Finance Officer

As more eligible working parents across England gain access to government-funded childcare, this expansion is making a meaningful difference in helping families manage the cost of high-quality early years provision. As a Finance Officer, you will play a key role in supporting Early Years finance. Working under the guidance of the Transaction Manager, you will contribute to the successful delivery of this initiative by reviewing and improving existing processes to ensure efficiency. In doing so, you will help ensure the scheme runs smoothly while providing comprehensive support to childminders and childcare providers.

What you will be doing

• Ensure deadlines and timetables are adhered to, enabling timely payments from the council to early years providers, as well as providing cover for payment runs.
• Plan and coordinate a range of financial support, departmental processes and systems, to deliver accurate and timely outputs for both internal and external customers.
• Work closely with departmental colleagues to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Provide financial advice and support to key stakeholders, including working with the main accounting system (D365) and ensuring spreadsheets and payment systems are managed effectively.
• Oversee the Children’s Finance team’s payments, supporting the delivery of an effective service to the People Directorate, and providing cover for Accounts Payable payment runs.
• Manage, lead, develop and motivate the team to deliver a high-quality customer responsive and value for money service.

What we need from you

• Association of Accounting Technician qualified or working towards this qualification, or hold a minimum of five GCSEs including maths and English.
• Experience working within an organisation that delivers high-quality, cost-effective financial management and support services.
• Experience of supervising a team and preparing financial and budget information.
• Strong numeracy and literacy skills, along with the ability to produce clear reports and present information effectively.
• Experience using computerised financial systems and databases, such as Microsoft D365, CAPITA or MOSAIC.
• Ability to work on your own initiative and demonstrate clear, logical thinking when assessing challenges and solving problems.
• Strong organisational skills to effectively plan, prioritise and meet deadlines.
• Capability of reviewing and updating systems to ensure they continue to meet evolving service requirements.

What you need to know

• Your salary is pro-rata to hours worked.
• This role is hybrid, with a mixture of working at our office in Yate and from home.
• Interviews will be held week commencing 20th July 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work.
• We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives, and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance.
• We invest in the careers of our people, and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long-term difference in their work.
• Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.
• We’re positive and forward thinking, always looking for new and innovative ways of working and we’re ambitious about the future.
• We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!