Interim Head of Finance: Close Down

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)