Department: Financial Services - Accounting and Budgeting
Closing Date: Wednesday 9th March 2025
Argyll and Bute Council’s Financial Services Department are seeking a Principal Accountant within the Accounting and Budgeting Team. This is a temporary post until 28 June 2026, working 35 hours per week and can be undertaken remotely.
About the role - We seek a Principal Accountant to join our Accounting and Budgeting Team to lead the delivery of strategic financial advice, monitoring, budgeting and control for one of our service departments. Knowledge of Scottish Local Government is advantageous but not essential as training will be provided. You will collaborate with the department’s management and finance teams and senior Financial Services staff to develop sustainable financial plans, mitigate risks and maximise the benefits for our local communities. Additionally, you will assist the Head of Financial Services and Finance Managers with corporate financial services, including year-end accounts and financial accounting.
About you - To succeed, you must be committed to making a positive impact. You will be a CCAB qualified finance professional with significant management accounting or finance business partnering experience, who quickly becomes a trusted partner to the department’s management team. You will focus on excellent customer service and be an effective communicator able to influence strategic decisions. You should be able to explain complex financial information clearly to non-financial managers, staff and the public. You will collaborate with colleagues and external bodies to support service delivery and have experience in transformation and efficiency programmes. You will work collaboratively with other finance leaders in the Council to shape service delivery and support the Council in meeting future challenges.
Please refer to the Job Description Person Specification and include all necessary information when applying.
Argyll and Bute is one of Scotland’s most stunning areas. As its award-winning council, we play a vital part in the day-to-day life and long-term future of our beautiful and diverse communities. Our unwavering purpose is to make Argyll and Bute the place to be, the place where people want to live, to work and do business. We are committed to making the council the place to have a great career, by providing excellent benefits and a friendly, dynamic working culture so that each of our 5,000 colleagues can deliver services that help our corner of Scotland thrive. Join us to make a difference.
Our employees make good things happen in the day-to-day life and for the longer term future of Argyll and Bute. We want you to feel valued working for us. We offer various benefits to support you, such as a competitive salary, pension scheme, generous leave entitlement, cycle to work scheme, discounts on gym memberships and leisure centres, wellbeing initiatives, and opportunities for learning and career growth. We also embrace a modern approach to work, offering a flexible
We care about our people and the world around us and always aim to do the right thing. From employee recognition schemes to environmental policies we have many initiatives in place to help us look after the things we all care about. Learn more here
Argyll and Bute Council recognises the numerous benefits of a positive work-life balance to the wellbeing and productivity of our employees. We will take a flexible first approach to requests from our employees to change the way that they work. While we must balance such requests with the need to ensure the quality of the important services we deliver is not compromised, we will ensure that each request is given careful consideration with a view to achieving a positive outcome wherever possible.
Applicants should note that:-
* This is a temporary post which may be filled on a secondment basis by an employee wishing to gain experience/career development and will be at the discretion of the employee’s director
* The post-holder will be expected to travel efficiently and effectively between various work locations within Argyll and Bute and beyond to meet the operational requirements of the Service
To apply for this vacancy, please click on the Apply Now button at the top of this page.
If you would like clarification on any information contained within the vacancy advert and/or the job description you will require to speak with the recruiting manager, who is
David Forshaw, Finance Manager – Departmental Support
Email: david.forshaw@argyll-bute.gov.uk
Telephone: 01546 604721
Reference: ARB15869/ Post Number
Please note that you cannot apply for this vacancy by contacting the recruiting manager, applications must be made by clicking on the Apply Now button at the top of this page.
Please also note that we do not accept CVs, only applications completed and submitted via the Apply Now button on this page.
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about our commitment to this please visit Equality & Diversity Policy.
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About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .