Principal Accountant

Durham County Council is currently seeking a Principal Accountant (Capital and Treasury Management) to work within their Coporate Finance and Commercial Service.

Why Durham County Council?
County Durham is a forward thinking area with a strong sense of community. Our friendly people, fascinating history and beautiful natural environment, from the dales to the coast, are what makes our county great. We have rebuilt and reinvented our economy and communities to overcome past challenges. We are passionate about building a better future for all and building on our relationship between the County Durham Partnership and everyone who lives in, works in or visits our county.

The Council’s vision for County Durham (delivered through the County Durham Partnership) is structured around three ambitions:

• More and better jobs
• People living longer and independent lives
• Connected Communities

To achieve these ambitions, we recognise that we need people who share our passion, and have an overriding commitment to serve our communities, delivering better services and better outcomes for residents and places across the county.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?
As Principal Accountant within the Financial Planning and Technical Accounting team, this role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your career within a forward looking council with bold ambitions and gain financial and strategic experience across our large finance function.

You will learn from, and work alongside amazing and talented people, enabling you to strengthen your technical and softer skills and you 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.

In this role, you will provide strategic and technical financial information and advice to senior officers and elected members in relation to the Council’s Capital Programme and Treasury Management function.

You will be directly accountable to the Finance Manager, supporting the Financial Planning and Technical Accounting team in relation to forecasting and managing the Council’s financial affairs

You will also be responsible for:

• Co-ordinating the financial management of the Council’s capital programme, ensuring robust governance arrangements for the programme and its financing requirements.
• Providing professional financial advice on complex capital finance and treasury management matters.
• Formulating the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy.
• Formulating the Council’s Capital and Investment Strategy
• Co-ordinating the Capital Accounting and financing year-end processes, supporting the external audit process

For further information on this vacancy, please contact Jo McMahon, Finance Manager via email at joanne.mcmahon@durham.gov.uk.

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).

You should have knowledge of public sector accounting principles and procedures and have experience of delivering financial advice and guidance to a range of audiences alongside the ability to develop, analyse, understand and interpret complex financial information.

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

INTERVIEWS
Interviews will be held week commencing 30th November 2026.

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.

OUR OFFER TO YOU
We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

HOW TO APPLY
Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted.

Please visit our website to understand our position on using AI to support your application and for guidance on completing your application.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email Recruitmentresources@durham.gov.uk

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from donotreply@northeastjobs.org.uk. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

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Attachments

• Principal Accountant JDPS.docx