Senior Capital Accountant in Chatham

The corporate accounts team is recruiting a Senior Capital Accountant. The Corporate Accounts Team operates right at the heart of Medway and provides vital support and challenge to services in managing their budgets. The team are responsible for the development of the Council's Capital Strategy and annual budgets, ensuring the budget management process is effective, supporting services to deliver and account for change, right through to supporting the preparation of the annual Statement of Accounts. This is an exciting opportunity to join a large, friendly and experienced team of local authority finance professionals. As an Accountant you will work collaboratively with other Accountants within the Corporate Accounts team to ensure consistency, achieve best practice, and support budget managers with budget monitoring, forecasting, preparation of accounts and treasury management activities.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with, and develop, budget managers to ensure that they undertake effective budget monitoring; that appropriate remedial action is considered and that forecast variances are adequately reported.
• Take a lead role with the capital aspects of the final accounts process including the capital outturn, appropriate funding arrangements, the capital additions to the Council's non-current assets and reconciliations and associated accounting treatment of capital grants and capital receipts.
• Monitor and promote compliance with the Council's financial rules, accounting codes of practice and other internal and external guidelines and regulations and provide general financial advice to members and officers to ensure sound financial control over the Council's resources.
• Contribute, as required, to the preparation of cabinet and committee reports to ensure that financial implications are properly addressed.
• Contribute, as required, to the gateway procurement process, ensuring that financial implications are properly considered.
• Be required to assist in the completion of the various capital returns, statistics or questionnaires to various outside bodies including the directorate's contribution to the COR, CER and CPR returns.

About you

• Good standard of education with a minimum of 5 GCSEs including Maths and English grades A-C/4-9 or equivalent level 2 qualifications.
• Excellent ICT skills and previous knowledge of computerised financial management systems.
• Detailed knowledge of the processes for budget preparation, budget monitoring and budgetary control, with particular emphasis on capital accounting.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in local government finance or similar environment.
• Ability to independently manage own workload and support workload management of the team, demonstrating resilience during periods of considerable pressure and difficult situations.

Interviews will be held between 2 March 2026 and 13 March 2026. If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting manager please call Samantha Felton, Finance Business Partner on 01634 331506.

Career Progression Frameworks (CPF) have been introduced for all roles at Medway Council. These frameworks provide a mechanism for employees to take ownership of their development within their post and be rewarded accordingly. The salary you will be offered will be at level A. There will be further opportunity once in post to progress from level A to B, and B to C.

When writing your application, it is important to ensure you identify your suitability against the requirements of the job profile, as this information will be used for shortlisting and may contribute to the CPF assessment. Your application may be rejected if the minimum required criteria is not met.

Further information relating to the requirements for this role can be found in the CPF Guidance document attached.

Job profile levels

The person specification of a job profile is split into three levels:

• Level A details the essential criteria that all applicants must be able to demonstrate through their application and interview.
• Level B details the developed competencies that an individual who is practised in this role would be able to demonstrate and will be a progression of knowledge, experience and skills from level A.
• Level C requires the highest level of competence and applicants would need to fully meet and demonstrate all aspects of the job profile, including qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience.

Finance are seeking a Senior Capital Accountant to join the team at level A. This is the entry point of the role, so you will need to be able to demonstrate the relevant knowledge, experience and skills to get you started, but you will be supported to develop in your role through induction, probation and a supportive Performance Appraisal and Career Conversation. All elements of level A listed within the person specification are essential.

Through your induction you will be introduced to the Career Progression Framework (CPF), which will help you to identify your areas of strength and any development needs.

Important Information

Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job profile. For further information, and for details of the benefits of working for Medway Council, please refer to the Medway information pack available as a download or to view online. Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.

Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support. We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

Salary £44,246 per year