Principal Accountant - Taxation

Salary: £40,778 - £45,091 a year

Location: The Council House/Hybrid

Working Hours: 37 hours a week

Closing Date: TBA

Contract Type: Permanent

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Council's Corporate Finance Team, in the role of Principal Accountant. The post holder will primarily be working in a tax and compliance role overseeing the council's compliance with all relevant tax legislation and submission of appropriate taxation returns. Ideally you will be CCAB qualified but a qualification is not essential, as accountants with AAT and extensive relevant experience will be considered. Given the nature of the role preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate experience of a taxation role. If you thrive on challenge, possess excellent technical and analytical skills, and share the value of 'Great People, One Team' then we would like to hear from you.

Who We Are

Here at Derby City Council, we're dedicated to delivering nearly 250 first-class services to citizens and businesses in the heart of the Midlands. People are at the centre of all that we do, and we have an outstanding track record of recruiting and developing talented individuals by providing them with varied and fulfilling career opportunities.

What We Offer

• Flexible work/life balance scheme (depending on your role)
• Hybrid working (depending on your role)
• Modern office environment (depending on your job location)
• Continued professional development opportunities & career conversations
• 27 days annual leave (rising to 32 days after 5 years' service), plus bank holidays (depending on contract)
• Local Government Pension Scheme (depending on contract)
• Team Derby Rewards - retail and leisure discounts
• Tusker Car Benefit Scheme
• Cycle2Work Scheme & free cycle training
• Employee Assistance Programmes & Support
• Access to our Equality Employee Networks - LGBTQ+, Disabled Employee Network & Carers and our Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic Employee Support Network
• Support for colleagues who are carers

The Opportunity

In the role of Principal Accountant, here's an example of what you'll be doing to make an impact:

• Provide a high standard of strategic and operational taxation advice and support to Senior Responsible Officers and Directors.
• Support the submission of relevant taxation returns.
• Support the Council in delivering a balanced Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) by ensuring the council is compliant in matters relating to taxation.
• Provide effective line management and contribute to staff development.
• Ensure the organisation is compliant and up to date with all relevant financial standards and practices.
• Support the wider objectives of the Corporate Finance Team, including budget setting, audit programme and closure of the accounts.

About You

To be successful in this role, you'll ideally have...

• Demonstrable experience of preparing taxation information in an accountancy role.
• Preparing information for HMRC.
• Providing information, advice and support to management team members.
• Assessing the tax implications of service proposals and developments.
• Giving professional tax advice to Senior Responsible Officers and Directors.

Part-qualified CCAB (or equivalent, including qualification by experience).

Possess the following skills and knowledge:

• Ability to understand and model budget and financing issues relating to taxation, and use these to inform decision making.
• A high level of numeracy and literacy skills as well as the ability to review complex taxation issues, thinking creatively to find appropriate solutions.
• Good written and oral communication skills, at all levels.
• Good organisation and time management skills.
• Experienced user of IT packages.
• Experienced user of financial ledger systems.

The following personal qualities and other factors:

• Ability to demonstrate a successful track record of achievement appropriate to relevant work experience.
• Ability to work to and meet tight deadlines.
• A high level of initiative and self-motivation.
• Ability to be a team-player.
• Ability to manage and develop direct reports.
• Willingness to occasionally work outside normal office hours, and to attend occasional meetings outside Derby, as required by the post.
• An understanding of equalities issues.

Next Steps

If you would like to apply for this vacancy via an application form, please submit an application via the Derby City Council website. We are looking to recruit to our team as soon as possible, so the post will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed. If you would prefer to apply for this job using your CV, then please download the attached Declaration Form and send it to peter.shillcock@derby.gov.uk. Without a completed declaration form, your application will not be accepted. We also encourage you to download the Equalities Form and return this to recruitment.team@derby.gov.uk, however this is optional and will not affect your application. Please forward your CV to the address below if you would like to apply for this position. For an informal chat about the role please contact Pete Shillcock, Group Accountant, at Peter.shillcock@derby.gov.uk.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are a fair and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds. We recruit for diversity and value difference. As many of our roles can now be home-based, we are able to offer more opportunities for people who need this facility. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. If you are a disabled person, you have the choice to apply under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme so long as you demonstrate that you meet the essential requirements for the job. We feel it is essential that we recruit a talented workforce that is as diverse as the community we work for. Please let us know of any individual requirements or reasonable adjustments you may have during the application, interview, or onboarding process and we'll do all we can to help.