Key tasks

• Lead the operational delivery of finance services that support the preparation of medium term financial plans, other statutory plans, annual revenue budgets, bids for the capital programme, providing strategic financial advice to support the development of the Children’s Services departmental budget strategy, ensuring that plans reflect statutory funding requirements.

• Lead and have oversight of the preparation of regular and timely reports on the financial performance of the Children’s Services department for consideration by the Senior and Departmental Management Teams, ensuring key performance indicators, risks and opportunities are clearly identified.

• Lead the operational delivery of finance services that support schools in their financial management, including the preparation of annual revenue budgets and medium term plans, financial reporting requirements, and, across the county, funding formula requirements.

• Contribute to the collective leadership of the Financial Management Team, promoting effective financial controls and procedures, encouraging best practice, broadening of skills, knowledge, and expertise, and supporting the continued professional development of all Finance staff.

• Ensure that arrangements are in place for the closedown of accounts at the end of each financial year in accordance with statutory requirements, accounting standards and good practice.

• Support the role out and embedding of the Council’s new financial system, ensuring the Finance team is proactively contributing, advocating the benefits, and fully engaging with services at all points.

• Remain informed of emerging and new legislation, major external and internal initiatives, specific grants and other funding streams, assessing the financial impact for Children’s Services, providing advice to senior managers and Heads of Service and ensuring compliance with relevant conditions.

• Deputise for the Chief Finance Officer as required and represent departments at meetings as required.

• Promote a culture of financial management which empowers budget holders and delivers financial services in a way that is supportive of and complementary to the strategic objectives of the Council.

• Develop links between the budget and non-financial performance levels including the identification of cost drivers and their relationship to expenditure and income.

• Manage and lead teams of staff by recruiting, training, and developing them through effective hybrid working, to ensure that agreed outcomes and targets are achieved.

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