Senior Manager (Financial Skills)

Location: Flexible, with UK travel required

Contract type: Permanent, full-time

Salary: Competitive, starting from £85,000 per annum

About IMPOWER

IMPOWER is the country’s largest independent management consultancy focussed exclusively on helping our public sector clients deliver on their ambitions. For us that means a focus on productivity, improved outcomes and financial sustainability. We hold a profound belief in the innate value of public services; a better public sector is the cornerstone of a better society.

IMPOWER help public service leaders produce lasting, positive change in complex systems. We exist because public services can be – and should be – improved. For us, improving public services is fundamentally about improving the lives of citizens. We have consistently demonstrated that performance can be improved and that this improved performance can be sustained, citizens’ lives made noticeably better and public services left more affordable, sustainable and resilient to manage future challenges.

IMPOWER is ambitious and growing! Strong financial understanding and analysis underpins our work, we are seeking colleagues who are ready for challenge, growth and opportunity over the coming years as we continue to scale the number of clients we enable to deliver on their ambition.

About the role

Our Senior Managers are responsible for the day-to-day delivery of our larger and more complex delivery projects, and use their expertise and EDGEWORK approach to make impactful changes that benefit our client’s needs. This role in particular will have a strong financial background in the public sector that enables them to support our teams and lead work that requires specialist financial skills.

This role will be part of the wider cohort of Senior Managers who are also responsible for drawing out insight from our projects to share across the business, and they generate ideas for how we can develop our offer and methods of change delivery. Our Senior Managers have some responsibility in supporting our senior team with relationship growth and account planning and sales.

Our Senior Managers are emotionally intelligent – and know how to develop and manage a team of exceptionally talented and high performing staff. They are responsible for the day to day and longer-term performance management of our project and internal teams, ensuring that our staff are trained, developed, retained, and well cared for.

About you

• Significant experience working in an engagement manager role within a Management Consultancy – with project delivery expertise focused on achieving enhanced outcomes, maximising financial value and organisational change.
• A qualified accountant or demonstrable depth of relevant experience and skills, with the ability to apply this knowledge at both a strategic and analytical level. CIPFA qualification is desirable
• Evidence of previous experience in the management and delivery of complex, long-term projects, within resource constrained environments to achieve demonstrable impact
• Experienced in managing senior client and account relationships, with the ability to manage resistance and challenge to build consensus.
• Experienced in supporting business development and account growth, with an understanding of the sales process and commercial considerations.
• Experience of public sector consulting, with a deep knowledge of local government, social care, health and / or housing
• Evidence of strong emotional intelligence, with a clear understanding of how to work in values-based organisations and environments.
• Ability to in develop and manage high performing teams, achieving effective results, applying the appropriate management style according to individual needs.
• Commercial mindset with a clear understanding of the commercial requirements of running a consulting business, their contributions in supporting these and in ensuring consulting staff are delivering against their commercial responsibilities
• Must be comfortable with nationwide travel and be prepared in some cases, to stay overnight local to client site.

About the responsibilities

Project delivery

• Responsible for managing larger, complex delivery projects across local government and/or health, ensuring clear plans are in place and milestones achieved according to client expectations and contractual requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple projects across different service areas or clients, delivering on budget and at a high quality, as demonstrated through client feedback.
• Understand the conditions of success required to deliver complex change and drive out impact (financial and outcomes), supporting the Delivery Director and Director in ensuring clients respond to these.
• Manage a team of delivery consultants (including associates), ensuring clarity about individual roles and collective targets, developing a collaborative culture to achieve client goals.
• Direct delivery of financial strategy work related to areas such as MTFS and Local Government reorganisation, or client business cases.
• Support and advice to colleagues on how to approach areas of work that require financial skills.

Relationship management

• Manage multiple client relationships, being recognised by various stakeholders as a trusted advisor (including Directors of Resources and their deputies, Directors of Adults and Children’s Services, Delivery Directors and relevant senior leaders when working in health or other sectors).
• Delegate relationship management across delivery teams appropriately, ensuring clear stakeholder plans support project delivery with clarity on relationship ownership.
• Support and coach delivery teams in client relationship management, adopting an agile approach to solving challenges and using relationships to advance delivery positively.
• Ensure the Director and Delivery Director are included in key stakeholder meetings and briefed on project delivery and any risks to driving impact.
• Build collaborative relationships across the company, utilising others\’ expertise to support successful project delivery and account growth and sharing your own.

Team management and development

• Demonstrate understanding of their own development needs and identify and undertake learning and development accordingly.
• Effectively manage consultancy staff in director teams, setting clear performance objectives that support development.
• Provide coaching and development to consulting staff, including new recruits and internally promoted staff, ensuring smooth transitions into the business or new roles.
• Be seen as approachable and set delivery standards across the business, ensuring they are clear, understood, and delivered to a high quality, achieving impact.

Internal business development

• Understand the commercial activities required to ensure projects are delivered on budget, to time, and staff complete appropriate commercial reporting.
• Share impact and insights from projects, recognising where and how this can support new sales and business growth.
• Contribute to the success of our work in Financial Sustainability and support the development of new value propositions. This includes advocate for IMPOWER’s work, including through networking, social media, and blogs to increase the IMPOWER brand.
• Develop strong understanding of IMPOWER’s EDGEWORK methodology, improving methods and coaching staff on how to apply them.

Personal development

• Use self-awareness, reflection, and 360 feedback to establish clear personal development objectives.
• Seek assistance from colleagues when facing new challenges and situations.
• Proactively address areas requiring improvement as necessary.
• Share individual strengths with teams and colleagues to foster personal growth and development

About our offer

• Competitive salary, with a personal and company-based performance bonus
• 28 days annual leave (+ bank holidays), with buy/sell/rollover scheme
• Pension scheme
• Life assurance and Income Protection
• Medical and Dental Insurance
• Gym Subsidy contribution, including to online fitness subscriptions
• Parent, guardian, and carer friendly policies
• Regular training and development opportunities
• Paid volunteer/CSR days
• Regular team socials and celebrations (even virtual ones!)

About our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At IMPOWER, whilst we are committed to being an equal opportunities employer – our commitment to facilitating a safe, inclusive working environment doesn’t just stop at an Equality and Diversity Policy.

We are an organisation that is actively working towards anti-discrimination of any kind against race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, religious belief, parental or carer commitments, marital status or civil partnership. We do this through our DEI strategy, constant review of our policies and procedures, via our recruitment processes, and training and development of our staff.

We have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme and we are committed to ensuring our application and interview processes are inclusive for all candidates. Please email people@impower.co.uk if you have any questions or require any adjustments.