Director of Financial Planning and Performance

Cardiff University is recruiting a Director of Financial Planning and Performance, working within the central Finance Team. The role will:

• Provide strategic leadership and professional expertise for a portfolio of finance activities University-wide.
• Support the Chief Financial Officer in delivery of the University's financial strategy and take the lead in allocated areas of the wider function.
• Provide leadership, direction and management of staff within the financial planning and performance section.
• Deputise for the Chief Financial Officer both in their absence and as the delegated professional in allocated areas of responsibility.

The post is full time (35 hours per week) and open ended. Salary: Senior Staff Band 1 £76,188 - £94,729 per annum.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

The postholder will:

• Lead the development of financial planning and ensure that this is clearly and effectively communicated to academic and professional service staff at all levels of the University.
• Lead the University's annual budget and quarterly forecasting processes and internal allocation of funds.
• Work in collaboration with the Strategic Planning team to deliver the Integrated Planning Process long terms financial plans and the corresponding submissions to Medr.
• Lead the financial monitoring for investment, research and project spend, including tracking efficiency savings versus business case targets.
• Lead the preparation of monthly management commentary and variance analysis that delivers actionable insight for the University's management teams.
• Lead the Heads of Finance to support each College and Professional Services appropriately so that managers across the institution understand and 'own' their numbers and receive analysis that prompts, informs and supports effective decision making.
• Gather evidence to assess the costs, benefits and risks of a wide range of delivery options when making decisions, and provide advice which helps secure value-for-money (VfM).
• Develop and prepare income pipeline analyses which act as reliable indicators of shortfalls in income and/or areas of expansion so that growth and contraction can be managed effectively by the University.
• In conjunction with the CFO and other senior leaders, lead on the strategic planning of the Finance Department and provide professional challenge, support and advice in order to balance client needs, operational priorities and University financial requirements.
• Manage the annual operating budget.
• Use insight and analysis from internal and external sources (e.g. TRAC/Benchmarking Reports, HESA etc) to drive improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and economy across the University.
• Lead process improvement across the budgeting and planning processes.
• Work with the other managers in the Finance function to identify gaps in the provision of information to users, inefficiencies in business processes and/or opportunities relating to improved functionality of the core finance systems.
• Act as lead on reporting to Moody's rating agency.
• Support the CFO in relation to oversight of the Cardiff University Pension Fund (CUPF) and Cardiff University Pension Scheme (CUPS) as required in order to minimise risk to the University and maximise the value of the schemes.
• Support the CFO in matters relating to the University Superannuation Scheme (USS) including consultations and dialogue with the scheme with the aim of minimising risk to the University and maximising the value of the scheme.
• Responsible for the continuous development of your team's IT systems, and the associated processes to deliver robust management information, a more efficient service to departments and greater use of integrated IT systems.
• Liaise closely with Internal and External Audit to ensure compliance with agreed recommendations from both internal and external audit reports.
• Provide active management and strong leadership for your team including recruitment, supervision, training and development of all staff.
• Provide active and visible leadership for a programme of staff engagement.
• Coordinate relevant departmental communications, both within the team and to internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain appropriate senior working relationships on an individual and functional basis.

Additional Information:

• Prepare reports and attend/present at University Executive Board, Finance & Resources, Investment & Banking and Audit Risk committees as required.
• Support the Chief Financial Officer as required across a range of roles and projects - both in their absence but also on a range of initiatives and developments that are appropriate to the seniority of this role. This may include chairing committees and working groups, management of complex HR issues and leadership and co-ordination of projects that cut across the institution.

Person Specification:

• An exceptional, qualified accountant (ACMA, CIPFA, ACCA, ACA) with significant post-qualification experience, ideally at Director/head of FP&A or similar level.
• Strategic capability, able to understand the wider business context and to add value to strategic decisions.
• Experience in leading and managing a team including experienced and qualified accountants.
• Demonstrable ability to manage people and to bring the best out in them.
• Strong numeracy, analytical and decision support skills, with the ability to be able to identify and interpret trends and improve financial forecast data.
• Evidence of building trust based relationships with senior managers throughout the organisation.
• Enthusiastic, self-confident approach.
• Empathy with the aims and objectives of the University.
• Commitment to providing a high level of service to both students and university staff.
• Hands-on. Must have a good eye for detail, but also be able to step back and see the bigger strategic picture.
• Excellent leadership and management skills including the ability to motivate staff.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (written and oral) and influencing skills.
• Must be able to communicate and present to a wide reaching group of stakeholders.

• Experience in the HE sector or related sector with a significant regulatory framework.
• Understanding of, interest in and affinity for higher education - its teaching, research and enterprise activities.
• Activity Based Costing processes.
• Familiarity with Oracle's E-Business Suite software.
• Knowledge of legal and policy frameworks in which universities operate.
• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.