Introduction

Every council department is allocated a budget – an amount of money, which is spent during the year and is strictly controlled. A budget support officer’s job is to work with staff in different departments to identify costs, check available budget and monitor expenditure within the overall council spending plan.

Work Environment

This is an office-based role. Budget support officers spend a large part of each day working at a desk with a computer. The remainder of the time would involve liaising with colleagues in different departments.

They work standard council hours of 37 per week, although additional hours may be worked when there are specific deadlines, such as end of year accounts.

Daily Activities

Budget support officers begin the budget cycle by talking to individual unit managers within departments to find out their current expenditure and establish an estimate of their ad hoc expenditure for the coming year. Once this has been done it can form the basis of subsequent years’ budgets, with adjustments taking place during the year as required.

As the year progresses, budget support officers maintain records of expenditure, identifying the appropriate budget from which moneys are spent, monitoring expenditure and preparing monthly reports, ultimately tied in with the local authority’s expenditure as a whole.

At the year-end, budget support officers gather information on outstanding creditors and debtors and produce a final accounts picture for each department.

Skills & Interests

Budget support officers need:

• to be able to pay attention to detail – accuracy is essential,
• a methodical, logical approach,
• an analytical mind, able to tease out figures from a mass of statistics,
• numeracy skills – it is crucial to be good with figures,
• organisational skills,
• to be able to communicate clearly with all kinds of people,
• familiarity with computer programs, both PC or mainframe-based.

Entry Requirements

Entry requirements vary from council to council. For some there are no set academic qualifications; for others you would need to be a graduate.

Mathematical, statistical or accounting knowledge and experience are useful, as is competence with computer software, such as spreadsheets and specific programs used by your employing local authority.

You may be able to work towards NVQs/SVQs. Professional training may also be available.

Estimated salary range

£17,220 – £23,259

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

You may be able to progress to a managerial job. With further qualifications it may be possible to move into an accounting role.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Supporting Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants www.cipfa.org.uk

You may find further information about this area of work in your local Connexions service/careers office/school careers library – under I.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Budget Support Officer vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.