Chief Accountant
Sandwell Council is partnering with Robertson Bell in the recruitment of a Chief Accountant on a permanent basis. This is a senior leadership role within Finance, responsible for the stewardship of the Council’s financial integrity, statutory reporting, financial control environment and technical accounting functions. The postholder will play a critical role in supporting the Deputy Section 151 Officer and ensuring the highest professional standards across the authority.
The organisation:
Sandwell is a metropolitan borough in the Black Country, made up of six towns – Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Smethwick, Tipton, Wednesbury and West Bromwich.
Located in the West Midlands, Sandwell borders Birmingham city, Dudley borough, Walsall borough and Wolverhampton city. The borough has excellent access to the national motorway network with five junctions feeding in to the M5 and M6 motorways serving the South West, South East and North West regions of the UK.
Sandwell also benefits from a mainline train station – Sandwell and Dudley and the Midland Metro. The borough has 1,200 hectares of parks, playing fields and local green space, and over 30 miles of canals.
Sandwell Council is on a powerful journey of improvement and transformation. Having become the fastest council ever to exit intervention, and shortlisted for Most Improved Council at the 2025 LGC Awards, they are proud of the progress they’re making and the direction they’re heading.
The Finance team is growing and ambitious, with a strong focus on learning and development, supporting colleagues to build rewarding careers while helping shape outstanding public services. As they work towards becoming a CIPFA-accredited employer, this is an exciting time to join a team that values talent, invests in people, and is committed to excellence.
The role:
Reporting to the Service Director – Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer), the Chief Accountant will have overall responsibility for the Council’s core financial accounting, financial planning and treasury management functions. Key responsibilities include:
- Provide professional leadership of the Financial Accounting, Financial Planning and Treasury Management teams, ensuring a strong culture of governance, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Act as the Council’s primary expert on financial accounting regulations, advising the Deputy Section 151 Officer and Section 151 Officer on statutory requirements, changes in legislation and accounting standards.
- Lead on the planning, coordination and delivery of the annual Statement of Accounts, ensuring robust and timely closure of accounts.
- Ensure compliance with all statutory, regulatory and professional requirements, including taxation, VAT, CIPFA Codes of Practice and relevant financial legislation.
- Oversee the Council’s system of financial controls, ensuring effective reconciliations, strong balance sheet management and compliance with financial regulations across the authority.
- Lead on the development and delivery of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy and associated strategies, including Treasury Management, Investment and Capital Financing strategies.
- Act as the day-to-day lead contact with external auditors, managing relationships and ensuring effective resolution of audit matters.
- Drive improvements in financial systems, processes and reporting capability, ensuring systems are fit for purpose and support effective decision making.
The successful candidate will have:
- A full CCAB (or equivalent) accountancy qualification.
- Significant experience in senior financial management within local government.
- Strong technical expertise in financial accounting, statutory reporting, treasury management and financial controls.
- Experience of leading the closure of accounts and managing relationships with external auditors.
- A collaborative leadership style with the ability to motivate, develop and inspire high-performing teams.
- A strong commitment to public service values, governance and continuous improvement.
The closing date for applications is the 25th January, with interviews due to take place the week commencing the 2nd of February. Applications will be under continuous review before the closing date, so please submit your CV to our exclusive search agent Robertson Bell as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
