Positive Employment is currently recruiting for a Transition Accountant for our client a government organisation in Somerset.
The successful post holder will support a major transition as the organisation prepares to merge with another’s In-House Housing Management team to create a single 10,000 home operating model with effect from 1 September 2026.
This fixed-term role will play a key part in ensuring financial readiness for go-live. They will support the design and implementation of financial systems, chart of accounts, budget structures and control processes while working closely with colleagues across both organisations.
They will also support finance cutover planning, establish reporting arrangements for budget holders and help stabilise finance operations post-transition.
This role is a fixed-term contract for 6 months. Hybrid working - or could be fully remote.
Duties and Responsibilities but not limited to:
*Lead finance transition planning, ensuring all finance-related activities required for go-live are identified, sequenced and delivered.
*Define and manage finance cutover arrangements, including treatment of accruals, prepayments, provisions, opening balances and straddling transactions.
*Support preparation and validation of opening balances for the new operating model.
*Develop and maintain a finance transition risk register and mitigation plan.
*Provide hands-on finance support during go-live and early stabilisation to resolve issues quickly and minimise disruption.
*Lead the consolidation, redesign and implementation of the chart of accounts to support the enlarged 10,000-home organisation.
*Configure and test financial systems to support new service structures, cost centres, budget holder responsibilities and reporting hierarchies.
*Support data migration, system testing and validation of transferred financial data.
*Ensure finance systems are appropriately set up to support statutory reporting, management reporting and audit requirements.
*Support the establishment and embedding of budget holder responsibilities for transferring teams.
*Establish and/or review reconciliations for key balance sheet and control accounts to support a robust control environment at go-live.
*Support the design and implementation of SLAs between the organisation and the new operating model.
*Ensure income streams (including management fees, service charges and recharges) are correctly set up within the finance system and aligned to accounting policies.
*Produce clear documentation of new or revised finance processes, controls and system configurations.
Personal Requirements:
*CCAB-qualified accountant (or equivalent experience).
*Strong experience in financial accounting within local government, housing, ALMO or a similar public sector environment.
*Proven experience supporting finance system changes, restructures or organisational transitions.
*Strong technical understanding of chart of accounts design, reconciliations, controls and financial reporting.
*Experience of working in complex stakeholder environments and across organisational boundaries.
*Ability to work at pace in a time-limited, delivery-focused role.
*Experience of go-live or cutover support in finance transformation projects (Desirable).
*Experience of working with internal or external auditors on change programmes (Desirable).
Working Hours: 36hrs / Monday - Friday
Pay: £48,226.00
Please note this role is within the scope of IR35.