Finance Schemes & Reporting Partner in Leeds

Contract type: Full-time

Hours: 37.5

Salary: circa £72k depending on experience

Location: Leeds or Birmingham

WFH policy: Employees are required to attend the office 2 days/week

Flexible working: Variety of flexible work patterns subject to line manager discretion e.g. Compressed 9-day fortnight.

Reports to: Lead Finance Manager

Deadline Note: We reserve the right to close the advert before the advertised deadline if there are a high volume of applications.

Role Summary: The Finance Schemes & Reporting Partner reports to the Lead Finance Manager (Settlements Controller) and sits within the Settlements team. The role has two core responsibilities: leading statutory reporting and audit activities, and overseeing the finance implementation of new schemes and transformation initiatives. The postholder ensures accounting treatments, controls, systems, reporting structures and operating models are designed and embedded effectively, bridging scheme design, finance delivery and ongoing reporting requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• New Schemes: Lead Finance through discovery and design phases, ensuring accounting, reporting, systems, controls and operational needs are identified early. Work with Government stakeholders, Policy teams and Finance colleagues to shape deliverable, financially robust scheme designs. Lead Finance within implementation programmes, overseeing Finance workstreams and translating accounting treatments into practical Finance solutions in collaboration with the Finance Settlements Manager, Technical Accounting Partner and Settlement Change Accountant. Lead the design and configuration of Sage X3 (or successor systems), including chart of accounts, reporting hierarchies, journal structures, interfaces and reporting outputs, and ensure testing, reconciliation and governance are complete before go-live. Own the Finance reporting and control framework for new schemes, including reconciliations, period-end processes, disclosures and reporting requirements. Provide Finance assurance and readiness sign-off ahead of scheme go-live and transition into business-as-usual operations. Manage the Settlements Change Accountant secondment, oversee priorities, delivery and output. Subject to review at the end of the secondment.
• Valuation Modelling & Disclosures: Lead Finance engagement with Analytics to prepare valuations and disclosures for schemes included in the Annual Report. Own the annual valuation process end to end: review model operation, inputs, controls and version history to ensure outputs are accurate, auditable and supported by a robust evidence trail. Obtain assurance from the technical accounting partner that assumptions align with scheme regulations. Oversee preparation of IFRS 9 and other scheme disclosures, ensuring they are accurate, supportable and evidenced. Automate disclosure generation from source data to ensure auditability and reduce manual intervention.
• Statutory Reporting: Support the preparation and delivery of the LCCC and ESC statutory accounts and Annual Report, leading valuation, disclosure and reporting activities and ensuring compliance with IFRS and regulatory requirements. Maintain and develop reporting processes, disclosures and supporting controls to meet external reporting obligations. Manage reporting requirements from DESNZ and other external stakeholders. Maintain and develop Finance reporting structures, reporting hierarchies and associated controls within Sage X3 (or successor systems).
• Government reporting: Share responsibility with the Technical Accounting Partner and the wider finance team for submissions connected to year end (counterparty, non-TB etc.). Work closely with DESNZ and manage their reporting requirements, including Annual Report disclosures and accounting papers.
• Audit: Lead interim and year-end external audits and act as the primary contact for the National Audit Office. Coordinate audit requests, evidence and stakeholder responses across the business. Manage audit readiness, including timetables, deliverables and year-end procedures. Track and implement internal and external audit recommendations. Ensure compliance with legislation and regulation governing LCCCs financial affairs, including the Energy Act 2013 and related regulations.
• Technical Accounting: Deputise for the Technical Accounting Partner where required. Support the implementation of accounting treatments for new schemes and changes to existing schemes. Translate accounting conclusions into reporting, valuation, disclosure and operational requirements. Prepare and contribute to papers for ARAC, the Board and other governance forums, particularly in relation to valuations, reporting and accounting matters.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise:

• Essential: Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CA or equivalent international qualification). Proven experience producing IFRS statutory accounts and managing external audits. Strong knowledge of financial accounting principles, reporting standards and regulatory requirements. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial matters to non-finance audiences. Experience translating accounting and reporting requirements into operational processes, controls and systems. Experience with ERP systems and intermediate/advanced Excel skills. Experience leading or supporting finance implementation projects, including systems, reporting or process changes. Experience preparing IFRS 9 disclosures and automating recurring reporting processes.
• Desirable: Experience configuring or implementing new schemes, products or reporting requirements within an ERP system (Sage X3 or similar), including testing and go-live readiness. Experience in technical accounting, including applying IFRS 9 Financial Instruments and accounting for Contracts for Difference (CfD) schemes. Experience reviewing complex financial models, including controls, governance and audit evidence. Experience supervising, coaching or developing junior finance staff.

How you'll live our values:

• One team: Build strong relationships across Finance, Policy, Operations, Analytics, Technology and external stakeholders, bringing people together to deliver new schemes, reporting and audit outcomes successfully.
• Make it happen: Take ownership of statutory reporting, audits, valuations and new scheme implementation, ensuring Finance requirements are translated into practical, controlled and deliverable solutions.
• Grow and learn: Continuously improve reporting, controls and Finance processes, while developing capability across the team and supporting colleagues through change and implementation activity.