Principal Accountant

East Cambridgeshire District Council, Ely

£44,711 - £48,710 plus Local Government Pension Scheme and Hybrid Working

Hays are delighted to be exclusively supporting East Cambridgeshire District Council in their search for a Principal Accountant

About East Cambridgeshire District Council

Based in the beautiful city of Ely, East Cambridgeshire District Council is the Local Authority that looks after the residents of Ely, the market towns of Littleport, Soham and the surrounding villages. It is responsible for local services such as housing, planning applications, licensing, council tax collection and rubbish collection.

About the role

As the Principal Accountant, you will provide financial advice and support to the Council, to enable it to meet its relevant financial obligations and objectives efficiently and effectively and assist the Director of Finance as required.

This will see you creating key reports across different areas of the council and presenting these to key stakeholders. You will be involved in the production of annual budgets; you will review performance against these and communicate with the budget holders with the goal of improving performance.

Your role will be instrumental in the year end process which will take place in march each year. You will gain vital experience by being part of the completion of the 24/25 statement of accounts. This will be with the support of the Director of Finance and other members of the team.

Finally, you will be a key point of contact for the auditors and support them with the annual audit.

This is a leadership role and will see you manage a team of 3 people including a Management Accountant and Payroll Officer. You will also look after an accountancy apprentice and be central to their development.

What we are looking for

East Cambridgeshire District Council are looking for a Qualified CCAB or AAT accountant who has a background in Financial Accounting or Audit with experience of year end accounting and managing the audit process.

What we offer you

In addition to advancing your career, we offer a competitive salary of up to £48,710dependant on qualification & experience. There could be 5% supplement for Deputy S151 duties on offer to Qualified Accountants who have already operated in a similar role within a Local Authority. You’ll benefit from a Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous 23.1% employer contribution, as well as a Occupational health programme and a Childcare Scheme. Our hybrid working model also provides the flexibility of working from home for 2 days each week.

For a confidential discussion, contact our retained advisor, Luke Grant-Maw – Senior Business Manager on

Application closing date: 3rd December 2024

Interview date: W/C 9th December 2024