Location
Cardiff
Job Summary
Are you an inspiring leader with a passion for public service and a proven track record in financial stewardship, commercial excellence, and economic insight?
Can you champion high-performing, inclusive teams, empower colleagues to develop their skills, and drive continuous improvement across Finance, Commercial, and Economics functions?
Do you thrive in dynamic environments where you can balance compliance, innovation, and value for money to deliver impactful results?
Companies House has an opportunity for a Director of Finance and Commercial, to provide strategic leadership and management of all financial, commercial and economic actives.
Playing a critical role in the UK economy, Companies House is making the UK a great place to start and run a business. As an executive agency of the Department of Business and Trade, the data on their registers informs business decisions, combats economic crime, drives corporate transparency and supports growth.
Companies House offers a flexible and welcoming culture that promotes a healthy work life balance as well as a proactive approach to wellbeing that allows us to be our best at work. We recognise that people are the key to our success so offer a fantastic benefits package including flexible working with no core hours. generous holiday entitlement as well as enrolment into the Civil Service Pension scheme with a contribution rate averaging 28%.
Job Description
We are recruiting for a Director of Finance and Commercial, to lead our critical agenda at Companies House. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible and accountable for shaping our strategic approach to financial stewardship, commercial excellence, and economic insight. You will oversee our Finance, Commercial, and Economics teams, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compliant professional services and advice aligned with our corporate objectives.
As a visible champion for inclusive, high-performing teams, you will empower colleagues to develop their skills, collaborate effectively, and continuously improve the efficiency and impact of our operations. You will be the figurehead for risk management, corporate assurance, and financial governance, representing these functions at Executive and Board level and providing trusted strategic direction.
To succeed in this role you will need to be a highly collaborative and forward-thinking leader with a passion for public service, robust governance, and the judgement to balance compliance, innovation, and value for money in a dynamic environment. If you are motivated by the opportunity to make a lasting impact and help shape the future of Companies House, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Companies House offer a workplace that values diversity, wellbeing, and teamwork and you will work with and lead brilliant colleagues dedicated to driving innovation and making a meaningful impact to the UK economy and the people who live and work here.
Person specification
You Will
* Lead and support the Finance, Commercial, and Economics functions, in their delivery of effective professional services and advice, ensuring organisational compliance with legal requirements, government controls and functional standards, supporting delivery of corporate objectives.
* Champion visible and inclusive leadership, inspiring high performance and ensuring the functions have the skills, experience, and capacity to support Companies House’s (CH) objectives.
* Serve as: (i) lead Executive for Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, (ii) full Main Board member, (iii) accountable Executive for risk management and corporate assurance, reporting to the Audit Risk and Assurance Committee, and (iv) Chair of internal committees including Finance and Investment Committee and Commercial Assurance Panel.
* Act as corporate guardian for departmental budgets, efficiency targets, and the protection of the Accounting Officer, ensuring compliance with Managing Public Money.
* Provide strategic financial guidance to the Chief Executive and Executive Team, based on sound financial planning, analysis and business partnering that supports corporate objectives and enables the business to deliver robust spending review bids and fee reviews.
* Promote and sustain effective financial probity, governance, accountability, and internal controls.
* Ensure timely delivery of annual report and accounts and other government and departmental reporting.
* Continuously improve the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of financial operations and finance systems.
* Drive value for money (VfM) and evidence-based decision-making across the organisation, ensuring costs, benefits and risks of priority investments and decisions are effectively weighed up
* Enhance the organisations’ commercial acumen and business focus, embedding effective procurement and commercial strategies aligned with best practice.
* Build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders across government to manage risk and ensure sound financial, commercial and investment decision-making, including representing CH and working collaboratively at all levels of Government.
Essential Criteria
* Senior leadership of finance in a complex organisation (ideally public sector).
* Delivering strong financial management and value for money.
* Leading and motivating multi-disciplinary professional teams through change.
* Strategic planning and influencing at board level.
* Building and maintaining broad, diverse stakeholder relationships.
* Developing and delivering the strategic direction of a complex organisation.
* Promoting operational and professional excellence.
* Strong, visible, and inclusive leadership at board level.
* Strategic analytical and critical thinking.
* Excellent communication of complex financial concepts.
* Pragmatic problem solving and business insight.
* Ability to manage multiple priorities in a demanding environment.
* Negotiation and influencing skills in complex, ambiguous environments.
* Sound risk management approaches and judgement.
* Influencing strategic planning confidently, clearly, and credibly.
* Comprehensive knowledge of financial control, reporting, assurance, and performance management.
* In-depth understanding of Managing Public Money and government functional standards.
* Knowledge in managing complex, high value and high-risk. procurements across a range of categories/sectors, as well as in new and emerging markets.
* Understanding of commercial, procurement, and economics functions (in a public sector context).
* Full professional accountancy qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent).
* Evidence of continuing professional development.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Leadership
* Seeing the Big Picture
* Making Effective Decisions
* Communicating and Influencing
* Managing a Quality Service
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £81,000, Companies House contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
We believe that our success is driven by the well-being and satisfaction of our team members at all levels of the organisation. At Companies House we’re committed to providing a comprehensive benefits package that goes beyond the ordinary, ensuring your career journey with us is not only fulfilling, but also rewarding. We pride ourselves on offering a quality work-life balance with our employee wellbeing being central to our working practices.
For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below.. #J-18808-Ljbffr