**INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY **

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: £45,749 - £49,506.02

Contract Type: Full-time

Application Deadline: 11.11.26

Proposed Interview Date(s): 16.11.26

Reference: 2404

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

About the role:

The Principal Finance Officer will provide business-focused strategic financial advisory and support services in the assigned area. The post holder will be required to: 

Provide financial and performance data; Provide financial advice and support; and  Support closure of the organisation’s accounts.

The post holder must be able to apply their technical knowledge, and their knowledge of systems, processes and best practice to provide support to services, the Finance service and other stakeholders. They will provide the organisation with a comprehensive technical accounting service in accordance with its corporate financial policy and practice, and all relevant statutory and regulatory guidance.  

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

Supporting the provision of customer-focused accountancy and financial management services as per the business partnering model approach. 

Providing support for the annual budget setting and medium-term financial planning processes.

Assisting with the preparation of detailed revenue and capital expenditure and income budgets that meet corporate and departmental objectives. 

Supporting the efficient and effective provision of a comprehensive financial management function, including all aspects of the annual estimates process, budget maintenance, monitoring and control.

Supporting the preparation, analysis and provision of accurate financial management information, including budget monitoring reports and forecasts, promptly highlighting any risks and trends, in line with the council’s policies and procedures.

Assisting with the efficient and timely completion of specific tasks within the annual closing of accounts process and ensuring that information presented in the financial statements complies with the CIPFA Code of Practice and reporting standards.

Supporting effective liaison with external and internal audit through the Chief Accountant.

Completing statutory and other returns, supported by clear and appropriate workings, in line with statutory requirements, and liaising with government departments and agencies as required. 
Represent Finance within the organisation; 
Communicate with officers, elected members, partner organisations, members of the public, service users and other relevant stakeholders; and 
Work with colleagues across the organisation, the external auditor, internal auditors and the organisation’s external partners.

Qualifications and Requirements:

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:

Part or Fully qualified Accountants preferred: AAT, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA and ACA.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:
Satisfactory employment references ;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
Satisfactory DBS check;

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Read Baurtally,Finance Business Partner at read.baurtally@walthamforest.gov.uk

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Fraud Awareness Notice
The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).

We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.

If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.

If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.