Finance Manager

Finance Manager x 7
£52,722-£64,422 pa

Newham is a vibrant inner-city borough with excellent transport links to the rest of London and South-East England, including Kent, Essex, Surrey and Middlesex. Proud to be home to one of the youngest and most diverse cultures across the country; 72% of the borough's population are from BAME communities, contributing to 220 languages being spoken in the area.

The Council's Finance Department is changing and we are now recruiting to a number of roles for professional accountants experienced at this level and looking for a fresh challenge or candidates with relevant experience looking to progress to the next stage of their career.

The Finance Manager will play a key role helping shape and embed our new finance service as we embed a new ERM system (Oracle Fusion), and use this to improve financial management & control, and accountability across the organisation, and enable effective proactive financial planning. We have a number of roles available at the Finance Manager level, across Strategic Business Partnering and Strategic Finance, all focussed on ensuring finance and organisational transformation is delivered efficiently and effectively, at speed.  

You'll oversee the strategic, financial reporting or partnering activities of one of our front-line services or support the overall financial reporting and planning corporately. Whether your focus is on Housing, Environment, Resources and People, Policy & Performance or Corporate Financial Strategy, you’ll be expected to fuse innovation, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability into everything you do.

We are looking for innovative individuals who can lead by example and help build a sustainable, highly effective, service that delivers exceptional support for one of our front-line departments or the council as a whole.

As a Finance Manager supporting the directorates you will be the key contact for senior stakeholders including Corporate Directors and Heads of Services. You will provide professional counsel to colleagues and partners. As a Finance Manager for Financial Strategy you will work with finance/non-finance stakeholders across the council to develop corporate reporting capability and help develop the Medium Term Financial Strategy. In turn, you'll inspire your staff to deliver value for money, develop opportunities and embed commercial practices.

With a new leadership team and a collective ethos of improvement, we want to forge a new path at Newham. Ultimately, this is about making everyday life better for over 350,000 people across the borough, as well as millions of workers and visitors. You’ll introduce more robust planning, find new revenue streams – and help us invest further in our resident-centric services.

We are looking to recruit 7 Finance managers in the below areas:

Inclusive, Economy & Housing (including HRA and Regeneration) x 3 Positions

·       Provide specialist advice, accounting, financial challenge and guidance for the Housing Revenue Account

·       Deliver sound financial modelling as part of our 30 year business planning

·       Develop robust long term financial forecasts and sustainable budget plans for the HRA

·       Co-ordinate all areas of regeneration, including the Council’s Housing related companies and partnerships. 

·       Assist in the delivery of the Councils aspirational housing ambitions

·       Develop and maintain modelling and forecasting tools to manage Temporary Accommodation

·       Coordinate and maintain all S106 and CIL records for effective decision making

·       Lead a small team proving a full range of finance services to the Housing Department and senior leadership, including Cabinet Members. 

Environment and Sustainable Transport x 1 Position

·       Lead a small team, providing a full range of finance services to the Environment and Sustainable Transport Department and senior leadership, including Cabinet Members. 

·       Provide specialist advice, accounting, financial challenge and guidance to Environment and Sustainable Transport Department

·       Drive effective budget planning, monitoring, and month end-reporting in the service

·       Deliver strategic finance advice including development of modelling and forecasting tools for Parking and other areas of Environment and Sustainable Transport.

·       Support and challenge corporate directors to ensure financially sustainable delivery in line with MTFS requirements

·       Ensure application of financial procedures, decision governance and other internal controls.

Resources & PPP x 1 Position

·       Lead and develop a small team and provide specialist advice, accounting, financial challenge and guidance for the Resources & People Policy and Performance Directorates, working directly with the 2 Corporate Directors and their teams.

·       Drive effective budget planning, monitoring, and month end-reporting in the service.

·       Support and challenge corporate directors to ensure financially sustainable delivery of corporate objectives.

·       Ensure application of financial procedures, decision governance and other internal controls.

·       Develop sound financial modelling to inform development of business cases including option appraisal, funding bids, procurement financial evaluations models, equitable corporate recharges, etc.

·       Work collaboratively across finance to develop systems, processes, reporting and cross cutting approaches.

·       Provide strategic business advice to the various services supported:

o   Resources: Council Tax & Benefits / Strategic Investment / Property / Finance & Transformation

o   People, Policy & Performance: Policy & Communications / Resident Engagement & Participation / Corporate Governance / Change & Insight / Resident Services & Business Support

Financial Strategy x 2 Positions

·       Lead and develop a small team and work with colleagues across finance including capital, treasury, and business partnering to develop the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy including the forecasting of the Council’s Key areas of Income including Council Tax, Business Rates, and Government Grants, horizon scanning and developing scenario modelling in light of continued policy and funding uncertainty.

·       Support the development of modelling to understand and inform the Councils response to national/regional issues relating to funding such as Comprehensive Spending Reviews, Local Government Settlements, business rates pooling etc. and support production of consultation responses.

·       Work closely with colleagues across finance to Co-ordinate the annual budget setting cycle to ensure timely development of a transparent and sustainable budget aligned to delivery of high quality services meeting Council priorities, ensuring members are presented with evidenced options for savings and investment to inform decision making.

·       Work closely with colleagues across finance to co-ordinate and deliver effective budget monitoring and reporting.

·       Ensure consistent application of financial procedures, decision governance and other internal controls.

·       Work collaboratively across finance to develop systems, processes, reporting and cross cutting approaches.

Successful applicants will be fully CCAB qualified with significant post qualification experience. You will have experience manag ing change and be c