We are looking to appoint a Principal Accountant on a permanent basis to fill vacancy within the Finance Team. The Finance Team consists of circa 100 staff with varying roles supporting our key services of Children and Young People’s Services, Adult and Health Services, Regeneration, Economy and Growth, and Neighbourhoods and Environment, as well as Corporate Finance Teams supporting the budget setting and final accounts processes. WHAT IS INVOLVED? The Principal Accountant role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your career and gain experience in our Service or Corporate Finance Teams and will enable you to learn from and work alongside amazing and talented people, strengthen your technical and softer skills and 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. You will provide strategic financial advice, support and guidance to members of the finance team, as well as budget managers, senior officers and elected members of the County Council. As a Principal Accountant, you will be directly involved in the development and delivery of medium-term financial plans, as well as the corporate annual revenue and capital budget process, to ensure the Council’s spending plans are prudent, affordable and sustainable. Your duties will include significant direct liaison with the Senior Leadership Team and deputising for the Finance Manager in Service Management Team meetings when required. Where applicable, the successful candidate may also be involved in meetings with elected members. You will be directly accountable to the Finance Manager and will be supporting the Finance Manager to provide robust and regular forecasts of outturn and future budget requirements for the relevant service groupings or Corporate Management Team and Cabinet. For further information on these vacancies, please contact Andrew Gilmore, Finance Manager, by email: Andrew.Gilmore@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). Candidates should have experience of delivering financial advice and guidance to a range of audiences and be able to develop and analyse, understand and interpret complex financial information and to work to tight deadlines. Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria. INTERVIEWS Interviews will be held week commencing 13th April 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. CONNECT WITH US Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook Visit our website VPRS/161