Finance & Commercial, Head of Strategic Finance

As the post holder, you will be responsible for the Department's strategic financial reporting and strategy.
You will provide Senior Finance support and build effective business relationships using your specialist financial skills.

Client Details

This Department is here to help make Britain the world's most creative, connected and exciting place to live, visit and do

business.

The Department works to make sure the communications, creative, media, cultural, tourism, sport and leisure economies have the framework to grow and have real impact on people's lives.

Creating conditions for growth by removing barriers, providing strategic direction and supporting innovation and creativity.

Description

This post would particularly suit an individual with an interest in strategic financial management, an eye for detail and the ability to present complex financial issues in a readily understandable format.

The post-holder will lead a team of six, ensuring that the team operate collaboratively and effectively to deliver a consistent and high quality service.

• The primary function of this role is to provide consolidated, risk-based financial reports to key decision makers such as the Executive Board and Ministers. By managing the monthly process for collating, reviewing and quality assuring the group management accounts for the Department and its ALBs. Ensuring the accuracy of the information provided through liaison across the teams, with ALBs and the Treasury as necessary
• Prepare monthly risk-adjusted forecasts and prepare the monthly financial management report for presentation to the Executive Board to the agreed timetable.
• Working with others, maintain the group's medium term financial plan, adjusting for known risks and work with the Deputy Director and Director of Finance and Commercial to update and put into effect the Department's financial strategy.
• Draft, consult on and present submissions on the financial position (and other matters as necessary) to the Board, its Sub-Committees, the Permanent Secretary and Ministers as required.
• Manage the team who is responsible for the smooth running of the secretariat function for the Departments Finance Committee and Investment sub-committee
• Manage the Departments estimates processes working closely with all areas of finance and the Treasury spending team to ensure that the correct outcome is achieved for the Department.
• Lead the development of a new financial analytics and insight function for the Department. This is a new function for the team that has a small number of resources and is in its early stages of development.
• Lead for the Finance Team on the co-ordination and quality assurance of information and other financial evidence to feed into major fiscal events - Autumn Budget, Spending Reviews, etc. Another team will be responsible for leading the Department's Spending Review but the post-holder will be the Finance Team lead.
• Provide an oversight and quality assurance function for all financial information that is reported by the Department. This will include monthly and quarterly Treasury and Cabinet Office returns as well as data published as part of the transparency agenda. Liaise with other government departments and internally as necessary to ensure requests are reasonable

Profile

Successful applicants will need to display the following essential skills for this post:

The successful post-holder will have an interest in strategic financial management, be able to understand and communicate effectively with others (including non-financial managers) on a broad range of technically challenging financial matters, taking into account the needs of the

business. They need to be an experienced, successful finance professional with a solid history of delivery. They will work well and flexibly in a team and be able to work independently, progressing matters within their remit sensibly and without supervision while keeping others informed of

progress. The successful candidate will need to be able to engage credibly with senior officials in the Department as well as with peers across government and Finance Directors in our Arm's Length Bodies

Job Offer

You will be working in a focused and leading Department within central government. People are at the heart of the Department's success and it's important that all staff feel valued. In the 2017 Civil Service People Survey, the Department achieved an overall staff engagement score 10% higher than the Civil Service average.