pivotal role youll deliver a business-focused finance service that ensures value for money robust budget management and strategic financial planning. You will monitor budgets identify pressures early and support proactive decision-making to help maintain service quality within financial and operational constraints.
As our Strategic Finance Advisor you will provide a proactive business-focused financial advisory service. Youll work closely with service managers operational leads and finance colleagues to ensure that budgets are well-managed risks are identified early and decisions are informed by robust financial insight.
This role is essential to maintaining the financial integrity of the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) ensuring that both capital and revenue budgets are effectively managed and aligned with strategic objectives.
You will:
Deliver strategic financial advice and support to the Planned Works team and wider Asset Management function.
Monitor and analyse financial performance flagging potential pressures or risks at an early stage.
Support service leads in making informed value-for-money decisions that optimise outcomes within available budgets.
Provide accurate timely financial information to the HRA Finance team to support corporate financial planning and statutory reporting.
Contribute to budget planning cycles forecasts and longer-term financial modelling.
Help embed a culture of financial accountability and efficiency across the service.
We are seeking a confident and solutions-focused finance professional who can operate effectively in a complex and fast-paced environment. You should have:
Proven experience in a similar strategic finance role ideally within housing local government or a related field.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and communicate insights clearly to non-financial colleagues.
A sound understanding of public sector finance particularly HRA revenue and capital funding.
Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence decision-making at all levels.
A proactive collaborative approach with a commitment to service excellence.
Key Responsibilities:
- Experience of assisting a groupofbudget holders to understandandmanage their budgets andpreparerobust forecasts ofoutturnexpenditure for the year in alargepublic sectororganisation.
- Experience of analysingperformancedata for a range of services withaview to highlighting potential areasofbudgetscrutiny.
- Experience of producingannualaccounts in accordance withrelevantstandards and timetablessupportedby comprehensive workingpapers.
- Experience of supporting a groupofbudget holders to undertaketheirfinancial responsibilitiesconsistentwith the CorporateAccountingFramework.
- Experience of interpretingandanalysing accounting regulationsandcodes ofpractice.
- Experience of liaising withexternalbodies (for examplegovernmentdepartments external auditorsandother LocalAuthorities)
- Experience of managing a teamofstaff to deliver high qualityfinancialadvice to Councillors andSeniorOfficers.
- Experience of managingcomplexprojects/financialissues.
- Experience of implementingsoundand prompt solutions in the eventofreal or potentialreconciliationdifficulties in keysystems.
- Ability to interpret fundingandguidance pronouncements andassistin the preparation of modelsshowingthe financial consequences oftheBudgetStrategy.
- Ability to encourageeffectivebudgetary control and to assist intheidentification of corrective strategiestocontain expenditure withinBudget.
- Ability to contribute tofinancialstrategies that are based onthoroughanalysis of needs andrisks.
- Ability to convey complexfinancialand regulatory information instylesthat meet the needs of internalandexternalrecipients.
- Ability to identify potential changesto increase efficiencies in the Housing service.
- IT skills including MicrosoftOfficesuite and skilled in the use ofacomputerised general ledgersystemincluding experience ofdevelopingsystems to achieve desiredbusinessoutcomes.
- Experience using Oracle.
- Able to work in an inclusive manner with staff and residents.
Qualifications and Requirements:
Qualified Accountant (CCAB recognised) or fully qualified AAT.
Educated to degree standard or equivalent
Terms and conditions:
The below terms and conditions apply to this role:
Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
Satisfactory DBS check;
As a public authority we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English with confidence and accuracy sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications regional or international accents dialects speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.
How to Apply:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the Apply button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore if you are interested please submit your application as early as possible.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair appropriate accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.
To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2 internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.
We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore wherever possible we will consider working arrangements that suit an individuals personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.
For more information on the benefits of working for the Council please visit Information:
If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process please contact Sharon-Leigh Gordon at
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post please contact our Recruitment Team via email at .
Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.
Employment Type
Full-Time
