Job Description

This is in addition to keeping WSCC safe and secure through appropriate financial control. The Directorate will ensure that the basics are done well with emphasis on challenging our client to spend its money better, especially in the context of becoming more strategic and forward looking.
This role will provide reliable, efficient and effective flexible support to a team (or across teams) of a high level administrative nature relating to the delivery of a specialist financial service. Including responding to typical client queries, giving standard information and guidance relating to the service, maintaining records and producing standard correspondence providing support and day to day processing according to set procedures.

The specific accountabilities of this flexible role may alter from time to time in order to meet the needs of the business/client, but accountabilities will include (or be equivalent in nature to) those listed below:
• Responsible for advising and influencing clients to ensure informed financial decisions and sound financial arrangements with a high direct impact on financial management and service delivery. Including setting budgets and managing overall accounting arrangements, providing guidance as the key representative for the service area or activity.
• Provides authoritative accurate and reliable information to clients for the large complex service area managed. Including ad hoc reports and regular budget reports (usually monthly) to monitor spending and identify discrepancies. Communicates complex technical/specialist information effectively to ensure clients understand the practical implications within the wider organisational context of their service area.
• Contributes to financial planning looking at the annual budget cycle within a longer term strategy. Identifies structural or other problems with budgets and advises clients on strategies to organise resources differently, including issuing virements for the reallocation of financial resources in order to help clients to resolve complex financial issues to meet their broad service requirements.

• Implements existing and new financial arrangements relating to the service area or activity managed, including those which arise from national legislation. Including interpreting and analysing new legislation to alter/create policies and guidance to ensure compliance.

• Line manages staff in a team or manages a function across teams requiring engagement across teams. Sets and monitors objectives with an understanding of skills; evaluating and co-ordinating the work. Co-ordinates employees to work together effectively to achieve service objectives.
• Works with HR to arrange staff recruitment for the team/ area managed.
• Provides authoritative guidance to clients with a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of their business and the conflicting requirements within their service area. Acts as the key contact to advise and influence clients to make appropriate and informed financial decisions with a high direct impact on the shape of services and how they operate. Including using a strong persuasive influence to ensure clients take proper account of financial considerations to make sometimes difficult decisions affecting service delivery.
• Provides financial advice and performance support to major projects and participate in project teams. Including working with clients to prepare business cases for projects in order to achieve cost effective solutions and/or gain government support.
• Develops and maintains effective professional relationships with influential clients and other relevant partners in connection with the specialist business area.
• Has a major direct responsibility for financial resources in relation to a whole service area on behalf of clients. Either in relation to a whole service unit or a financial activity with a significant broad impact across units. Responsible for ensuring effective spend and budget setting for the relevant unit/activity. Directly influences expenditure and policy through authoritative financial guidance and information provided to clients. Including long term financial planning affecting the nature, level and composition of expenditure to meet service requirements of the client.
• Is bound to give account for extremely large expenditures, contributing to the setting and monitoring of multi-million pound budget(s).
• Responsible for the computerised financial information on SAP for the relevant service areas. Accuracy and confidentiality are paramount, including ensuring staff managed handle this information appropriately.
• Supports equality and diversity and respects customers, clients and other members of staff regardless of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic origin.
• Remain up to date and compliant with all relevant organisational procedures, policies and professional codes of conduct in order to uphold standards of best practice. Additionally, to ensure team members remain up to date and compliant.

Role Demands
• The job requires some limited physical demands for working using a computer at an office workstation.
• The job requires concentrated mental attention for long periods of over an hour for various complex accountancy tasks often continuing one after another.
• The job may involve exposure to people or subject matter, which may occasionally place minimal emotional or environmental demands on the job holder.
• Initiative - Anticipates and resolves problems particularly those related to negotiating sound financial management with clients or the day to day management and direction of the team, making informed decisions on service provision. Makes recommendations to financial management decisions as the key specialist financial advisor to a complex and varied Portfolio or Service Group.

Level of Knowledge
• Thorough and authoritative understanding of technical theories, issues and related principles in a specialist professional area.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Excel and comprehensive knowledge of either SAP finance or equivalent IT finance package. Sound and accurate overall IT knowledge including Microsoft Office.

Qualifications and Professional Membership
• Relevant degree or equivalent qualification or experience which demonstrates that level of applied and theoretical knowledge, plus knowledge of the related systems, procedures and policies.
• Relevant chartered status of a professional body e.g. CIPFA or equivalent high level experience of involved practices.

Skills
Key skill 1
Excellent analytical skills in order to interpret complex and varied financial and/or performance information and develop practical l plans, strategies and budgetary solutions with an awareness of performance outcomes
Key skill 2
Strong problem solving and decision making skills with the ability to make sound pragmatic decisions that take into account the on-going impact on performance and resources.
Key skill 3
Strong customer focus with the ability to work as a key client contact and provide a professional service to meet their needs.
Key skill 4
Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with a range of high level clients and create and maintain effective
working relationships. Including the ability to challenge and influence clients to make financial decisions that they would not otherwise make, to promote understanding of technical information and to successfully advise and guide clients to make sound decisions which could have a significant impact.

Key Skill 5

Effective people management skills including performance management skills and the ability to provide direction and support to individuals and teams.

Key skill 6

Ability to adapt to changing situations in a measured and flexible manner in order to adapt the service provided to respond to changes in circumstances whether
legislative, structural, client related etc.
Ability to forward plan over the long term, making effective judgements in order to continuously develop and review the effectiveness of service and staff to meet deadlines and objectives.
Advanced technical skills in the use of MS Excel and good specialist use of SAP finance or similar financial database application for accountancy. Including the ability to perform complex financial calculations and manipulate statistics.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Significant experience delivering either a professional accountancy service with a high level accountability for resources on behalf of various clients. • Experience line managing staff and developing an effective team to work together to meet objectives. • Experience contributing to setting and monitoring budgets and plans for a specific service within a large organisation or for a small overall business.