Senior Accountant in Newcastle upon Tyne

Location: The role is agile based between home and Forth Banks Police Station in Newcastle City Centre.

Hours/Contract: 12 month fixed term / secondment, full time working 37 hours per week.

Working for #TeamNP. Our purpose at Team NP is simple: to keep people safe and to fight crime. But it takes more than officers alone to do the job – and that’s where our 2,000-strong team of police staff and 200 volunteers come in.

As one of the largest police forces in England we have a huge variety of departments and specialisms offering you endless opportunities. From mentoring and coaching schemes and online soft skills courses to leadership development programmes; we’ll give you the support, training and time to carve out the career you always wanted.

As one of the top 50 UK inclusive employers and a disability confident employer, we promote a culture of respect in the workplace so everyone can feel seen, heard and valued. Whether you’re a member of staff or a volunteer, you can also expect first-rate support to manage your health and wellbeing. With year-round events, a 24/7 welfare support hotline and a leading approach to neurodiversity, our initiatives enable you to be at your best.

Above all else, here at Team NP, we can offer you a career that is so much more than just a job, it’s a chance to be part of something that really matters.

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively. This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Finance Department as a Senior Accountant.

If you’re an experienced qualified accountant and you’re looking for a role where your skills can really make a difference to more than just the bottom line, this could be the job for you.

We are looking to recruit into a Senior Accountant role to cover a vacancy within the Finance Department. This is an exciting opportunity to join our existing team of finance professionals, gain knowledge and exposure to a wide range of finance and accountancy areas within a dynamic public sector organisation.

As a Senior Accountant with Northumbria Police your role will involve assisting with statutory accounts preparation, balance sheet reconciliation, budget management, treasury management tasks, supporting internal and external audit processes.

What you’ll do:

• Provide support to the Finance Lead to ensure the delivery of a responsive, effective and accurate financial management service across the Force, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and identified partnerships.
• Advise senior managers to support decision-making and strategic planning.
• Maintain professional knowledge and ensure compliance with Home Office and CIPFA Codes of Practice.
• Support the Finance Lead in the preparation of the Annual Statements of Account and Annual Governance Statements for the Chief Constable, Police & Crime Commissioner and Group in line with statutory deadlines, including the completion of Whole of Government Accounts (WGA).
• Support the Finance Lead in the delivery and management of the finance business plan.
• Liaison with Heads of Department and reporting to Chief Officers as appropriate in order to support senior management decision-making.
• Manage the delivery of the Force financial performance information, forecasts and reports to the Finance Lead and senior management, for both revenue and capital budgets.
• Provide quality assurance to ensure the accuracy of financial information, engaging with stakeholders to ensure that financial data and projections are prudent, achievable and robust.
• Hold a professional finance qualification – CCAB, CIMA or overseas equivalent with significant post qualification experience in a large complex organisation.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of financial planning and budget management.
• Strong communication skills, both verbally and written.
• Ability to plan effectively; to manage the delivery of assigned tasks and objectives, setting appropriate deadlines.
• Experience of effectively managing a team.
• Technically competent in the use of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Experience of using finance IT systems.

We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.

What we offer:

• 26 days’ leave (increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service) plus 8 bank holidays.
• NHS Fleet Solutions Car Lease Scheme.
• Enhanced maternity, shared parental and adoption leave.
• Flexi time – allowing you to fit your working hours around your individual needs.
• Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours).
• Fantastic market‑leading public sector pension scheme with up to 16% employer contribution.
• Corporate travel schemes – local rail, bus services and metro discounts.
• Access to private healthcare and eye test vouchers.
• Discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card and Blue Light Tickets.
• Extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on‑site, an employee advice service for additional support.
• Access to gyms in some stations.
• Sports & Social Club – join our thriving sports scene at Team NP and enjoy further exclusive discounts on days out and travel.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Opportunity to volunteer in the local community.

Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role of a Senior Accountant with #TeamNP. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute.

The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by an assessment and interview. You can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, with whom we collaborate to improve the lives of disabled employees. We are also a Disability Confident Employer, therefore if you demonstrate that you meet the minimum criteria for this role as stated in the advert, we will progress your application and offer you an interview.

If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter). You can get in touch with us via careers@northumbria.police.uk for any support regarding the application process.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Management Clearance (MC) and Security Clearance (SC) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance and medical information.

This is a fixed term / secondment role subject to a six-month probationary period. If you are successful in your application, you will have a 6 month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally.

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.