The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.
Job details
Job reference: 000010482
Date posted: 19/09/2024
Application closing date: 20/10/2024
Working Pattern: Full time
Salary: Grade J - £38,223 to £42,403 per year
Contractual hours: Blank
Basis: Blank
Job category/type: Finance / Accounting
Directorate: Chief Executives
Hours: 37 hours a week.
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: The Council House
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Council’s Major Projects Finance Team, in the role of Principal Accountant.
The post holder will primarily be working in a business partnering role with the Regeneration and Economic Growth teams to support some of the Council's most prestigious and high-profile projects, such as the historic Market Hall, Becketwell and Market Place developments.
You will contribute to the financial resilience of the Council by helping to set an affordable budget and sustainable medium-term financial plan (MTFP), and demonstrate compliance and transparency through contributing to the production of the Council’s annual Statement of Accounts.
Ideally you will be CCAB qualified but a qualification is not essential, as accountants with extensive relevant experience will be considered. Given the nature of the role preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate experience of working with priority projects in a finance role.
If you thrive on challenge, possess excellent technical and analytical skills, and share the value of ‘Great People, One Team’ then we would like to hear from you.
Who We Are
Here at Derby City Council, we’re dedicated to delivering nearly 250 first-class services to citizens and businesses in the heart of the Midlands. People are at the centre of all that we do, and we have an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing talented individuals by providing them with varied and fulfilling career opportunities.
What We Offer
You too could be part of something brilliant by becoming a colleague at Derby City Council; in addition to making a difference to the lives of people across the city, you’ll also receive:
* Flexible work/life balance scheme (depending on your role)
* Hybrid working (depending on your role)
* Modern office environment (depending on your job location)
* Continued professional development opportunities & career conversations
* 27 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years' service), plus bank holidays (depending on contract)
* Local Government Pension Scheme (depending on contract)
* Team Derby Rewards – retail and leisure discounts
* Tusker Car Benefit Scheme
* Cycle2Work Scheme & free cycle training
* Employee Assistance Programmes & Support
* Access to our Equality Employee Networks – LGBTQ+, Disabled Employee Network & Carers and our Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Employee Support Network
* Support for colleagues who are carers
The Opportunity
In the role of Principal Accountant, here’s an example of what you’ll be doing to make an impact:
* Provide a high standard of strategic and operational support to the Director of City and Growth, supporting Regeneration and Economic Growth revenue activities and the Regeneration Capital Programme.
* Provide robust finance support and challenge to projects over their lifespan by contributing to business cases, financial appraisals and through budgeting and accounting for external funding streams.
* Support the submission of grant applications, returns and administer the Economic Growth team’s loan programme.
* Support the Council in delivering a balanced Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) by supporting Service Reviews, benchmarking and unit costing exercises.
* Provide effective line management and contribute to staff development.
* Ensure the organisation is compliant and up to date with all relevant financial standards and practices.
* Support the wider objectives of the Major Projects Finance Team, including project support, budget setting, audit programme and closure of the accounts.
About You
To be successful in this role, you’ll ideally have:
* Demonstrable experience of preparing budgetary information in an accountancy role.
* Preparing information for the Statement of Accounts.
* Providing information, advice and support to management team members.
* Applying technical knowledge and management skill to support the delivery of key accountancy projects and activities.
* Assessing the financial implications of service proposals and developments.
* Giving professional advice to Senior Responsible Officers and Directors.
Part-qualified CCAB (or equivalent, including qualification by experience).
Possess the following skills and knowledge:
* Ability to understand and model budget and financing issues, and use these to inform decision making.
* A high level of numeracy and literacy skills as well as the ability to review complex funding issues, thinking creatively to find appropriate solutions.
* Good written and oral communication skills, at all levels.
* Good organisation and time management skills.
* Experienced user of IT packages.
* Experienced user of financial ledger systems.
The following personal qualities and other factors:
* Ability to demonstrate a successful track record of achievement appropriate to relevant work experience.
* Ability to work to and meet tight deadlines.
* A high level of initiative and self-motivation.
* Ability to be a team-player.
* Ability to manage and develop direct reports.
* Willingness to occasionally work outside normal office hours, and to attend occasional meetings outside Derby, as required by the post.
* An understanding of equalities issues.
Next Steps
We are looking to recruit to our team as soon as possible, so the post will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed.
We are accepting CVs for this position. Please forward your CV to the address below if you would like to apply for this position. For an informal chat about the role please contact Jonathan Long, Group Accountant.
Important Information: Links to the full Job Description and Person Specification are below.
All employees will normally be appointed to the minimum of the grade for the job.
Remember to align your personal statement to the essential criteria in the Person Specification.
Please be aware that where there are colleagues within the organisation who are 'at risk' of redundancy, requirements to redeploy to another suitable role will apply and take priority.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
We are a fair and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We recruit for diversity and value difference. As many of our roles can now be home-based, we are able to offer more opportunities for people who need this facility.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. If you are a disabled person, you have the choice to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme so long as you demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements for the job.
We feel it is essential that we recruit a talented workforce that is as diverse as the community we work for.
Please let us know of any individual requirements or reasonable adjustments you may have during the application, interview, or onboarding process and we’ll do all we can to help. We strongly believe in social understanding of disability and for us it’s all about removing barriers to equality.
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