Senior Finance Business Partner - REQ001115

Job title: Senior Finance Business Partner / Senior Finance Manager

Salary: £49,764 to £52,805

Grade: PO6

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds City Council - Civic Hall 1-2 days a week with hybrid working offered.

Leeds is made up of 812,000 people - from a diverse range of backgrounds, speaking over 175 different languages. A city with a unique geography - a vibrant urban centre surrounded by towns, villages and more rural areas, each with their own distinct history and character. We are proud to be a welcoming city, where our rich culture and diversity is celebrated and accessible for all. Every person in Leeds counts and should have the opportunity to contribute their strengths to Team Leeds. Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees and we seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

As a Senior Finance Business Partner or Senior Finance Manager in Financial Services, you’ll thrive on working in a professional, enthusiastic and supportive team, who care about making a difference through high quality service delivery and continuous improvement.

We are seeking to appoint two individuals: a Senior Finance Business Partner to work in teams delivering support to directorate services and a Senior Finance Manager to support the strategic finance function to the Council.

About you

As a Senior Finance Business Partner / Senior Finance Manager:

You can build credible, collaborative relationships with senior officers and other stakeholders, understanding their needs but providing challenge where needed.
You have good analytical and communication skills and use these to present clear financial information and options to decision makers.
You can work independently to solve problems, and plan and prioritise your work to meet deadlines.
You can lead a small team of Finance Business Partners / Finance Managers helping them to focus on the priorities and motivate them to fulfil their full potential
You have a good knowledge of core finance processes required for a Local Authority
You hold a relevant CCAB qualification or equivalent and have experience of working at a senior level within a finance setting

We are looking for two enthusiastic and proactive individuals to join us as either a Senior Finance Business Partner or a Senior Finance Manager in our highly regarded Financial Services team.

About the Senior Finance Business Partner role:

You will work closely with a portfolio of services, providing high quality financial information and advice, using your business acumen to help senior leaders develop innovative transformation solutions.

You will be expected to build and manage strong relationships with Chief Officers who deliver front line Council Services, supporting them in developing, delivering and monitoring robust budget plans as well as providing professional guidance on sound financial management.

About the Senior Finance Manager role:

You will work closely with senior finance staff, senior officers and members and support them with the development and monitoring of the annual Budget and the Medium Term Financial Strategy, provide financial performance information and advice and work with colleagues to ensure compliance with statutory financial requirements, using your knowledge of these core processes in local government or in other sectors.

You will be expected to build and manage strong relationships with Finance colleagues, senior officers and members, supporting them in developing, delivering and monitoring robust budget plans as well as providing professional guidance on sound financial management.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

We have a strong track record of helping people develop their Finance careers, alongside our commitment to improving diversity and wellbeing. In addition to training, development and mentoring, employees can also gain experience in our different Finance teams (the job description for this vacancy shows two different roles at the PO6 grade and reflects this flexibility).

You can also take advantage of our various flexible working patterns including our ‘hybrid’ working model. Staff within Financial Services at present have the option to work both in the office and from home, with an average of 1-2 days worked from the office a week depending on business need.

How to apply

Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 2^nd February – with in-person interviews scheduled for Thursday 13^th and Friday 14^th February 2025.

To give yourself the best chance of being shortlisted for interview, please ensure you describe how you meet the essential requirements for the role, using appropriate examples where appropriate.

Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. Read our guidance for further advice.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the roles, please contact either:

Naomi Eastwood, Head of Finance - Strategic
Alun Ellis, Head of Finance (supporting Adults and Health directorate)

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2024. We are also an age-friendly employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job purpose

Working either as part of a team providing a comprehensive financial management service to directorate-based and/or school-based senior officers or working as part of Corporate Finance, the post-holder will model the Council’s values and behaviours in order to help us achieve our ambition of being the best council in the country.

By helping make sure that financial information is placed at the heart of decision-making, the role plays an important part in ensuring that the council is both enterprising and efficient.

The Senior Finance Business Partner/Senior Finance Manager will support the delivery of transformational projects within the financial management service, managing their area of service and/or leading on projects/initiatives to ensure that costs, benefits and risks are fully evaluated.

The post-holder will take the lead on providing financial guidance, support to major projects and other transformational initiatives within a directorate that require a high level of financial support.

Reporting to a Head of Finance, the post-holder will directly line manage a small number of Finance Business Partners/Finance Managers in the delivery of a range of financial services including:

Provision of expert operational and strategic financial advice and management information to officers and members in order to support effective decision-making.
Collaboration with directorate senior officers and budget-holders to produce:

Annual revenue and capital budgets.
Budget Action Plans and Contingency Plans.
Timely and accurate in-year budget monitoring reports and financial health reports encompassing both revenue and capital budgets.
Service Plans/Business plans incorporating ‘rolling’ medium term financial forecasts that align with directorate operational plans and priorities.

Provision of financial information and analysis to support investment/disinvestment decisions and the development of complex business cases and service reviews
Promoting the efficient and effective stewardship of assets and resources, for example by supporting directorate-based senior officers to implement the recommendations of Internal Audit
Preparation of financial information required for the year-end accounts and preparation of other financial returns

Responsibilities

Manage a small number of Finance Business Partners/Finance Managers delivering a range of financial support services to a Directorate or a corporate finance function
Support the Finance Leadership Team to embed a strong culture of performance management
Display excellent customer focus and emotional intelligence, effectively role-modelling the Council’s core values and behaviours expected of senior managers
Develop and maintain professional working relationships with members and directorate-based/school-based senior managers, fulfilling the role of ‘Trusted Advisor’ and challenging and influencing operational decision-makers to ensure that financial considerations are placed at the heart of decision-making
Oversee the application of a risk-based approach to the monitoring of a range of capital and revenue budgets and monitor/assess the effectiveness of the approach
Work with directorate-based senior officers and school leaders to build a culture of accountability and strong budget management
Co-ordinate month-end/year-end financial processes and reporting in line with organisational deadlines
Ensure there is appropriate alignment between directorate Service Plans and Medium Term Financial Plans
Provide strategic financial advice and guidance to elected members and senior officers, representing the financial management service at Directorate Leadership Team meetings as and when required
Evaluate existing service provision taking into account feedback and broader external developments, to ensure innovative solutions are proposed to maximise service quality, efficiency and continuity
Work with finance staff to identify and apply cost effective means of delivering improvements to business processes

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Hold a relevant CCAB qualification or equivalent and have experience of working at a senior level within a finance setting
Evidence of continuous professional development

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with good negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners / professionals
Advanced problem solving and analytic skills
Ability to work in cross functional teams to deliver projects and support the development of complex financial business cases
Ability to develop effective working relationships with members and directorate-based senior managers and other finance professionals to ensure business and financial objectives are met
Ability to operate effectively in an environment of volatility, ambiguity, uncertainty and complexity and recommend practical solutions
Ability to identify ways of improving financial systems and of being able to evaluate and support the financial needs of long term/large scale projects
Be able to attend and actively participate in key project boards within a Directorate or on a cross cutting council theme.
Able to supervise and motivate staff
Up to date knowledge of current financial and accounting developments
Thorough understanding of core financial business processes including budget planning, budget monitoring, reporting and closure of accounts
Thorough knowledge and understanding of the specific financial and business context facing a service directorate
Have an understanding of and be able to support the implementation of new technology
Understanding of managers’ responsibility for health and safety
Experience of working at a senior level in the finance function of a large organisation
Experience of leading, developing and motivating teams including the identification and delivery of improvements within the finance service, managing risks, conflict and changes appropriately
Experience of successful coaching, mentoring and developing staff
Experience of working in cross functional teams to deliver projects
Experience of working with non-finance teams and shared services to influence them to implement best financial working practices

Essential Behavioural and other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Be aware of and be able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety.
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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