Head of Financial Planning and Budget Analysis

c. £71,000 per annum

Job description

Job Title: Head of Financial Planning and Budget Analysis

Reports to: Chief Finance Officer

Department: Finance

Job family: Finance

Grade: 3

Pay scale: c. £71,000

How this job always shows how Action for Children works:

By providing leadership and expert insight to the management accounting functions, to utilise financial and business partnering expertise to provide advice and coaching to regional Finance Managers and play a key role in ensuring appropriate standards and practices for financial management are adopted across the organisation. To develop and apply organisation wide standards for transactional processes, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and Credit control are developed and applied.

By doing what's right for children, doing what's needed, and doing what works:

By supporting the CFO in developing the long-term financial strategy and being responsible for the implementation of the current year’s financial strategy through the financial management process.

By supporting the CFO to coordinate the financial budgets, forecasts and plans (short, medium and long term) to deliver the strategy and obtain the best return for our investment plans.

By leading the production of meaningful and insightful monthly management accounts and business analysis reports. Regular controls with internal customers to help forecasting and monitoring of risks and opportunities to support budget delivery.

By coaching and developing Finance management and operations teams to empower them to lead and take responsibility for Finance across Action for Children.

By being a trusted advisor to the Chief Finance Officer, attending meetings / taking over representing and leading special projects as required.

By role modelling collaborative working, promote the establishment of strong working relationships between the team and key stakeholders across the organisation

By providing professional leadership to the team, ensuring high professional standards, continuous development with clear career paths

By leading on the development, implementation and improvement of standard Finance processes and controls to ensure that these are consistent with Lean methodology and enable the monitoring of organisational performance against key performance indicators.

Prepare models to reflect the business activities and carry out simulations and what if scenarios.

Take the lead in preparing the nations and divisional budgets and forecast before consolidating them in forming the organisation budgets and forecasts.

Monthly evaluation of actual performance against budget / forecast and provide comprehensive reports with relevant explanation.

Ensure effective posturing arrangements in place and deliver a positive customer experience.

By managing a team and ensuring effective application of Action for Children policies and procedures

What we require from all our staff to do what's right for children, do what's needed, and do what works:

By demonstrating a commitment to Action for Children’s defining statement, ‘keeping the child at the centre’, and to promote and incorporate Action for Children’s Participation Standards as appropriate to your role.

By achieving the highest standards of safeguarding, whether through direct care provision or support activities to the children and young people who come into contact with our services, or by appropriately reporting concerns about any child or young person.

By promoting Equality and Diversity strategy locally including linking with local equality and diversity frameworks to ensure promotion of best practice and to inform and develop appropriate action plans.

By demonstrating a willingness and ability to operate within a constantly changing environment and as such work priorities and targets may change.

By recognising that management reserves the right to make reasonable changes to the job purpose and accountabilities.

By undertaking such other duties that occasionally arise, which will always ensure that Action for Children will do what’s right, what’s needed, and do what works for children.

By working cross functionally with other departments and countries to ensure that Action for Children’s Values are delivered.

By ensuring familiarisation and compliance with Health, Environmental & Safety policies and procedures. In the event of any serious risk, take immediate action to reduce this risk and inform senior management.

Ability and process record of working to tight time targets and delivering quality reports and outputs as required.

Job dimensions:

Number of direct line reports: c.2
Overall staff responsibility: c.20

What you need to demonstrate to do what's right for children, do what's needed, and do what works:

Qualifications:

CCAB qualification or equivalent.
Significant post qualification experience in a relevant environment.

Experience and training:

Strong track record of financial and business modelling, planning, analysis and monitoring performance.
Proven experience of presenting financial and management accounts, reports and business analysis data.
Significant experience of senior level business partnering and liaising with senior leaders and directors.
Significant experience of managing financial processes departments and delivering consistent improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and customer focus.
Proven track record of coaching, mentoring and problem solving to achieve required financial outcomes.
Proven track record of managing teams through change.

Skills / knowledge:

The ability to motivate, manage and develop staff to better meet the needs of the organisation.
A good knowledge of the reporting, legal and tax frameworks within which we operate and how we can deliver that, with sufficient understanding of details points to know when specific expert advice is required.
The ability to understand issues, break them down into their constituent parts, and to identify root causes and lead team-based problem solving sessions to identify and implement appropriate solutions.
The ability to provide constructive challenge and opinion.

Other attributes:

Managing the application of diversity policies to bring about positive change

Core behaviours:

Live the Values: Embrace, respect and follow AFC values.
Build Relationships: Build and maintain strong working relationships; communicates in an engaging manner with customers, colleagues and service-users.
Take Ownership: Take responsibility for matters within our remit and take the initiative.
Plan & Organise: Plan and organise time in order to deliver high quality results on time, and to budget.
Develop Expertise: Passionate about enhancing knowledge, skills and behaviour.
Embrace Positivity: Have a positive, enthusiastic and healthy approach to work.