Senior Accountant l Capital and Strategic Projects l Financial Management Team l Full time
Posted 3 days ago by Totaljobs
£51,356 Per year
Inside
Hybrid
North West; Manchester; Liverpool; Bolton; Warrington; Preston; Chester; Blackpool; Oldham; Wigan; Carlisle
Summary: The Senior Accountant for Capital and Strategic Projects at Lancashire County Council is a pivotal role within the Financial Management Team, focusing on managing capital programme budgets and supporting strategic projects. The position requires a dynamic individual with strong financial expertise, capable of making decisive recommendations while fostering collaborative relationships. The role involves advising on funding priorities and engaging in challenging discussions with senior management to ensure effective resource allocation. This opportunity promises a stimulating work environment with significant impact on community services and operational success.
Key Responsibilities:
- Manage Capital Programme budgets and support Strategic Projects within the council.
- Report findings to Heads of Service, Directors, and External Boards.
- Advise services on funding prioritization and allocation, engaging in challenging conversations with budget holders.
- Handle ad hoc queries and ensure swift and competent responses to requests.
- Build strong working relationships with senior colleagues and team members.
- Provide practical financial advice to service areas within the council.
Key Skills:
- Extensive experience in financial management and accounting.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to make assertive and decisive recommendations.
- Resilience and tact in presenting to senior colleagues.
- Proficiency in managing budgets and financial resources.
- Capability to prioritize effectively and manage a team.
Salary (Rate): £51,356 yearly
City: Preston
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: hybrid
IR35 Status: inside IR35
Seniority Level: Senior
Industry: Finance
Salary £46,142 - £51,356 per annum l Permanent l Full time, 37 hours per week l Financial Management Team
International Sponsorship – this role is not open to international sponsorship
Senior Accountant – Capital and Strategic Projects
Financial Management
Preston, Lancashire (with remote/home working too!)
£46,142 – £51,356 (Grade 10) We are currently recruiting…
A dynamic and innovative Senior Accountant – Capital and Strategic Projects to work within Financial Management at Lancashire County Council.
Are you an outstanding Accountant with an abundance of experience and knowledge in the world of finance?
Can you be assertive and decisive whilst remaining approachable and inspirational towards your colleagues?
If so, this role is sure to interest you and it is the perfect opportunity to enhance your career, by getting involved in crucial decision making and getting your voice and opinions heard. We want someone who is ready to tackle financial challenges, providing saliant, practical advice to service areas within the council. You will be managing a team of experts and know exactly how to harness and utilise the talents within your team in the most effective way possible. This role is stimulating and fast paced, so we need professionals who are ready for a challenge representing the views of the service. With your determination and dedication, you will help us to achieve our goals, allowing services to flourish and continue to remain operational
What we are looking for…
Resilience – you will be tasked with reporting findings and details to the Heads of Service, Directors and External Boards, therefore your resilient and tactful persona will be a key element to these meetings – we want you to be persistent and confident when presenting to your senior colleagues with a firm but respectful approach – you will have the ability to build strong, lasting working relationships with your seniors and team, but not afraid to make tough decisions when necessary – you will be responsible for the Capital Programme budgets across the County Council and also support Strategic Projects that the council is involved in. It will be your responsibility to decipher where funds are allocated and work with the service to determine where they are needed the most, and work with senior colleagues to support and develop strategic projects.
Challenge – within the current climate finances are restricted and it is not always possible to provide funding for every single requirement – you will be expected to advise and work with the service to enable them to prioritise, make decisions and allocate where funding is needed the most, which can involve challenging conversations with budget holders and Senior Managers across the service and externally – this is why we need you to be persuasive and unwavering in these discussions, getting your point across and taking advantage of your excellent communication skills – you will have the ability to prioritise effectively, paying equal attention to the day to day management of your team as well as helping services to deliver what they need
Service Excellence – this role is an exciting mixture of managing the budget and getting involved and influencing strategic projects across the county council. The role will be dealing with ad hoc queries that can present themselves at any given moment – you will be reactive and proactive when faced with random ad hoc requests, ensuring they are dealt with swiftly and competently – the best part of your job will be seeing the outcomes your advice and direction has achieved within the community, allowing services to make the changes they want to happen – there is so much activity happening and no two days are the same, so this is the ideal chance to push your limits and professionally add real value to the organisation
Why join us…
Benefits: There's fabulous flexibility and the opportunity to create the work life balance you'll love with up to 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, 2 additional days at Christmas and then an additional 20 days that can be purchased too – we have a generous Local Government pension with shared AVC's available then a benefits package which has everything from dog care to day care, holidays at home or abroad, long service awards, Medicash, support groups, cycle to work schemes and eye tests plus much more
Development: you'll get support and development along the journey – there will be time for supportive reflection and supervision for yourself, opportunities for personal growth and development, multidisciplinary initiatives, mentoring, the opportunity to make a difference, feel valued and achieve the job satisfaction you've always wanted
Inclusivity: we don't have a "one size fits all" idealism, we embrace diversity and that includes around personal and family requirements so appreciate that you'll want to be working from home when you can, your hours may vary or change and for us – delivering successful outcomes is more important than watching the clock
How to apply…
Please feel free to contact us for an initial informal and confidential chat:
Lauren Bradley (Principal Accountant) on 01772 535953 or Kate Lee (Head of Service) on 01772 531733
Please ensure you have uploaded and attached your supporting statement to evidence how you meet the criteria for the role. The panel may be unable to shortlist you for interview without this evidence.
Closing Date: 21 st May 2026 Interviews: 5 th June 2026 (provisional)
In return Lancashire County Council offers a range of benefits, which can be found on LCC Vacancies website.
We reserve the right to close down a vacancy early, before the closing date, if we receive sufficient applications.
Job Description and Person Specification