The Shared Finance Service ambition is to add value, inspire success and this role is part of the Shared Finance Service (SFS) team collectively responsible for delivering SFS activities to realise this ambition.The role provides financial support and advice to budget managers across both Councils, with the aim of enabling them to manage their budgets in a challenging financial environment.

The postholder will mainly support at least one of the service areas of the Councils and will partner and collaborate with colleagues across the Shared Finance Service to provide seamless finance support to our customers.Working closely with the Senior Finance Business Partners and the FE&A Team Leader, 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.

You will also act as a critical friend to the business and provide insightful financial analysis to support business improvement and change.

Representative accountabilities

• Deliver advice and guidance in broad area of expertise to ensure customer needs are met.
• Identify and implement improvements in own work area in order to deliver continuous service improvement and improved outcomes to customers.
• Regularly communicate with internal customers to share information and build working relationships to support collaborative working.
• Keep up to date with changes in relevant policy and legislation to ensure delivery in own work area is effective and complies with appropriate regulations/statutory guidance.

Budgetary accountabilities

• Support and advise budget holders across Sutton and Kingston Councils in day to day financial management
• Challenge and support budget holders to manage within limited and reducing resources

Specific accountabilities

• Provide high quality professional advice and support to budget managers
• Translate financial and business activity data into insightful analysis, supporting budget managers with their in year budget monitoring and medium term financial planning. This includes utilising key internal business systems and external data sources
• Understand and help embed compliance with core financial management process and contribute to the continuous improvement of these processes
• Help identify development needs in relation to financial management and strategies to meet these needs including training for new budget managers.
• Work in close partnership with Senior Finance Business Partners in supporting business strategic vision into operational success
• Have a detailed understanding of finance processes with an aim to spread this knowledge to services to enable self sufficiency.
• Provide financial support to projects and business change
• Support core financial processes and activities, including financial planning and budgeting, financial management and monitoring activities, and financial year end processes
• Provide support and advice to budget managers carrying out financial operational tasks.
• Proactively contribute to identify improvements in customer support and processes
• Provide line management to one or more Apprentices on a rotation basis as required

Role Profile - These roles provide a broad service that set policy and provides advice to support and assure all of the council's day to day activities. They gather information required by other groups to make strategic decisions and translate this into corporate policy and strategic advice. They have little or no direct accountability for outcomes; however, what they are accountable for is the quality of advice they provide to business leaders.

At the lower levels, these roles tend to focus on research and analysis and the interpretation and implementation of policies. At the higher level, role holders set strategy, develop policy and provide assurance across the Council more broadly.

Role Profile - Details Specific to Grade These roles will have accountability for achieving clearly specified and measurable results either personally or through the leadership of a team. Will be dealing with complex problems and issues within the boundaries of technical or professional skill and knowledge. Will make recommendations on procedural improvements and other initiatives to enhance team performance.

Roles requiring a level of professional expertise to assure a standard or provide expert advice to others.

Essential Knowledge and Experience

• Proven ability to analyse and interpret financial and non-financial information and communicate in a clear and concise manner.
• Proactively seek to develop and improve how the team and the SFS as a whole operates.
• Excellent IT skills including MS excel and Google apps
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with finance and non-finance professionals
• Understanding the operational context of Local Authorities
• Ability to prioritise and manage own workload in light of competing priorities and tight deadlines
• Experience supporting budget managers through the core finance processes of budget setting, monitoring and closing of the accounts.

Desirable Knowledge and Experience

• AAT, CCAB or CIMA part qualified/qualified or demonstrable equivalent experience of
• operating at that level.
• Ability to undertake financial evaluations including value for money tests and options appraisals using a range of decision making techniques

Capabilities and Behaviours

• Flexible approach to working across the Finance Engagement & Advice team and across the wider Finance community. The postholder will be expected to work flexibly across both Councils.
• Be open to challenge and change
• Adaptative approach as resources will be pivoted to meet competing demands
• Creative approach to problem solving and improving delivery of finance services

If you are interested in this role please send your updated CV .