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  4. Accountant Children's Services Dorchester 2024
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Are you seeking an accountancy role with a difference? Then be part of Dorset Council’s finance team, and you’ll be valued and supported throughout your career.

The role

We are seeking an individual to work closely with our exceptional Children’s Services colleagues, providing outstanding financial support, to make sure every child thrives. You will be working in partnership to maintain, manage, and develop a model that ensures a child’s needs are met and the financial impact is understood.

Dorset Council, like many other authorities, is experiencing financial pressure to support our children and young people with SEND. We require an individual who wants to make a difference, who can work with passionate colleagues, who can work in an ever-changing, fast-paced, and demanding environment, and who can apply method and logic in this situation.

What you can expect to be doing

  • the maintenance and development of a High Needs Block (HNB) model that seeks to identify a future breakeven year and the cumulative deficit at that point
  • adding new assumptions and ideas into the model as instructed
  • the production of Department for Education returns
  • producing regular summaries of the model and assumptions underpinning the model for various stakeholders, internal and external
  • being able to present the model and the assumptions underpinning the model for various stakeholders, internal and external
  • modelling and forecasting for High Needs Block interventions and strategies. This will require close working relationships with colleagues
  • supporting the development of top ups and sustainable and fair funding for settings
  • analysing and interpreting financial data and assessing the impact on the model, working closely colleagues in Children’s Finance
  • forecasting future year HNB allocations and impacts within the model
  • monitoring, reviewing, and updating assumptions concerning inflation and other price changes
  • working with finance colleagues from other LAs to enhance experience, understanding and share best practice
  • any other duties or activities required to support Dorset Council or Dedicated Schools Grant budgets

About you

The post holder will have full membership of the Association of Accounting Technicians (or an equivalent degree/qualification) and can demonstrate the following:

  • excellent interpersonal skills
  • ability to work with conflicting demands, priorities and timescales. You will need to be robust
  • excellent influencing and negotiating skills
  • excellent numeracy and literacy skills, including modelling complex scenarios
  • detailed knowledge of computerised business applications especially accounting systems and spreadsheets and how they support the financial management requirements of the specific service area(s)
  • a commitment to CPD
  • understanding of the links between the work of the finance function and other support services
  • ability to communicate financial matters effectively to operational managers and other interested parties

Further Information

For further information about this role please contact Hannah Chapple (hannah.chapple@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk) or Lee House (lee.house@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk).

This post requires some travel requirement. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

This post requires you to have access to sensitive information. It will be subject to a Basic Criminal Records Check. 

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We offer an interview to everyone who declares a disability and meets the essential criteria for the role.

We are keen to make our interviews accessible. Let us know on your job application if you have a disability and need any reasonable adjustments.

We also look for applicants who share our commitment to our behaviours. We will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the selection process.

We use generic job descriptions and person specifications. This means the job title on any attachments may differ from the job title in the advert. We may provide specific information in a context statement if relevant.