Principal Accountant

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in the North East is seeking a Principal Accountant. This role includes providing strategic financial advice, participating in budget processes, and liaising with senior leadership. Candidates should be CCAB Qualified (or equivalent) with experience in financial analysis. The job offers hybrid working options and a comprehensive benefits package including various leave options and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Competitive salaries

Hybrid working

Health and wellness benefits

Education and development opportunities

Discounted gym membership

Qualifications

• Experience of delivering financial advice to various audiences.
• Ability to develop and analyze complex financial information.
• Work effectively to tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial advice to the finance team and budget managers.
• Develop medium-term financial plans and oversee budget processes.
• Liaise with the Senior Leadership Team and deputize for the Finance Manager as needed.

Skills

Financial analysis

Communication

Project management

Education

CCAB Qualified or equivalent

Job description

Overview

Durham County Council is the largest council in the North East, with a budget of around £1.3 billion, delivering services to more than 513,000 people.

WHY DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
We are a forward-looking Council with bold ambitions. To achieve those ambitions, we recognise that we need people who share our passion and drive for success and an overriding commitment to deliver fantastic services to the people of County Durham. The Vision for County Durham is structured around three ambitions:

• More and better jobs
• People live long and independent lives
• Communities are well connected and supportive of each other

Effective resource management through the “Our Council” objective is key to achieving the Vision.

What is involved?

We are looking to appoint at least one Principal Accountant on a permanent basis to fill vacancies in the Finance Team. The Finance Team consists of circa 100 staff with varying roles supporting our key services of Children and Young People’s Services, Adult and Health Services, Regeneration, Economy and Growth, and Neighbourhoods and Environment, as well as Corporate Finance Teams supporting the budget setting and final accounts processes.

The Principal Accountant role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your career and gain experience in our Service or Corporate Finance Teams. It will enable you to learn from and work alongside amazing and talented people, strengthen your technical and softer skills and grow as a professional.

Finance Business Partnering is at the heart of our approach to financial management, with emphasis on collaboration between our finance teams, operational services and external partners. You will provide strategic financial advice, support and guidance to members of the finance team, as well as budget managers, senior officers and elected members of the County Council.

As a Principal Accountant, you will be directly involved in the development and delivery of medium-term financial plans, as well as the corporate annual revenue and capital budget process, to ensure the Council’s spending plans are prudent, affordable and sustainable. Your duties will include significant direct liaison with the Senior Leadership Team and deputising for the Finance Manager in Service Management Team meetings when required. Where applicable, you may also be involved in meetings with elected members.

You will be directly accountable to the Finance Manager and will be supporting the Finance Manager to provide robust and regular forecasts of outturn and future budget requirements for the relevant service groupings or Corporate Management Team and Cabinet.

For further information on this vacancy, please contact David Watchman, Finance Manager, by email: [e-mail]

What will I need?

You should be CCAB Qualified (or equivalent), or CCAB exam-qualified with evidence of working towards the completion of any requisite portfolios of work experience needed to finalise the applicable CCAB qualification (or equivalent). Candidates should have experience of delivering financial advice and guidance to a range of audiences and be able to develop and analyse, understand and interpret complex financial information and to work to tight deadlines.

Please refer to the attached person specification for the full criteria.

Rewards and benefits

We offer generous rewards and benefits that are designed to help you perform at your best:

• Competitive salaries and 27 days holiday per year rising to 32 days after five years continuous local government service
• Option to purchase up to 10 additional days annual leave per year
• Excellent work/life balance through schemes including job sharing, compressed hours and flexi-time (allowing up to 13 flexi days per year)
• Hybrid working (home and office working)
• Excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). Plus, top up options - Salary Sacrifice Shared Cost AVC scheme and standard AVC scheme for members of the LGPS
• Wellbeing Portal and access to an Employee Assist Scheme
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities including professional qualifications, coaching and mentoring
• Employee Benefits Portal and Lifestyle Savings Scheme (discounts across a host of major retailers)
• Discounted DCC gym membership
• Staff networks run by staff for our staff, including Race Equality and Diversity, Disability, LGBT+, Armed Forces, Carers, Menopause
• Trade Union membership
• A range of other salary sacrifice schemes such as car leasing

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

Take a closer look: Rewards and Benefits

Hybrid working

Durham County Council currently operates a hybrid working policy where a model of 2 days in the workplace and 3 days at home/remote will apply. This model is pro-rated for part time roles and arrangements are at managers discretion; alternatively you can work all of your contracted hours within the workplace if you prefer.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and recognise that a diverse, talented workforce brings new ideas and new perspectives, which will facilitate growth and improvements to services. We are committed to ensuring that our employment policies and processes are fair and equitable to all. We welcome job applications from everyone, and successful candidates are considered only on their skills and ability to do the job. As a Disability Confident Leader, we encourage applications from disabled people and provide support throughout the recruitment process.

Take a closer look: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Interviews

Interviews will be held week commencing 6th October 2025. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

How to apply

In line with the County Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy, please note that we are unable to accept CVs. Applications must be submitted on-line via the Northeast Jobs portal. Please use the ‘Person Specification’ section of your application form to demonstrate that you have the essential and where possible, desirable experience, skills, and knowledge. Candidates who do not evidence that they meet the essential qualifications and experience listed on the person specification will not be short-listed.

If you have any support needs or require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27 (option 3), or the Recruitment Team via email at [e-mail].

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