Principal Accountant (x7)

Croydon is one of London's most diverse, ambitious and dynamic boroughs, and this is a great time to join its Strategic Finance team.
After several years of recovery and improvement, the council's finances are more stable, its governance has been strengthened, and the focus has now moved from recovery to delivery.

The Executive Mayor's Business Plan 2026–2030 sets out what comes next: cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods, stronger communities, better housing, thriving town centres and roads that work, with a clear commitment that every pound spent delivers value for residents. Major regeneration is also under way, from plans to redevelop the Whitgift site in the town centre to new council homes at Regina Road. Strategic Finance is at the heart of making it happen.

Working at the centre of the organisation, you will partner with the Corporate Management Team, Directors and Heads of Service to influence decision-making and make sure the council is well placed to respond to the opportunities and challenges facing local government. With major improvements to financial reporting, monitoring and the Oracle system now embedded, the team is moving into a continuous improvement phase, and you will play a key part in it.

As a Principal Accountant, you will support the Finance Manager and Head of Strategic Finance, deputising when required, with finance business partner responsibility for financial planning, monitoring and reporting across revenue and capital.
The roles
We are looking to appoint seven Principal Accountants:

Adult Social Care and Health (x1): business partnering the council's largest budget area, managing care package costs, staffing costs and income, and forecasting the impact of a changing local population; working jointly with health partners; supporting commissioning and market shaping; and helping deliver service improvement with the council's strategic delivery partner.
Education (x2): business partnering Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, including the High Needs Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant and EHC Plans; early years, school place planning, admissions and the Education Estates Strategy; access to education; and Family Hubs, Children's Centres and the Best Start in Life early years teams.
Assistant Chief Executive & Resources (x1): business partnering a broad range of corporate services, including Change and Improvement and Customer Experience; Policy, Programmes, Performance and Electoral Services; HR, IT, Legal and Democratic Services; Finance, Internal Audit, Counter-Fraud and Insurance; and Property, Procurement and Capital.
Housing General Fund – Homelessness (x1): business partnering temporary accommodation and homelessness prevention, a highly volatile demand-led area that needs accurate forecasting of demographic and market pressures; working with housing providers across London; and bringing a commercial focus to contract management, accommodation supply and capital investment.
Housing Revenue Account – HRA (x1): business partnering the council's social housing landlord function, supporting improvements shaped by tenants' priorities and changing regulatory duties; driving value for money in services such as repairs and maintenance; and supporting delivery of the HRA Business Plan, including capital investment and regeneration.
Chief Accountant's Team – Closing & Reporting (x1): producing revenue and capital financial performance reports for Cabinet and the Corporate Management Team; leading external returns; ensuring the annual accounts are produced on time to the required standards, with an open and positive relationship with the external auditor and reporting to the Audit & Governance Committee; and maintaining accounting policies and reconciliations of the Collection Fund, government grants and reserves.

Key responsibilities across the roles

Providing financial business partnering support and managing financial processes for your services, across both revenue and capital.
Taking ownership of key outputs through the year, making sure deadlines are met and work is of a high quality.
Building strong working relationships with budget holders and supporting them with their financial management responsibilities, taking a robust approach when needed.
Producing regular, accurate forecasts based on financial analysis to support budget preparation and monitoring.
Responding proactively to financial risks and opportunities, advising on action and escalating issues where appropriate.
Carrying out regular reconciliations and investigating variances promptly.

What you'll bring
You will hold a CCAB/CIMA accountancy qualification or have relevant senior finance experience, with evidence of successfully managing key financial processes such as budgeting, monitoring, forecasting, closing the accounts and grant returns. We are also looking for:

Experience of working as part of a professional team to give strong financial advice to managers, ideally in an environment of change.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to explain technical financial matters clearly to non-finance colleagues.
A collaborative working style and the ability to build effective relationships across the organisation.
A passion for public service and improving outcomes for local communities.

For more information, including welcome letters from Conrad Hall (Corporate Director of Resources and Section 151 Officer) and Allister Bannin (Director of Finance, Deputy S151 Officer) and a full overview of each team, visit our dedicated recruitment site: Home | Croydon Council

For a confidential discussion, contact Jack Murphy at Allen Lane on 07921 335 786 or jackmurphy@allenlane.co.uk, or Robert Phillips on 07921 336 507 or robertphillips@allenlane.co.uk.

To apply, please send your CV to croydon@allenlane.co.uk with a supporting statement (no more than two pages) explaining why you are interested, what you would bring to the role and how your experience meets the requirements. Please state which role or roles you are applying for. You are welcome to apply for more than one.

The closing date is Sunday 15 November at 23:59.
Equal opportunities
Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the Disability Confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check if the role requires one.