Title: Principal Accountant Rate: £450 per day Location: Hybrid- Brentwood Borough Council, Town Hall, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8AY Type: Temporary- 9 months Opus People Solutions are working with Brentwood Borough Council to recruit for an interim Principal Accountant to plan and co-ordinate the final accounts process including liaison with external audit Act as the lead advisor on technical accounting, including Collection Fund, Pensions and VAT. To have line management responsibility for the Technical Accountant, including one to one review meetings, appraisals, leave booking and work allocation. Support the implementation of policies and strategies for the financial service to support service delivery, value for money and the delivery of the Council's priorities and defined outcomes. Attend, advise and actively participate in meeting with members, Directors, Management teams and working groups as required. Prepare the treasury elements of the statement of accounts in accordance with statutory requirement. Lead in the preparation and publication of the Statement of Accounts including producing notes to the accounts and professional working papers. Contribute to the MTFS in relation to technical areas. Take lead responsibility for technical accounting policies and strategies. Lead on the Collection Fund, Pensions, VAT and any other technical/specialist requirements of the finance team. To build a strong relationship with our internal and external auditors, whilst supporting the annual audit programme and in answering issues raised as part of the final accounts process. Prepare the Capital & Investment Strategy by undertaking relevant research to ensure documents remain up to date and ensure best practice is applied. Ensure all government returns are completed on time and correctly. Provide professional advice and tailored reports to a defined group within the Council, on their financial plans and projects.