Financial Reporting and Budgeting Accountant in Darlington

Salary: National: £44,600 - £47,906. If the successful candidate is a current Civil Servant joining on level transfer, HM Treasury will honour their current substantive salary if higher. This role typically attracts an accountancy allowance for eligible individuals. Confirmation of eligibility will be provided to the successful applicant on appointment.

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full Time, Part Time, Job Share (Flexible working hours can be accommodated)

Location: Darlington (Feethams House)

Want to shape financial decision-making at the heart of government? This is an exciting opportunity to build your experience across financial reporting, budgeting and strategic finance at HM Treasury. You’ll play an important role in producing high-quality financial information, supporting effective decision-making and continually improving how we manage and report our finances. If you’re a qualified accountant looking for a varied role with real breadth and impact, we’d love to hear from you.

About the Team

This role is unique in that it is shared across Strategic Finance and Financial Reporting, giving the post holder a broad view of HM Treasury’s finances and the unique ability to contribute to both financial management and external financial reporting. Strategic Finance supports the department to plan, monitor and manage its budgets by providing financial analysis, management information and advice to help colleagues make well-informed decisions. Financial Reporting is responsible for producing HM Treasury Group’s annual report and accounts and supporting high-quality financial accounting across the Group.

You will work closely with colleagues across both teams, as well as with finance and policy teams across HM Treasury, its arm’s-length bodies and external auditors. The role offers a strong mix of technical accounting, budgeting, financial systems, analysis and stakeholder management, allowing you to develop a rounded understanding of departmental finance.

HM Treasury Finance is made up of approximately 50 staff based across London, Norwich and Darlington sites. Finance is high on the agenda and provides the opportunity to influence the direction of the Department for the future. We are part of the wider Government Finance Function (GFF), which represents and supports around 10,000 members of the finance community across the civil service.

About the Job

This is a varied and fast-paced financial accounting role shared between Strategic Finance and Financial Reporting. It offers the opportunity to support both the department’s annual financial reporting responsibilities and its in-year financial reporting and budgetary management, giving the post holder a broad understanding of how HM Treasury manages, monitors and reports its finances. The breadth of the role provides a unique opportunity to gain experience across different aspects of financial reporting and forecasting in a fast-paced central government environment.

The annual report and accounts are central to financial accountability in the public sector. You will support the production of the department’s annual report and accounts, including consolidation of its arm’s-length bodies and liaison with external auditors. You will also play a key role in the ongoing management and maintenance of the Group’s consolidation system, ensuring it is embedded effectively into business-as-usual reporting and remains robust and fit for purpose.

Alongside this, you will support the Strategic Finance team with in-year reporting and multi-year budgetary management. This will include supporting the preparation of management information and forecasts for a range of stakeholders, advising budget holders on the setting and management of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) budgets, and contributing to wider strategic finance activities, including the Estimates process through which Parliament approves departmental budgets, and Spending Reviews.

Key accountabilities for this role include:

• Support the interim and year-end preparation of HM Treasury Group’s annual report and accounts, including determining and applying accounting policies and valuation techniques to deliver accurate and high-quality financial reporting. Coordinating evidence and responses to resolve audit queries from the National Audit Office.
• Support effective budgetary management of Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) by monitoring budgets and forecasts through monthly management accounts for the consolidated Group, and providing financial information and advice to budget holders to support decision making.
• Support the management and maintenance of the Group’s Oracle consolidation system and associated processes and controls for both HM Treasury Group’s annual report and accounts and Whole of Government Accounts submission. Also providing support for and review of arm’s length body consolidation returns.
• Prepare and maintain high-quality financial and budgetary information for the departmental group, including regular reporting to central teams and support for budgetary processes, while identifying opportunities to strengthen controls and improve reporting processes and systems.
• Build effective relationships with Strategic Finance, Financial Reporting, Spending Team, policy teams and finance colleagues in arm’s-length bodies, providing accounting and budgetary advice and supporting colleagues to understand financial information and requirements.
• Support wider financial control and reporting activity, including quarterly VAT returns, central finance data returns and ad-hoc work to improve accounting models, systems, balance sheet management, processes and controls.

Qualifications Required

Qualified Accountant with a recognised CCAB body - You will need to provide evidence of this qualification if you are invited to interview.

About You

We want you to demonstrate your experience of using financial systems and analysing complex data to produce accurate, insightful financial reporting that supports effective decision-making. You will have the ability to apply accounting and budgeting principles, including International Financial Reporting Standards, and communicate complex financial information clearly to a range of audiences. We would also like you to be able to build strong relationships across teams and organisations, while identifying opportunities to improve financial processes, reporting and systems through innovation, including AI and automation.

Some of the Benefits our people love!

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King’s birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing employees to take up to an additional 2 days off each month.
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours)
• Generous parental and adoption leave packages
• Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions of 28%
• Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity

For more information about the role and how to apply, please follow the apply link.