Principal Accountant - ERN05840

East Renfrewshire Council; Giffnock; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in Scotland is seeking a skilled Principal Accountant to support the Corporate Finance Manager and oversee key finance functions. This role involves financial planning, budgeting, and leading a finance team. The ideal candidate is a fully qualified CCAB accountant with experience in local authority finance and strong knowledge of statutory accounting regulations. A proactive, strategic mindset with excellent communication skills is essential. The position allows hybrid working up to 60% of the time.

Qualifications

• Experience in local authority finance and corporate accounting.
• Strong knowledge of statutory accounting regulations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to influence and drive change.
• A proactive, solutions focused approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and delivery of financial plans.
• Oversee corporate financial monitoring and reporting.
• Manage capital accounting services for compliance.
• Lead preparation of Annual Accounts and statutory returns.
• Manage treasury management activities.
• Provide expert financial advice to senior officers.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial systems.

Skills

Local authority finance experience

Statutory accounting regulations knowledge

Excellent communication skills

Stakeholder engagement skills

Strategic mindset

Proactive approach

Education

Fully qualified CCAB accountant

Job description

Advert

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for public finance and a drive to make a real impact? East Renfrewshire Council is seeking a skilled Principal Accountant to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our corporate finance function, within the wider Finance team.

As Principal Accountant, you will support the Corporate Finance Manager in delivering key corporate finance functions including financial planning, budgeting, statutory reporting, treasury management, and corporate accounting. You will lead a team of finance professionals and act as a key contact for external audit, ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the development and delivery of financial plans.
• Oversee corporate financial monitoring and reporting across all departments.
• Manage capital accounting services and ensure statutory compliance.
• Lead and coordinate the preparation of Annual Accounts and statutory returns.
• Manage treasury management activities, including cashflow, borrowing strategies, and investment planning.
• Provide expert financial advice to senior officers and stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in financial systems and practices.

We need a fully qualified CCAB accountant who has:

• Experience in local authority finance and corporate accounting.
• Strong knowledge of statutory accounting regulations.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• A strategic mindset with the ability to influence and drive change.
• A proactive, solutions focused approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement.

Ideally the successful post holder will also have:

• Experience of managing an accountancy team.
• Experience of treasury management within a local authority environment.

Depending upon the needs of the service, staff in Hybrid roles will typically work from home for up to 40-60% of the time where the needs of the service can still be met.

Additional Information

Please click on the attachments below for full details of this post.