Senior Finance Manager (Fully Qualified Accountant)

The role

We're now on the lookout for an experienced Senior Finance Manager with a passion for coordinating the setting and delivery of a balanced budget and MTFS. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to develop, manage, and provide both strategic and operational finance and accountancy support, ensuring the efficient delivery of services across a diverse range of areas.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide senior financial accountancy services offering detailed analysis and informed advice through an expert finance lens.
• Play a key role in setting the council’s budget and MTFS and reporting on its delivery
• Lead a team of accountants supporting financial planning for the organisation and for two service departments
• Ensure integrity of financial information and compliance with legislative requirements, corporate objectives and best value are successfully achieved.
• Production of all relevant statutory accounts, operational budget streams, budget forecasting, risk management, and resource allocation.
• Manage financial targets, departmental business programmes, and performance reporting.
• Support the Senior Management Team (SMT), offering valuable finance insights to ensure the success of our corporate objectives.
• To take the lead role on relevant financial issues at regular Finance Department meetings.

How will you make an impact as our Senior Finance Business Partner?  

• You will be a qualified accountant (CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, or ICAS).
• An adaptable Senior Finance Manager, with a strength of presence to lead, blended with a passion to engage and advocate a cost saving mind-set.
• Previous Corporate accountancy experience with knowledge of Local Government or Public Sector processes.
• Proficiency in financial reporting, analysis, and decision-making skills.
• You will have a passion for building and delivering a cost-conscious-aware culture blended with a balanced pragmatism.
• Able to create robust processes, structures and systems to improve change management.
• A natural problem-solver who can embed strong financial principles and controls within a critical support role.
• This role offers flexible home working blended with travel into our London Bridge HQ

Additional salary details

The salary range for this position is: £ £56,271- £69,990

Benefits and more information:

• Training and development programmes, uniquely tailored to your interests
• Standard hours, 36 hours Monday – Friday, may vary, occasional evening meetings may be required
• Hybrid working arrangements available subject to business needs
• Generous 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and rising to 37 days having met criteria
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Job share potentially available

For more detail on benefits, please visit: https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

The Council’s Professional Finance Services (PFS) division provides accounting and financial advisory and support services, however we're not just about numbers; we're about supporting and transforming lives and communities. Our multifaceted portfolio is made up of around 50 members of staff arranged in a ‘hub and spoke’ model with three departmental finance teams and a central ‘corporate finance’ team.

About Southwark Council

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

If you're ready to take on a dynamic and rewarding role where your expertise will directly contribute to the betterment of our community becoming an asset to our team who are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of our residents then apply now and let's create a brighter future together!

Recruitment timetable

Closing Date: 29th September 2024 at 23:59

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Interview Date: Week commencing 7th of October 2024

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council. 

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Attachments

• Please see Job Description and Person Specification