Head of Finance

A Head Of Finance - Homes & Communities is needed to lead and manage the Homes & Communities Finance Teams within Financial Management, supporting, Homes & Communities, advising on relevant aspects of strategic finance and business partnering, alongside comprehensive financial direction, support and guidance to a range of Council's services and Directorates.

Hybrid working, at least 2 days in the office with the requirement to attend some evening meetings.

Key Responsibilities:

• To support transformation and business led projects within Homes & Communities, ensuring that timely and robust financial information is provided to support with decision making and take an active role in shaping outcomes of projects. In addition, ensuring that budgets are realigned to deliver savings targets, reporting timing differences in delivery.
• To ensure that Senior Management and their budget managers are supported to deliver their accountabilities for budget management and that directorates comply with Financial Standing Orders and all other financial policies and procedures as directed by the Director of Corporate Finance.
• To provide financial leadership and strategic advice to directorates to enable them to develop robust financial plans and ensure that the future needs of the service are reflected in the Council's medium term financial forecast (MTFF).
• To ensure the provision of high-quality financial advice and accurate and timely financial information to Corporate Directors, Heads of Service and budget managers across the directorates. To promote and facilitate a culture that supports a self-service approach to budget management with strategic financial management support through a business partnering model.
• Lead on the financial modelling of demand led budgets, within Homes & Communities to ensure robust forecasts are established, working in conjunction with relevant senior managers within the Service areas, and to use the trend data to inform MTFF decision making.
• To support the requirements of the statutory accounting process, external audit process and legislative changes that may have financial impact on directorates
• To maintain effective working relationships with colleagues within the Finance directorate to proactively support the production of strategic financial information, medium term financial plans and the training and development of the wider Corporate Finance service.

Qualifications:

• Fully qualified Accountant - CIPFA, ACCA, CIMA
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• A minimum of 3 years post qualification experience in relevant service areas
• Evidence of post qualification continuing professional development

Skills & experience:

• Significant experience of preparation of annual budgets and final accounts for local authority
• Significant experience in a senior management role with direct management experience of leading professional and managerial groups in areas of service responsibility.
• Evidence of successful participation at senior management level in developing and delivering strategies, policies and programmes within relevant statutory and policy requirements.
• Evidence of formulating, leading and implementing successful strategies and programmes which cross service or processional boundaries.
• Evidence of leading and managing change in a large multi-disciplined organisation and taking a lead role in the financial aspects of service improvement and transformation programmes.
• Evidence of successful management and development of staff in a large multi-disciplined organisation, harnessing the strengths and talents of employees at all levels, including establishing effective performance objectives and appraisal to achieve corporate and service objectives.
• Strategic budget management in a comparable public sector organisation, managing significant financial resources and evaluating competing budget priorities within tight financial limits.
• Evidence of a clear understanding of the legal, financial and political context of management within a Local Authority