Public sector finance job titles vary from employer to employer, which can make it hard to tell how senior a role is. Here is what the common titles usually mean.
Entry level
Finance apprentice, trainee accountant, graduate trainee. Learning on the job, usually studying for AAT or a professional qualification.
Finance assistant, accounts assistant, payments officer. Processing invoices, income, journals and reconciliations.
Officer level
Finance officer, assistant accountant, accounting technician. Supporting budget monitoring, preparing working papers and helping with the year-end accounts. Often part qualified.
Revenues officer, benefits assessor, council tax officer. Billing, collecting and assessing council tax, business rates and housing benefit.
Audit assistant, internal auditor, fraud investigator. Testing controls, carrying out audits and investigating suspected fraud.
Accountant level
Accountant, management accountant, financial accountant, capital accountant. Qualified or nearly qualified, preparing budgets, forecasts and statutory accounts.
Senior accountant, principal accountant, senior auditor. Leading an area of the accounts or the audit plan and reviewing others' work.
Partnering and management
Finance business partner. Working alongside a director or service head, turning the numbers into decisions. Titles such as strategic or senior business partner are more senior.
Finance manager, head of finance, head of audit, head of revenues and benefits. Running a team or a whole service.
The top roles
Director of Finance, Chief Finance Officer, Executive Director of Resources. Responsible for an organisation's finances as a whole.
Section 151 Officer (Section 95 in Scotland). The officer every council must appoint to look after its financial affairs. See what a Section 151 Officer does.
Treasurer. In some bodies, such as fire and police organisations and pension funds, the senior finance officer.
For typical pay at each level, see the salary guide.