Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Supporting budget managers and holders in monitoring of key CLA budgets, including savings delivery.
• Providing leadership in developing management information reports which both support financial information provided by the team and link non-financial and financial information together to inform key stakeholders of progress.
• Providing timely and business focused financial advice and challenges to budget managers and senior managers, focusing on the needs of the customer and including the four key financial processes of budgeting, monitoring, preparation of final accounts and medium-term financial forecasting. This includes identification and contribution to the realisation of opportunities for delivery of service improvements and efficiency.
• Influencing and promoting best financial practice and compliance with the relevant accounting, statutory, external grant funding and financial regulations and procedures, including those for external reporting, medium term financial planning and the sound financial governance of public funds.
• Providing appropriate training, information and advice to service budget managers to enable them to understand their financial responsibilities and to fulfil them.
• Contributing to the development of further strategies, work programmes and business cases, to ensure delivery of the Council's and Service's financial plans and strategies.
• Liaising and working closely with finance colleagues across the Finance Service to develop best practice and to deliver integrated professional finance services that enable service budget managers to meet their service delivery targets and business plans including the use of, and (where relevant) the development and delivery of new technology, and to actively promote and champion such change.
• Managing, developing and motivating staff within the team to ensure that professional standards are maintained.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Previous experience within the public sector, ideally children's services, would be desirable Finalist or fully qualified CCAB, or equivalent experience Experience of budget monitoring and forecasting is essential Must be able to work with large spreadsheets and be able to use pivot tables and IF formulas Ability to build effective relationships with all levels of staff and management. Ability to problem solve and explain complex financial information (including financial risk) to senior managers, including being able to persuade and negotiate as to the actions required. Ability to interpret, apply and explain financial policies, procedures, guidance and legislation. Ability to manage personal workloads, considering the business need and role of finance in reviewing the urgency of tasks. Also able to supervise and motivate team members, including managing team workloads. Ability to develop and deliver training to finance and non-finance staff, including being able to ensure that the message has been effectively received. Ability to respond to feedback and make appropriate amendments. Ability to work independently, as well as being able to work effectively across teams and with other services. Able to influence others to ensure achievement of shared objectives. Ability to make effective use of multiple data sources (including ensuring that you have complete information) to carry out detailed financial analysis, and present the results in a clear concise way. Ability to provide innovative solutions/ recommendations, including challenging existing practice. Able to analyse non-financial factors, wider implications (e.g. political, managerial, or equal opportunities) and key stakeholder needs.