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Finance Director

£107,402 per annum

Grade  |  JNC Chief Officers (CO3)

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Directorate  |  Finance & Investment

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Accountable to  |  Chief Operating Officer

Purpose

The purpose of this role is to provide lead professional expertise and ensure that the Council gets the advice and support that it needs. The role will also provide assurance that the Council’s resources are used in the best interests of citizens.

Accountability

The post is accountable for making a strategic contribution by taking the lead in the effective management of the financial affairs of the Council by providing high quality financial information and advice to the Council, it’s elected members, its officers and partnerships and is designated as Deputy 151 Officer.

Specific Accountabilities of the Role

  • Ensuring the financial affairs of the Council are managed in an efficient, economic and cost-effective manner in accordance with the obligations placed upon the Council under Section 151 of the 1972 Local Government Act.

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  • Providing strategic leadership and direction to council’s financial function in support of the delivery of the Council’s vision and objectives

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  • Ensuring the proper administration of the Council’s financial affairs maintaining standards of financial integrity and financial control.

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  • Championing a focus on high standards of financial management and efficiency in the delivery of all Council services, maximising organisational value for money.

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  • Leading the Finance Directorate by ensuring cohesive plans are produced which specify outcomes, resources allocated for their achievement, performance measures and standards to be achieved and to underpin this plan with a performance management system involving all staff across the following services: 

    • Corporate Finance    

    • Systems Accounting and Development        

    • Departmental Accounting and Financial Support

    • Treasury management

    • Pensions administration and fund management

    • Risk & Insurance

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  • Leading on financial transparency ensuring stakeholders and the public have full access to a range of meaningful financial data upon which they can hold the Council to account and encourage innovation and the promotion of new ideas

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  • Identifying innovative financial solutions to ensure the affordable delivery of new or existing Council services in line with the Council’s budget and financial rules, working closely with Strategic Directors across the Council. 

  • Taking a leading role in the development and implementation of the Council’s medium term financial policy and budget strategy and other relevant financial strategies including those for the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Pension Fund.

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  • Leading on the production of the Council’s statement of accounts and group accounting requirements, to ensure all statutory deadlines are met and an unqualified audit opinion is received. 

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  • Developing a corporate business case appraisal methodology, enabling ideas that emerge through the Ambition 2020 programme to be rigorously assessed in terms of their financial viability and impact.

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  • Actively seeking and progressing ways to improve the financial health of the Council including commercial partnerships and subsidiary companies.

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  • Ensuring effective mechanisms are in place for the delivery of financial objectives and monitoring of commercial ventures with early identification and mitigation of financial risk.

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  • Managing external financial relationships with the external auditor, Government Departments and, where necessary, City Institutions in order to maximise the Council’s local discretion over its financial affairs.

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  • Ensuring that effective systems are in place for the provision of timely, high quality, financial information and advice.

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  • Ensuring that the Council has effective systems and processes in place for the prompt billing, efficient collection and proper accounting in respect of all debtor income.

General Accountabilities and Responsibilities 

  • Providing leadership for defined expertise/professional disciplines to ensure that the Council accesses best practice and delivers quality outcomes for customers.

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  • Providing guidance and support to Elected members to help them translate their political priorities into initiatives that deliver the intended outcomes for residents.

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  • Leading the development of policies that will support the delivery of corporate strategies and plans.

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  • Managing significant delegated budgets and resources on behalf of the Council, ensuring they are used in a way that demonstrates value for money, a focus on delivering intended outcomes and compliance with statutory and financial regulations OR have a major influence/impact on how resources in the Council are prioritised and allocated.

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  • Leading strategic, Council wide programmes and projects ensuring they are managed and controlled effectively and deliver their intended outcomes.

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People management

 

  • Ensure that staff assigned (directly and indirectly), understand the priorities, objectives and policies of the Council, Service and Division and are able to successfully implement decisions. 

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  • Responsible for setting clear objectives for these staff, and annually review performance against these objectives.

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  • Responsible for staff management and supervision including recording absence and carrying out return to work interviews, employee appraisals, and managing performance etc

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  • Ensure that staff are updated on matters that may affect them, including Council policies etc and that they comply with it’s requirements including the completion of mandatory training an in relation to. managing information and data protections.

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  • Make sure that full confidentiality is respected by all staff.

 

Customer Care

 

  • Provide services that are fair and accessible to all, challenging existing practices that support the traditional culture and promote the Customer First proposition across the Council.

 

  • Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, the Council Constitution, Financial Rules, Employees Code of Conduct and other requirements of the Council.

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  • Promote the development of a high quality individual need led service, to comply always with the Council’s policies and procedures, particularly those regarding Data Protection, Equalities and Diversity and Health and Safety.

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  • Ensure compliance with and actively promote the Council’s Equalities and Diversity policies and strategies.

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  • Ensure compliance with and actively promote Health and Safety at work legislation, Council and Service H&S policies and procedures.

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  • Comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) (all employees of the Council will not disclose or make use of, for their private advantage, any information held on manual or computer records, which are not available to the public, however acquired).

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  • Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, the Council Constitution (including Contract Rules, Financial Regulations and Rules, Employment Procedure Rules, Employees Code of Conduct), Information Security Policies, Social Media Policy and other requirements of the Council.

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  • Comply with the competencies and standard requisites agreed by the Council as relevant to your post.

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  • Take responsibility for continuing self-development and participate in training and development activities.

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  • Ensure high standards of record management and assume responsibility for all information assigned to the post

Person Specification

A = Application Form   I=Interview T = Test    P = Presentation   R = References

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Education Qualifications  

 

  • CCAB Qualified Accountant. [ A ]

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  • Educated to degree level, or extensive relevant experience. [ A ]

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  • Management qualification or extensive training [ A ]

 

Knowledge  

 

  • Detailed understanding of Local Government Finance, Partnership funding, private finance and other new sources of alternative funding [ A, I ]

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  • Understanding of how local government works and the major influences and challenges it faces [ A, I ]

    
Experience    

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  • Experience of acting as Deputy Section 151 Officer [ A, I ]

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  • Experience of working with a large pension fund and investment strategy [ A, I ]

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  • Track record of delivering change in a large, complex, multifunctional organisation, with reducing resources [ A, I ]

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  • Extensive experience of developing and engaging stakeholders in the development and delivery of business strategy [ A, I ]

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  • Able to be a credible advocate on behalf of the Council and community [ A, I ]

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  • Experience of working with a Board or elected members at both informal and formal levels including policy development  [ A, I ]

 

Personal Qualities, Skills and Abilities 

   

  • Passionate about delivering high calibre Finance [ I ]

 

  • Have strong verbal and written communication skills that you can tailor to the needs of the audience [ I, P ]

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  • Able to deliver rigorous professional challenge, whilst maintaining productive relationships with colleagues [ I ]

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  • Deliver [ A, I, R, T ]

    • I know what’s expected of me as a Barking and Dagenham leader and manager

    • I take responsibility and ownership for creating the right conditions for my team to follow my example

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  • Respond [ A, I, R, T ]

    • I am relentlessly reliable. I set high standards, encourage improvement and support my team to achieve high levels of performance

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  • Inspire [ A, I, R, T ]

    • I understand how the council is working to change the borough for the better and communicate this with my team in a meaningful way so that they understand the part that they play

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  • Value [ A, I, R, T ]

    • I encourage my team to learn, grow, develop and collaborate with others to achieve their potential

    • I take pride in my work, am a role model to others and lead my team

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  • Engage [ A, I, R, T ]

    • I am visible and accessible. I listen and recognise a job well done

    • I empower my team to challenge the way we do things, so we improve services and new kind of relationships with our residents and customers.

This is a politically restricted post in accordance with Section 2(1) (b) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

  

The above mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the postholder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Line Manager within the grading level of the post and the competence of the postholder.

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