Principal Accountant

Interim Principal Accountant – Traded Services & Property Costing

📍 Hybrid Working

💰 £500 per day (potential flexibility for the right candidate)

📅 Contract until March 2027

⏰ 4-5 days per week considered

We are working with a Local Authority that is seeking an experienced Interim Principal Accountant to provide support during a period of organisational change and transformation.

You will be responsible for supporting a range of traded and property-related services, helping to develop and maintain accurate costing models and ensuring full cost recovery across service areas.

A key area of focus will be a corporate landlord/property model, ensuring all direct and indirect costs are captured and appropriately charged to service users and tenants. This includes reviewing costs associated with facilities management, maintenance, cleaning, trades staff, and support services to ensure services are not operating at a loss.

You will work closely with Heads of Service and senior operational stakeholders, providing challenge where necessary and ensuring all relevant costs are included within financial models, including overheads such as HR, procurement, finance transaction processing, and other support functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and develop traded service costing models.
• Deliver full income and expenditure analysis and support full cost recovery exercises.
• Support service redesign and transformation projects from a financial perspective.
• Analyse property and facilities management cost structures.
• Ensure all direct and indirect costs are accurately identified and allocated.
• Challenge stakeholders on assumptions, omissions, and financial performance.
• Provide financial insight and support to operational managers and Heads of Service.
• Contribute to the development of sustainable and commercially robust service models.

You will ideally have

• Experience working within local authorities, traded services, commercial operations, or cost recovery environments.
• Strong understanding of full cost recovery methodologies.
• Experience of property, facilities management, corporate landlord, or similar service costing models.
• Strong commercial finance skills, including P&L and trading account analysis.
• Confidence engaging with and challenging senior stakeholders.
• A proactive and hands-on approach with a strong work ethic.
• Professional qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA) desirable but Qualified by Experience candidates will also be considered.

Applications are welcomed from both public and private sector candidates. Local government experience would be advantageous but is not essential. Candidates from commercial organisations with strong property, facilities management, infrastructure, or traded services experience are encouraged to apply.

If you have a strong background in traded services, cost recovery, or property-related finance and are available for an interim assignment, we'd be keen to hear from you.