Principal Finance Officer

Principal Finance Officer

37 hours per week, permanent

HBC11 £51,356-£54,495 per annum

Our Story:

Halton is a vibrant local authority with a rich history and heritage, featuring two iconic bridges that connect communities across the River Mersey. Located in Cheshire, Halton boasts excellent transport links between Liverpool and Manchester, as well as close proximity to both Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports.

Our progressive community strategy aims to bring about meaningful, long-term improvements that enhance lives. It’s an exciting time to join us as we develop new policies and transform the way people access services.

We are immensely proud that when asked what’s great about working for Halton, the most popular response from our workforce has been ‘our colleagues’.

Our Team:

The Financial Management function supports a wide range of operational departments across the Council. You will be involved in the full range of activities across the annual financial cycle from setting budgets, monitoring the budget outturn position to closing down accounts at financial year-end. You will be well supported from all levels but also given the chance to be creative and innovative to problem solving and improving processes.

Your Contributions:

As Principal Finance Officer, you will have overall responsibility for overseeing and managing a highly professional and experienced Corporate Finance Team, which is responsible for a wide range of key strategic financial functions across the Council, including:

• Preparation of the year-end financial accounts
• Managing the Council’s budget-setting process and producing and monitoring the Medium Term Financial Strategy
• Preparation and ongoing monitoring of the Capital Programme
• Managing the Council’s Treasury Management Function
• Budget monitoring for a number of service areas within Environment & Regeneration and the Chief Executive’s Directorate
• Monitoring and management of the Council’s Collection Fund
• Oversight of the Council’s VAT requirements

We are seeking an experienced Corporate Finance professional who is looking to work at a high level dealing with all strategic finance areas from Budget Setting to playing a lead role in the production of the Statement of Accounts. You will also be the lead contact with our external auditors. In addition, you will lead the Treasury Management function, with responsibility for all Council borrowing and lending activity, and will oversee the effective management of the Council’s Collection Fund.

In applying for the role you will be a CCAB or CIMA qualified accountant with experience in local government finance, and have a sound understanding of the legislation and statutory guidance that underpin the requirements of the Job Profile. You will also have excellent report writing & presentation skills, be highly organised, confident in dealing with colleagues at all levels and be able to plan and prioritise your work.

The role operates on a hybrid working basis, with a requirement to attend the office at DCBL Stadium at least two days per week.

Our Offer:

Aside from working with a great team, our employees have access to a fantastic range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual holiday allowance starting at 34 days per year (including bank holidays), increasing with long service with the option to purchase an additional four-days of unpaid leave for our Annual Christmas Closedown
• Membership of our defined benefit, salary-linked Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with generous employer contributions
• 3 x Salary Life Cover via Local Government Pension Scheme
• Investment in your personal development
• Free Car Parking at HBC sites
• Flexible working arrangements
• Extensive employee benefits platform including discounted shopping, car leasing, gym memberships, wellbeing hub and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Essential Monthly Car User Allowance

Next Steps:

At Halton Borough Council, we want all of our candidates to feel well-informed so if you would like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Matt Guest (matt.guest@halton.gov.uk)

Interviews will take place on Monday 9th February 2026

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long-term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you – resourcing@halton.gov.uk

Please refer to the attached Job Profile for further information about the role and our values.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. If you’re interested, please complete your application as early as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application!