Herts Legal Service - Hertfordshire County Council
Principal Accountant
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Job Introduction
Job Title: Principal Accountant
Starting Salary: £53,806 progressing to £59,497 per annum - pay award pending
Hours: 37 per week
Location: Stevenage with hybrid working opportunities
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Resources
About The Team
This role is within the Business Partner Finance team supporting Adult Care Services (ACS), with 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 budgets 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.
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About you
- Be a fully qualified accountant (CIPFA or equivalent) or be qualified by experience.
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships up to Executive Director level both within HCC and partner organisations, fostering trust, confidence, and a collaborative partnership approach.
- Strong problem-solving capability, with the ability to identify solutions that take account of wider implications (e.g. political, managerial, and equality considerations) as well as stakeholder needs. Ability to drive improvements and negotiate delivery of actions, including where these fall outside direct control or organisational boundaries.
- Ability to clearly explain complex financial information, including associated risks, to senior managers within HCC and partner organisations.
- Ability to interpret, apply, and communicate financial policies, procedures, guidance, and relevant legislation.
- Ability to challenge constructively and influence stakeholders effectively, including those outside of HCC.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage personal workload, prioritising tasks appropriately in line with business needs and the role of finance.
- Ability to respond positively to feedback and make appropriate adjustments to work and approach.
- Ability to develop innovative solutions and recommendations, including challenging existing practices where appropriate to drive improvement.
- Ability to meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
Desirable
- Previous exposure to Adult Care Services would be beneficial.
- Previous experience in working with Pooled Budgets would be beneficial.
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.
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This job role is Level 13. Please locate the job profile here: 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: to be confirmed
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
We are changing
Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.
LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visit https://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/.
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.
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