Head of Finance

Hays Senior Finance are proud to be partnering with Cheltenham Borough Council with the recruitment of a newly created Head of Finance position. Are you a motivated finance professional seeking your next career opportunity to shape your own team to support our Council to achieve its ambitious growth plans?

Cheltenham is an extremely ambitious Council – committed to becoming carbon net-zero by 2030 and the Cyber Capital of the UK all whilst continuing to support all their communities. Their aspirations are more than words – they have won national awards for their commercial approach as a Council and their Golden Valley development has recently been named in the Government’s National Cyber Strategy.

Following the Council’s recent organisational change to bring the housing services back into the Council, they are looking for a Head of Finance to bring together two finance teams previously working for separate organisations. Cheltenham is only one of two District Councils in Gloucestershire who still own their own housing stock and with the proposed changes to Local Government organisation and focus on affordable housing, this provides a unique opportunity to make a lasting difference to tenants and residents in the town.

Likewise, the general fund budget has successfully delivered over £4m of savings since the pandemic and as they move into a period of recovery, the focus is shifting to delivering the clear ambitions set out in the Council’s Corporate Plan. The team are dynamic, close-knit and passionate about the town and making a difference to the place they live. They are looking for an energetic individual who can work with senior leaders to build on our vision to provide continuous opportunities for the team and ensure that our Council is financially secure and sustainable into the next chapter of Local Government.

You will be responsible for:

• Developing and managing the finance team to ensure the provision of a high-quality, effective professional accountancy service, keeping yourself and the section abreast of developments affecting local government generally and professional accounting developments in particular.
• Overseeing the activity to co-ordinate the setting and monitoring of the Council’s HRA and General Fund revenue and capital budget, including preparation of reports for key Committees.
• Supporting the Deputy s151 Officer in the production and monitoring of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy.
• Leading on the delivery of the savings and reserves strategies, working across Council to ensure we meet the target savings goals for the budget each year.
• Provision and oversight of strategic financial advice, support and challenge to new commercial initiatives that are brought forward – challenging assumptions, setting and understanding of funding arrangements.
• Managing the business partnering team to support budget holders and service managers to monitor their budgets throughout the year, providing advice when decisions or changes to the budget are required.
• Overseeing the completion of key Government finance returns in line with the required timetable.
• Oversight of the monitoring and management of our capital loans and borrowings.
• Overseeing the year-end close-down process for the Council’s HRA and General Fund revenue and capital budget through to production of the Statement of Accounts and supporting the external auditors.
• Managing the Council’s capital and investment strategies; treasury management strategies & financial management policies and procedures.
• Providing ad hoc advice on technical areas such as VAT.

What experience will you need…

You will be a fully qualified accountant who has experience of providing advice and influencing senior stakeholders working in partnership with department heads. You will have extensive experience of producing written reports summarising financial information to inform Cabinet and Council decisions. With the recent changes within the council, experience and knowledge of the social housing sector and financing of housing development would be a preference but not essential.

You will be responsible for both the commercial and technical accounting teams and as such, will be responsible for formulating and implementing strategies, as well as have overall responsibility for the year-end close-down process and financial accounts preparation in line with the Local Government Code of Practice, including preparing working papers and liaising with external auditors.

What will you get in return:

Cheltenham Borough Council offers hybrid working arrangements and excellent benefits including flexible working, an outstanding pension scheme and access to their incredible staff networks. They are a progressive organisation and this is a progressive role with the opportunity to develop and grow. Cheltenham Borough Council is a great place to work and ensure that their communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking.

If you’re interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now. If this job isn’t quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.