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Strategic Finance Business Partner
Residents & Communities and Corporate Services Directorates

£56,646–£65,478 per annum

£67,812 unconsolidated maximum achievable through performance related progression in line with our annual appraisal process

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The residents and communities directorate provides a number of the Council's universal services including waste and recycling, leisure, climate change, registrars, libraries, culture and heritage and customer services, whilst corporate services provides the core corporate functions of the council across Finance, HR, Digital & IT and Governance & Law. A number of our corporate services are shared with Sutton so you would work closely with your counterpart in the Sutton Business Partnering team for those areas.

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Brief Description of job role and department

The Shared Finance Service ambition is to add value, inspire success and this role is part of the Shared Finance Service (SFS) team collectively responsible for delivering SFS activities to realise this ambition.The role provides direct support to the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering.


The post holder will provide strategic financial business partnering support to the corporate core and front line service areas of the Councils. The post holder will be required to act as a critical friend to the Council, delivering useful analysis and insight that informs strategic decision making and drives strong financial management across the Council. The post holder will support the management of financial risk to protect the financial health of the Council and to ensure financial planning is robust and aligned to Council priorities. The post holder will work as part of the Senior Leadership Team of the service to provide inspirational leadership and drive cultural change to ensure the service reflects the INSPIRE values and achieves excellent outcomes.

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Representative accountabilities

  • Apply professional judgement to interpret and apply policies and procedures to meet specific local or service needs.

  • Provide day to day management and professional supervision to staff to ensure operational plans and activities are delivered effectively.

  • Provide assurance that the Council’s operations are being conducted within defined regulatory, statutory and professional standards.

  • Lead small projects and implement changes and improvements within agreed cost, time and quality standards.

  • Where relevant manage service level budgets and resources in order to support the delivery of intended outcomes and demonstrate value for money.

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Budgetary accountabilities

  • Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to lead and coordinate medium term financial planning for the Council’s revenue budgets

  • Support and advise senior budget holders to manage financial risk and protect the financial health of the Council

  • Challenge and support budget holders to manage within limited and reducing resources

  • Provide line management and budgetary control over a team of 1-5 FTE’s

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Specific accountabilities

Leadership & Management

  • Take a proactive role in providing inspirational leadership to the finance team as part of the Senior Leadership Tier of the shared finance service

  • Provide direct line management of 1-5 staff to support the area of the business you are allocated to as Strategic Finance Business Partner

  • Support staff development through coaching and mentoring across the service, helping to fulfil the Shared Finance Service ambition of growing our own talent

  • Play an active role in Council leadership networks and lead by example to embed corporate values and beliefs

 

The post holder will be assigned as either a corporate Strategic Finance Business Partner, or as a service directorate Strategic Finance Business Partner. The functional responsibilities for these 2 areas are as follows:​

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Service Directorate SFBP

  • Lead and manage the provision of business partner support to one or more directorates, ensuring team resources are targeted towards managing key financial risks and opportunities

  • Provide direct support to one or more Council directors, enabling them to play their part in protecting the financial health of the Council and supporting them to deliver robust financial management in their service areas

  • Support the development of the Medium Term Financial Plan and take responsibility for ensuring service budget proposals are challenged and tested to ensure they are realistic, viable, and based on commercially sound assumptions

  • Support the creation of detailed budget estimates for your service areas ensuring these are aligned to the published MTFP

  • Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to prepare budget reports, analysis, and budget options for consideration by senior officers, Members and Council committees

  • Respond to consultations and assess the financial impact of new legislation as required

  • Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to align financial plans to service policies and strategies, and to develop a strong understanding of the Council’s financial position and associated challenges across the Council and external stakeholders

  • Co-ordinate the completion of statutory returns or ad hoc requests for information relating to Service budgets

  • Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders both internal and external, taking a proactive role in relevant professional networks and information forums

  • Deliver excellent strategic business partner support to Council services to:

     - provide high quality professional advice and support to budget managers, delivering useful insights and translating business intelligence into business success
     - support core financial processes and activities for revenue and capital budgets, including financial planning and budgeting, financial management and monitoring activities, and financial year             end processes
     - support and challenge services to manage key financial risks and play their part in protecting the financial health of Kingston Council
     - Add value to the Councils as effective business partners
     - Act as the service gateway to the Shared Finance Service ensuring stakeholders have appropriate access to high quality professional advice and expertise from across the Shared Finance                 Service

  • Work collaboratively with corporate Strategic Finance Business Partners to ensure key financial risks to the Council are appropriately reflected in medium term financial plans and strategic business partner resource is targeted towards the management and mitigation of these risks

  • Act as an enabler for your service areas, proactively seeking opportunities to add and preserve value, whilst supporting the S151 officer to fulfil their statutory responsibilities by providing a “S151 perspective” to service decision making

  • Support the directorate management team for your service areas to oversee implementation of budget proposals and provide updates for inclusion in medium term financial plans in light of new and emerging financial issues

  • Provide high quality professional advice on the financial implications of service proposals and draft financial comments on Committee Reports to inform decision making

  • Lead on the development of a SFS culture that encourages challenge and empowers finance staff to challenge services to deliver more from their financial resources by testing the status quo and seeking improved outcomes

  • Empower staff to fulfil their potential and create interesting & varied career paths through effective apprenticeships and training schemes and supporting individuals to gain relevant financial qualifications

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Person specification

(knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours required in the role)

Essential Knowledge and Experience

  • Completed a relevant professional qualification that supports delivery of functional responsibilities (e.g. CIPFA, CIMA, MBA etc) or demonstrable equivalent experience of operating at that level.

  • Experience of working within a business partnering model and/or the ability to demonstrate an awareness of what is required to deliver the outcomes of the model

  • Experience of working alongside senior managers in a Senior Finance role

  • Experience of working within a finance team which is customer focused

  • Experience of delivering strategic finance advice within a large and complex organisation

  • Experience of providing advice and challenge to budget holders, managers and Finance colleagues.

  • Experience of leading or providing financial support to change programmes and business improvement initiatives, or development of corporate strategy

  • Experience of developing in depth technical understanding of complex financial issues to support financial planning

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Desirable Knowledge and Experience

  • Educated to Degree Level

  • Experience of delivering a Finance service within a shared service or to multiple organisations simultaneously

  • Experience of HRA Budgeting activities

  • Experience of successfully managing or providing strategic business partner support to stakeholders in a large and complex organisation

  • Experience of developing expertise in non financial subjects to support customers

  • Experience of leading or supporting transformation and change initiatives

  • Experience of supporting a wide range of organisational initiatives through the finance function, including partnership working, major contract award, local authority trading companies (LATCs), shared services and other alternative delivery models (ADMs)

  • Experience of working directly in a strategic capacity with Councillors or elected officials

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Desirable Knowledge and Experience

  • Experience of successfully delivering customer engagement activities or business partnering in a large and complex organisation

  • Experience of developing expertise in non-financial subjects to support customers

  • Experience of interpreting complex or detailed legislation, policy or strategy documents to identify financial implications and deliver insight

  • Experience of developing or contributing to medium term financial plans and strategies

  • Knowledge and experience of relevant service areas or corporate financial management

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Capabilities and Behaviours

  • Strong numerical and analytical skills with ability to provide detailed and accurate information at pace with little oversight

  • Capability to work independently, making decisions and taking responsibility for resolving issues

  • Ability to interpret complex or detailed legislation, policy or strategy documents to identify financial implications and deliver insight

  • Ability to manage conflict or competing objectives to deliver creative and innovative solutions that contribute towards achieving corporate priorities

  • Strong performance management capabilities

  • Ability to develop strong working relationships and establish personal credibility with a wide range of stakeholders both within and outside of the Council

  • Flexible and agile approach to work that focuses on achievement of outcomes and high quality services that meet customer needs

  • Enthusiastic and empathetic approach to coaching, mentoring and inspiring colleagues using high levels of emotional intelligence to achieve high standards of personal and team performance

  • Creative approach to problem solving and improving delivery of finance services

  • Commercially astute mindset that is open to change and embraces innovation

  • Open and adaptive approach to leadership, taking personal responsibility for achieving success for the Shared Finance Service

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Mandatory accountabilities/requirements for all LBS staff

  • Ensure all health and safety standards are adhered to for the relevant work area

  • To carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Council’s Core

  • Values and Equality and Diversity Policy and all other Borough and departmental policies and procedures

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Other Key Details:

  • 32 days annual leave + bank holidays

  • 36 hours/week (flexible/part-time considered)

  • Hybrid working – Kingston office as main base

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