About the Role
and our Ideal Candidate
As our Senior Finance Business Partner, you will act as a critical friend to the Council, delivering insightful financial analysis to support business improvement and change. Working closely with two Strategic Finance Business Partners and the Head of Financial Planning and Business Partnering, you will provide financial management support and advice to service areas across the core financial cycle of budget setting, budget monitoring and closing of the accounts.
Key responsibilities include:
1. Provide high quality senior finance business partner support to revenue and capital budget managers to deliver the Medium Term Financial Plan and approved budget proposals
2. 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
3. Support and challenge services to manage key financial risks and play their part in protecting the financial health of the Councils
4. Act as an enabler for your service areas, proactively seeking opportunities to add and preserve value, whilst supporting the S officer to fulfil their statutory responsibilities by providing a “S perspective” to service decision making
5. Support the SFBP and service managers in working with partner organisations such as Council owned companies, schools, health partners and the voluntary sector
Our Ideal Candidate
We are seeking a lead professional with an innovative and commercially astute mindset. You will have a proven ability to interpret complex financial information and the credibility to challenge and influence senior stakeholders.
The ideal candidate will have:
6. A completed relevant professional qualification (e.g. CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA) or demonstrable equivalent experience.
7. Experience delivering finance advice within a large and/or complex organisation.
8. Experience providing advice and challenging budget managers.
9. Experience developing an in-depth technical understanding of complex financial issues to support financial planning.
10. Experience supporting Children’s Social Care and/or Education and SEND services.
If you are ready to take a leading role in shaping our financial service and inspiring your colleagues, we encourage you to apply.
Hybrid Working
Thursday is the current whole team day in the office. There is no current requirement to work more than one day in the office unless services that we support require the Business Partner to meet in person. However, we reserve the right with notice to vary this to support work of the team (such as potential to increase office days around closing, etc).
Early Application
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
About Us
This role is in the Financial Planning and Business Partnering (FPBP) team within the Shared Finance Service (SFS). The SFS for Sutton and Kingston Councils has the ambition to ‘Add value, inspire success’, which it does through the following objectives:
11. Translate business intelligence into business success by delivering clear professional advice and insight.
12. Safeguard the financial health of our Councils.
13. Empower our customers to manage their finances.
14. Learn, improve and exceed; supporting each other to develop our talent and achieve more.
The FPBP team has 18 roles and is brimming with talented individuals. This vacancy, supporting Children’s Social Care, Education and SEND services, is a great opportunity to join a high performing team and work alongside brilliant colleagues.
Whilst this is a team within the SFS, the team and this role only support Sutton Council.
Our Offer To You
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:
15. A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-31 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
16. Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
17. Two volunteering days per year
18. Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
19. Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
20. Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
21. Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
22. Interest free season ticket loans
23. Local Government Pension Scheme
24. Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
25. Zip car scheme
26. Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support