Details:
- Salary: £600 - 700 - Day
- Job Type: Contract
- Job Status: Full-Time
- Salary Per: Day
- Location: London
- Date: 5 days ago
Description:
INTERIM HEAD OF FINANCE: CLOSE DOWN / DEPUTY CHIEF ACCOUNTANT /
* Local Authority | Hybrid Working
* Immediate Start
* Initial Contract with Potential Extension
* Excellent Daily Rate
Morgan Law is supporting a local authority client seeking an experienced and highly hands-on finance professional to help lead a complex financial reporting and audit programme.
This is a critical assignment requiring someone who can quickly take ownership of external audit relationships, drive year-end accounts production and help navigate multiple years of audit activity.
Key responsibilities include:
* Managing the external audit process end-to-end, including requests, evidence gathering and stakeholder coordination
* Liaising with auditors across:
Current year audit (2025/26)
Historical audit backlog (2021/22 to 2024/25)
Value for Money (VfM) audits* Preparing and posting audit adjustments across the general ledger, CIES, MiRS, reserves and balance sheet areas
* Updating and finalising the Statement of Accounts, including primary statements and disclosures
* Leading year-end closedown activities and coordinating deadlines across the wider finance team
*Managing and developing a small team, including graduate trainees and a Principal Finance Officer
* Strengthening working papers and ensuring audit-ready financial reporting throughout
We are keen to speak with candidates who have operated as:
* Chief Accountant
* Deputy Chief Accountant
* Technical Accountant
* Head of Technical Accounting
* Financial Reporting Manager
* Corporate Accounting Manager
Essential experience:
* Strong local government finance background
* Extensive Statement of Accounts experience
* Detailed knowledge of CIPFA Code, IFRS, CIES, MiRS and reserves accounting
* Significant experience managing external audit relationships
* Experience dealing with audit backlogs and complex year-end processes
* Hands-on delivery approach rather than purely strategic oversight
If you're interested, or know someone who may be suitable, please get in touch for a confidential discussion, messaging me at (url removed)