Principal Management/ Financial Accountant (G12)
Description du poste
Texte original importé depuis Reed
Principal Management / Financial Accountant – Dedicated Schools Grant & Maintained Schools (Wakefield)
In this role, you will support Group Finance Managers in developing the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, considering expected government funding, income projections, and financial pressures from demand, inflation, and legislative change.
Working with the Group Finance Manager, you will help ensure strong financial governance, effective administration, and optimal use of Council resources.
Key responsibilities include working with finance and operational teams to prepare revenue and capital budgets and Final Accounts, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and best practice. You will maintain robust, auditable systems and processes to demonstrate adherence to financial policies.
You will support budget management by providing timely financial information for analysis, forecasting, and strategic planning, and offer professional advice on service delivery, policy changes, and financial implications.
The role includes attending meetings and working groups, ensuring accurate and timely grant claims, and providing financial returns to external bodies including Central Government, CIPFA, and the Department for Education.
You will deputise for the Group Finance Manager when required, attending senior meetings and budget reviews.
A key focus is financial oversight of maintained schools in Wakefield, including management and reporting of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), with updates to Schools Forum and the DfE.
Role Overview
Reporting to senior finance leadership, you will manage a small team and oversee a portfolio of maintained schools, including line management of school finance professionals.
Key Responsibilities
Lead financial management for maintained schools
Manage and develop a team of finance staff
Ensure effective budget monitoring, reporting, and governance
Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG)
Manage and monitor the DSG, particularly the High Needs Block, which is subject to reform and increased scrutiny. Relevant experience in DSG or education finance is essential.
Deputising & Stakeholder Engagement
Act as deputy to senior finance leaders
Attend and contribute to senior meetings
Work with stakeholders to support service delivery
Qualifications & Experience
Ideally CCAB qualified (or equivalent)
Experience in local government finance or education funding preferred
Private sector candidates considered with relevant knowledge
Compliance & Working Arrangements
No enhanced DBS required
Occasional accompanied site visits
Job Details
Contract: Fixed-term with potential extension
Working Pattern: Hybrid (typically 2 office / 3 remote) with some flexibility
Candidate Profile
Strong background in education finance, DSG, or SEND
Experience managing financial pressures and recovery plans
Ability to influence senior stakeholders
Proven leadership and team management skills
Compétences clés extraites
Notre IA a analysé l'offre pour identifier les compétences attendues.
Nos conseils pour postuler
5 recommandations générées par notre IA pour maximiser vos chances.
⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with explicit DSG and High Needs Block experience, as the advert flags these as the primary focus and states 'relevant experience in DSG or education finance is essential'.
📊 Quantify your budget management experience: e.g. 'Managed £14M DSG allocation across 22 maintained schools, reducing High Needs Block overspend by 12% in 2023/24'.
🎯 Highlight your CCAB qualification (or equivalent) prominently in your credentials section — the advert lists this as the ideal qualification and it signals credibility to the hiring panel.
🤝 Include a specific example of deputising for a senior finance leader or presenting at a senior meeting (e.g. Schools Forum, Cabinet, or equivalent), as the role explicitly requires this capability.
🌐 Demonstrate local government or public sector compliance experience — reference statutory returns to CIPFA, DfE, or Central Government to show familiarity with the reporting landscape described in the advert.
Bullets CV suggérés
3 bullets générés par notre IA pour cette offre, alignés sur ses mots-clés ATS.
Ajoutez ces 3 bullets sous votre expérience la plus récente :
- •Managed a £16M Dedicated Schools Grant across 18 maintained schools, producing quarterly High Needs Block monitoring reports for Schools Forum and submitting annual returns to the DfE within statutory deadlines.
- •Led a team of 4 school finance officers through a DSG recovery plan, reducing a cumulative High Needs deficit by £1.1M over two financial years through targeted budget controls and demand modelling.
- •Deputised for the Group Finance Manager at 12 senior budget review meetings annually, presenting Medium Term Financial Strategy updates and securing Cabinet approval for a £3.2M capital reallocation.
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Votre lettre de motivation est prête
Nous avons rédigé une lettre pour Reed. Découvrez l'ouverture, puis débloquez la version complète personnalisée.
Aperçu — adapté à Reed
Dear Hiring Manager,
Wakefield Council's requirement for a Principal Management Accountant with hands-on Dedicated Schools Grant expertise and High Needs Block oversight is precisely the specialism I have built my career around — which is why I am applying through Reed for this fixed-term opportunity. My experience spans DSG management, DfE financial returns, and statutory compliance within a local government framework, giving me the technical grounding this role demands from day one.
My background in education finance includes preparing revenue and capital budgets for a portfolio of maintained schools, producing CIPFA returns, and presenting financial updates to senior stakeholders including Schools Forum. I have managed teams of school finance professionals and deputised for senior finance leaders at budget review meetings, ensuring continuity of governance during periods of significant financial pressure.
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Questions probables d'entretien
10 questions générées à partir de cette offre.
Techniques
- ›How have you managed and monitored a Dedicated Schools Grant allocation, and what controls did you put in place for the High Needs Block?
- ›Walk us through your process for preparing revenue and capital budgets for maintained schools in compliance with statutory requirements.
- ›What experience do you have producing financial returns for external bodies such as CIPFA or the Department for Education?
- ›How have you developed or contributed to a Medium Term Financial Strategy in a local government or education finance context?
- ›Describe the auditable systems and processes you have implemented to demonstrate adherence to financial policies.
Comportementales
- ›Tell me about a time you had to manage significant financial pressures — such as demand growth or inflation — and how you developed a recovery plan.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to influence a senior stakeholder who was resistant to a financial recommendation you were making.
- ›Give an example of when you deputised for a senior finance leader at a high-profile meeting. How did you prepare and what was the outcome?
- ›Tell me about a time you led a team through a period of increased scrutiny or regulatory change. How did you maintain performance and morale?
- ›Describe a situation where you identified a compliance risk in a financial process. What steps did you take to resolve it?
Exemples de réponses STAR
Réponses modèles avec la méthode Situation-Tâche-Action-Résultat. À adapter à votre vécu.
Tell me about a time you had to manage significant financial pressures — such as demand growth or inflation — and how you developed a recovery plan.
Describe a situation where you had to influence a senior stakeholder who was resistant to a financial recommendation you were making.