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Sometimes it can be tough being an accountant and it can be even tougher being an accountant in the civil service.
'I can remember a number of occasions when I’ve told people what I do for a living and you could see their eyes start to glaze over,' laughs Kim Clegg.
However Kim is living proof that being a management accountant in the DWP is anything but dull. 'Accountants in business need to be dynamic and they're now working from within the business at the heart of issues such as consultancy, strategy and business planning.
'We're not limited to the calculator or spreadsheet. You're more likely to find me drafting business policy than pulling numbers together.'
Kim has been head of finance for both the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Government Actuary's Department, and is now a senior finance business partner at DWP's employment agency, JobCentre Plus.
She says each of the roles have been both challenging and rewarding: 'Some people may still see management accountants as number crunchers, but really we're more like inventors and developers who are always looking for ways to make our business work better, faster and more effectively.
'And that's particularly important when you’re using taxpayers' money.'
