Head of Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer)

Job title: Head of Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer)

Location: Service Headquarters, Tovil, Maidstone (hybrid working, but may be required to travel occasionally within the county)

Hours: Full time – 37 Hours per week

Pension: Automatic membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme – career average pension scheme with 16.5% employer contribution

Holidays: In addition to bank/ public holidays you will receive 31 days holiday

Base salary: Grade 12 - £82,320 - £96,170

Being a part of Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Everyone is unique. Everyone has value. Everyone helps to make Kent Fire and Rescue Service a great place to work. We are one team. Together with our customers we are creating a safer future for Kent and Medway.

Being a Head of Finance

As the Head of Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer, you will bring strong visible leadership to a modern, customer-focused finance function, holding a pivotal role on the Strategic Leadership Board in supporting delivery of our strategic vision and Community Risk Management Plan.

Reporting to the Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer), you will drive high-performance in leading the Finance Team in the seamless delivery of the Authority’s financial and accounting activities. You will bring professional expertise providing strategic advice and operational oversight to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Authority and to ensure rigorous compliance with regulations, legislation, and the Authority’s statutory responsibilities.

What you’ll do

• Provide visible leadership to an efficient and high-performing finance function.
• Lead on the development of the Authority’s key financial strategies.
• Lead the end-to-end year-end closedown and publication of the Authority’s Financial Statements and Annual Governance Statement.
• Manage contracts and liaison with internal and external audit, treasury and tax advisors, banking and insurance providers, and property and pension scheme valuers.
• Provide strategic and technical expertise on accounting and financial management issues, such as investments and capital accounting.
• Draft financial reports and present to the Fire Authority and Audit and Governance Committee.

What you’ll bring

• Fully qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant.
• Technical excellence with a mastery of CIPFA Codes, Treasury Management, Capital Accounting and the complexities of the Prudential Code.
• Visible leadership with a track record of empowering diverse teams and fostering a culture of high performance and inclusion.
• Strategic vision with a proven ability to develop 10-year Capital Strategies and Medium-Term Financial Plans that ensure long-term sustainability.
• Accountability with experience leading end-to-end year-end closedowns and securing unqualified audit opinions for complex public bodies.
• Political acumen with the confidence to present complex financial data to the Fire Authority and Audit & Governance Committee.
• Ethical integrity with a relentless commitment to the Code of Ethical Conduct and promoting equality and diversity.

How to apply

Please complete an an online application and CV by midnight on 22 March 2026. Access the online application via the following link:

https://ce0013li.webitrent.com/ce0013li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/etrec179…

Interviews will take place w/c 30 March.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy upon receiving a sufficient number of applications. If you are interested in this role we recommend that you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We know that great minds don’t think alike, so we rely on diverse thoughts, feelings, beliefs and backgrounds to create the best working environment that we can possibly offer.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service, its employees and volunteers, are committed to safeguarding, protecting and supporting children, young people and adults at risk. As part of our safer recruitment process, we will undertake pre-employment checks to verify your suitability for the role. These checks will include your references and a standard or enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Enhanced DBS check with barred lists are carried out for roles with direct and unsupervised access to children, young people and adults at risk. Risk assessments will be undertaken on any disclosures identified as part of the pre-employment checks.

As a Public Sector organisation with added responsibilities under the Equality Act, 2010 the candidate must demonstrate an understanding of what is meant by Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and how this fits in with their everyday work.