Key responsibilities
* Deliver allocated elements of the year-end closedown timetable.
* Prepare accounting entries, reconciliations and supporting working papers.
* Produce or review relevant notes and disclosures for the Statement of Accounts.
* Complete control-account and balance-sheet reconciliations.
* Investigate and resolve historic balances, miscoding and unreconciled items.
* Review accruals, provisions, reserves and other year-end adjustments.
* Support capital, grant, Collection Fund, pensions or group-accounting workstreams where relevant.
* Ensure working papers provide a clear audit trail and meet external-audit requirements.
* Liaise with service accountants and budget holders to obtain outstanding information.
* Respond to external-audit queries and provide supporting evidence.
* Track outstanding actions, risks and dependencies against the closedown timetable.
* Apply the CIPFA Code and relevant local-authority accounting requirements.
* Recommend improvements to closedown processes, controls and documentation.
Essential experience
* Recent hands-on closedown experience within a local authority.
* Experience preparing Statement of Accounts working papers and disclosures.
* Strong understanding of the CIPFA Code and local-government accounting.
* Experience completing complex balance-sheet and control-account reconciliations.
* A successful record of responding to external-audit queries.
* Strong Excel, ledger-analysis and problem-solving skills.
* Ability to work accurately under demanding statutory deadlines.
Desirable experience
* CCAB or CIMA qualification, or substantial specialist closedown experience.
* Experience supporting delayed or challenging local-authority audits.
* Knowledge of capital accounting, Collection Fund, pensions, leases or group accounts.
* Experience with the authority’s finance system and closedown software.
* Availability to increase commitment around key reporting deadlines if required
