A UK Local Authority is looking for an experienced Transformation Programme Project Accountant to support a major council-wide transformation portfolio.

This is a strong opportunity for a qualified local government finance professional who is comfortable working across transformation, benefits realisation, business cases, financial modelling and board-level reporting. The role sits within the Transformation Programme, reporting into senior finance leadership with a dotted line into transformation, and will play a central role in defining, tracking and challenging the financial benefits across a broad programme portfolio.

You will be working across a wide range of transformation activity, supporting project leads, Finance Business Partners and senior stakeholders to build robust financial baselines, track delivery against forecast, understand variances, and provide clear reporting to Programme Boards and the Transformation Board. This is a role for someone who can combine technical finance capability with credibility, curiosity and the confidence to challenge constructively.

The role will include:

* Leading the benefits realisation reporting across the Council's Transformation Portfolio

* Supporting project leads at business case stage to build clear financial baselines

* Tracking financial benefits against agreed plans and milestones

* Producing monthly reporting for Programme Boards and Transformation Board

* Analysing forecast versus actual variances, risks, issues and mitigations

* Supporting budget managers with financial advice across transformation activity

* Monitoring direct programme costs and expenditure

* Carrying out scenario modelling and assessing the financial impact of service change

* Strengthening financial controls, reporting processes and consistency across the portfolio

We are looking for someone who brings:

* Qualified accountant status

* At least 3 years' local government finance experience

* Strong budgetary control and financial management experience

* Finance Business Partnering experience

* Experience in a project or programme environment

* Strong project accounting and benefits realisation capability

* Confidence working with senior managers and elected Members

* Strong Excel and reporting capability

* The ability to turn detailed financial information into clear, usable insight for non-finance stakeholders

* A proactive, credible and detail-focused approach

This role will suit someone who has operated in complex council environments and enjoys sitting at the point where finance, transformation and delivery meet. It is not a back-office reporting role. The successful candidate will need to get into the detail, understand what is driving financial performance across projects, and help the organisation maintain grip on savings, costs, risks and delivery.

Contract details:

* Outside IR35

* 6 months initially

* Up to £650 per day

* Hybrid working with 2 days office attendance required each month

If you have the local government finance background, transformation exposure and benefits realisation experience to add value quickly, this is well worth a conversation