Senior Financial Accountant

On behalf of Homes England, we are looking for a Senior Financial Accountant (Inside IR35) for a 10 month contract based on hybrid working with 50% office attendance at one of the Homes England office sites - Newcastle upon Tyne / Birmingham / Leeds / Manchester / Liverpool / Gillingham / Bristol / Cambridgeshire

Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency, plays a central role in tackling the housing challenges the country now faces. We have the appetite, influence, expertise, and resource to drive positive market change, and our mission is to ensure more homes are built in areas of greatest need, improve affordability and create a sustainable housing market.

Following the publication of the government's Levelling Up White Paper, Homes England has also been tasked with a core role in spearheading regeneration, partnering with places to reduce economic disparity, empower local leaders and create equal opportunities across the country to ensure communities reach their full potential.

Job purpose

The role will provide technical advice and support primarily in relation to the BIL Fund's complex transactions but also across all Agency programmes and initiatives to ensure projects are accounted for correctly, in line with FReM, CBG, HMT PES papers, MPM, IFRS and with regard to materiality and error. There will be significant responsibility to ensure the annual accounts, with a Balance Sheet in excess of £20bn, are prepared on time, to standard, are free from material misstatements and are given a clean audit opinion.

As a Senior Financial Accountant (Inside IR35), your main responsibilities will be:

Responsible for the review, analysis and assessment of complex BIL transactions through concept to contract, determining the correct accounting and budget treatment. The preparation and review of papers supporting the conclusions and the Agency's accounting processes and to present them to senior management, colleagues at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and/or the Agency's Board Committees for challenge.

Ensure that all relevant transactions are captured and valued correctly and to support this, develop and maintain effective controls relevant to the recording of transactions and manage the review of accounting treatments for the BIL fund and other new programmes, investments and approvals against IFRS and budget requirements.

To act as a delegate on behalf of the Director of Finance in Project and Programme Boards, representing the view of Finance and providing technical advice to inform strategic and operational decisions, primarily in relation to the BIL programme but also the impact upon the wider business.

To be a proactive leader within Finance, involved in discussions with Agency and DLUHC colleagues to ensure consistency of approach and ultimately to ensure that Finance can gain assurance over BIL and other supporting data supporting the Agency's accounts. Reaching out to colleagues to promote good financial practice and provide training, initiating positive change to improve financial literacy and adherence to accounting standards and practices.

A key contact for the National Audit Office (NAO) audit team in assisting with the planning of their work, dealing with any technical queries during the audit, ensuring that all recommendations following the annual audit are carried out and embedded in better ways of working including liaison with directorates where recommendations require control improvements to processes managed by their team.

Develop and maintain effective controls relevant to the recording and valuation of BIL and other financial investments, including collaboration with IT and delivery teams to develop robust systems to record, monitor and value these investments accurately for inclusion in annual accounts. Maintaining business partnering relationships with relevant delivery teams and work closely with the Finance Business Partners for BIL, Investments and Development to provide a comprehensive service to the Directorates.

Line management responsibilities, including objectives, appraisals and mentoring, supporting junior staff from all Finance sub-teams to develop within a culture which encourages innovation.

Significant contribution to Agency level monitoring of performance against budgets and long-term financial plans. Early warning of potential issues and provide analysis and challenge of financial information.

Review of new accounting standards and guidance issued by HM Treasury in the FReM and provision of guidance to other Finance teams to ensure that information is captured, recorded and reported appropriately in line with statutory and public sector accounting and budget requirements. Production of training material for the business in relation to accounting requirements or budget guidance.

Essential:
* Recognised professional accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA
* Excellent level of technical accountancy knowledge including IFRS
* Reporting standards experience
* Background of preparing accounting papers and providing technical advice
* Experience of Interpreting accounting standards
* Report writing experience
* Significant experience of year-end accounts closure process

Desirable:
* Public Sector experience
* Experienceof government accounting requirements, in particular resource accounting and budgeting

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, Homes England guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following 'this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different'.

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