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Service Accountant

Job reference: CSDA0236

Salary: £35,412 to £48,226 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. Salary is subject to the 2026 pay award.
Permanent – full time, 37 hours per week
Working style: hybrid working – Working at home and the Town Hall, Weston-super-Mare.
Closing date: 23 August 2026
Interview date: TBC

About us

Are you ready to take the next step in your finance career?

We have an exciting opportunity to join North Somerset Council’s Finance Service as a Service Accountant. This is a permanent, career-graded role offering progression from Level 7 to Level 9, depending on qualifications, experience and professional development.

The role is ideal for experienced local government finance professionals, or newly qualified accountants with strong finance experience, who want to broaden their skills, influence decision-making and support high-quality public services.

You will join a supportive and ambitious finance team that works closely with services across the council, providing financial advice, challenge, monitoring, forecasting and reporting. This is an opportunity to develop your career while helping the council make informed financial decisions for residents and communities.

About the role

This role will support two directorates, Corporate Services and Healthy & Sustainable Communities, providing business partnering support, financial advice and constructive challenge to service managers and budget holders.

You will help services understand their financial position, manage risks, improve forecasting and make informed decisions. The role includes budget monitoring, forecasting, final accounts, medium-term financial planning, financial reporting and support for savings and investment proposals.

This is a varied role for someone who enjoys working with people, building relationships and using financial information to support better decision-making.

What you will be doing

You will:

• provide financial advice, support and challenge to budget holders, service managers, project managers and senior finance colleagues
• support budget monitoring, forecasting, reporting and final accounts
• help managers understand financial performance, risks and future financial implications
• prepare financial information, working papers, reports, returns and grant claims
• use financial and non-financial data to explain trends, variances and service pressures
• support strong financial governance, compliance and best practice
• contribute to improvements in forecasting, reporting, systems and processes
• work collaboratively across the finance service and supported service areas.

About you

You may already be working in local government finance, or you may be a finance professional who has started your accountancy journey and is ready for the next step. What matters most is that you are motivated, curious, organised and keen to make a positive difference through the work you do.

We are looking for people who enjoy working with others, building strong relationships and using financial information to support good decisions. You will be confident working with numbers, able to explain financial information clearly, and willing to provide constructive challenge in a positive and professional way.

You do not need to know everything from day one. We are looking for people with the right attitude, a strong work ethic and the ambition to keep developing as part of a professional and supportive finance team.

You will bring:

• experience of working in a finance environment, ideally within local government;
• a good understanding of budget monitoring, forecasting, reporting or final accounts processes;
• confidence in working with managers, budget holders, project leads or other stakeholders;
• strong analytical skills and attention to detail;
• the ability to communicate clearly with finance and non-finance colleagues;
• a positive, proactive approach to improvement, change and problem-solving;
• the ability to manage deadlines and prioritise work effectively in a hybrid working environment.

We welcome applications from candidates at different stages of their professional journey. This may include AAT-qualified, part-qualified, newly qualified or fully qualified accountants, depending on experience and the level applied for.

The role offers:

• clear career progression
• the chance to build both technical finance and business partnering skills
• varied and meaningful work supporting two directorates
• support from experienced finance professionals
• exposure to budget monitoring, forecasting, financial planning, final accounts, governance and reporting
• the opportunity to provide advice and challenge that improves financial decision-making
• flexible working as part of a modern, supportive and connected team
• the chance to contribute to public services that make a real difference to local people.

Work style

You can expect to work mainly from home, with around one to two days per month in the office at Weston-super-Mare, as well as attending meetings or focused work sessions where required. During induction, more office time may be helpful to support learning and development.

What we offer

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment, including:

• competitive salary and benefits;
• flexible working arrangements;
• Local Government Pension Scheme;
• professional development and learning opportunities;
• 27 days annual leave, rising to 32 days after five years’ service;
• option to purchase additional annual leave;
• wellbeing support;
• inclusive staff groups;
• salary sacrifice, Cycle to Work, and Electric Vehicle schemes.

For an informal discussion email Mark Anderson, Finance Business Partner (Corporate) mark.anderson@n-somerset.gov.uk or Magdeline Price, Senior/Principal Accountant magdeline.price@n-somerset.gov.uk

To apply, visit:

https://itrent.n-somerset.gov.uk/ce0985li_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC179GF.open?WVID=385762Qh12

Closing date: 11.59pm Sunday 23 August 2026
Interview date: TBC