London Borough of Croydon - Principal Accountant

Salary range: Grade 14 (£53,172 to £55,323) plus fantastic benefits

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Croydon

Croydon Council has faced significant challenges in recent years in terms of its financial position. The financial challenge is steep, but the Government has noted our strong progress, with an Executive Mayor, Cabinet, Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team, who all share a commitment to the task ahead and putting Croydon’s people first.

This is a very exciting time to join Croydon as we move from the recovery and improvement phases to the transformational phase of our journey to bring the Council back to financial sustainability.

Croydon is a fantastic place; a vital part of London’s growth story with a strong identity in its own right and this is a rare chance to make genuine change in a place of great opportunity. What we do together over the next four years will help shape the future of one of London’s most diverse and exciting boroughs.

As the Principal Accountant in the Chief Accountant’s Team, you will be supporting the Head of Strategic Finance (Chief Accountant) and Finance Manager (Closing/Reporting), deputising when required. You will support ensuring that the Council’s annual accounts are produced on time and meet the

required legislative standards and maintain an open and positive relationship with the external auditor.

To be suitable for the role you need to hold a CCAB/CIMA accountancy qualification or senior finance relevant accounting experience. You should have evidence of knowledge and application of local government finance and an understanding of relevant financial legislation, professional accountancy codes and financial best practice.

To view the Principal Accountant role profile please click here.

About Us

Croydon Council’s priorities:

• The Council balances its books, listens to residents, and delivers good sustainable services.
• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable.
• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon’s diverse communities and businesses.
• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors.
• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice; and
•  Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities.

Key business plan outcomes:

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning.
• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential.
• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we’re proud to call home.
• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer; and
• Croydon Council’s new ways of working.

Our values

We are committed to excellence in all we do. Our values reflect the attitude and approach we take to working together to deliver services to our borough.

• One team - Crossing boundaries to work together towards shared goals with colleagues, partners and communities.
• Proud to serve - Striving to always do our best for the community, getting the most from limited resources and using taxpayers’ money wisely.
• Honest and open - Working hard to build trust by treating everyone with honesty and integrity.
• Taking responsibility - Encouraging and supporting each other to take responsibility and show what we can do, learning together and recognising all of our contributions.
• Valuing diversity - We make the most of the many perspectives that make Croydon distinctive.

Staff Benefits

Benefits and personal development

We want Croydon Council to be a place where our staff enjoy their jobs and are proud to be here. We reward talent and excellence with our flagship benefits scheme, Croydon Options, allowing you to enjoy a healthy work life balance.

• Generous paid Annual Leave of up to 31 days (eligibility criteria applies)
• Provision to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave per year (eligibility criteria applies)
• Flexible and Agile working
• Generous sick leave, maternity leave and family leave provisions
• Unbeatable benefits of being in the Local Government Pension Scheme; which includes employer contributions of 20% (average); “life assurance” (3 years’ salary) and benefit provisions for dependants
• Discounted season tickets for parking in local car parks or an option to cap the daily cost to less than £6
• Interest free travel loans for season tickets
• Confidential and free employee assistance programme and access to staff network groups - BAME, Working Carers, LGBT+, Women’s and Mental Health & Wellbeing

Popular benefits

Discounted parking with NCP, Q-Park and Council Car Parks for Council Employees

The Council has negotiated various corporate rates with NCP and Q-Park. Employees can also avail a negotiated daily parking rate of £5 per day with these car parks.

Employee assistance programme

With ever increasing pressures at work and at home, there are times when we all need some extra support, this is why we have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in place to support your total well-being.

Benefits of the EAP

• Free of charge
• Available24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
• Confidential
• Accessible by phone, email, our website and via instant messaging
• Information on a range of work, family and personal issues
• Up to 6 face-to-face counselling sessions per issue. Topics need not be work related
• Independent from your employer and completely unprejudiced

Your development

At Croydon we believe that a skilled and committed workforce is crucial to our future success. To deliver council outcomes successfully we need to equip our people with the knowledge and skills they need to operate in a fast paced, ever evolving environment.

We provide a range of learning activities including inductions for new colleagues, management skills development and personal effectiveness training. We continue to develop different options for you to access the learning you need, whether through face-to-face workshops, e-learning or online content.

Equal Opportunities Statement

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.

Further Information

Strategic Structure Chart: Strategic Finance structure for recruitment

Executive Mayor’s Business Plan: Mayor's Business plan 2022 - 2026

2026-27 Budget agreed at Full Council:  Agenda item - The Council's Budget 2026-27 | Croydon Council

2025-26 Period 9 Financial Performance Report:  2025-26-period-9-financial-performance-report.pdf

2024-25 Annual accounts: Financial accounts | Croydon Council

For a confidential discussion contact: andrew.barton@penna.com or 07922 386 432

Provisional Interview Date: 23rd June 2026

How to Apply

1.    Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”

2.    Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.

3.    Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.

4.    Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.

5.    Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.

6.    If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.