Principal Accountant

Job Title: Principal Accountant
Starting Salary: £53,806 opportunity to progress to £59,497 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage/Hybrid
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Resources

About the team

This role is within the Business Partner Finance team supporting Adult Care Services, (ACS), leading on health integration and pooled budgets. The role reports to the Finance Manager and you will have responsibility for the line management of an Accounting Officer in the team. As a senior member of the ACS Finance team, your responsibilities will include leading on all areas of pooled budgets including budget setting, monitoring and year end.

About the role

To be the lead contact for partner organisations in relation to health integration and financial requirements for pooled budgets, creating positive working relationships with officers at all levels in partner organisations.

To attend monthly monitoring meetings and present the monitor to the Board.

To be the expert in relation to pooled and providing challenge where necessary.

To co-ordinate and agree the pooled budget contributions with partners at the start of the financial year and agree changes throughout the year.

To provide professional financial support for the mental health contract including agreeing baselines and new funding streams during the year.

To lead on the completion of the financial elements of statutory returns for the Pooled Budgets and provide information for partners for statutory health financial returns.

The duties and responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present. The post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that may from time to time be necessary.

About you

Essential

• Be a fully qualified accountant (CIPFA or equivalent) or be qualified by experience.

• Ability to build relationships up to Executive level both within HCC and partner organisations, creating trust and confidence and fostering a partnership approach.

• Ability to problem solve. Determine solutions that reflect wider implications (e.g. political, managerial, or equal opportunities) and stakeholder needs. Ensure identification and delivery of improvements and negotiating the delivery of actions where these are outside your direct control (and even your own organisation).

• Ability to explain complex financial information and any risks associated with the information to senior managers within HCC and partner organisations.

• Ability to interpret, apply and explain financial policies, procedures, guidance and legislation.

• Ability to challenge effectively and influence others where those people may not be within HCC.

• Ability to manage personal workloads, considering the business need and role of finance in reviewing the urgency of tasks.

• Ability to respond to feedback and make appropriate amendments.

• Ability to provide innovative solutions/ recommendations, including challenging existing practice.

Desirable

• Previous exposure to Adult Care Services would be beneficial, although not essential

• Experience in working for local government would be beneficial.

Please provide a supporting statement. The supporting statement should provide evidence demonstrating the skills above.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Corporate Services, level CORP13 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles - Corporate services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Anita.Zala@hertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 17th February 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.