Hybrid: Strategic Finance Partner – Forecasting & Planning in Leeds

Contract type: one permanent vacancy and one 15-month fixed-term contract vacancy

Hours: 37.5 / week

Salary: circa £70,000 depending on experience

Location: Leeds (LS1 4HR)

WFH policy: Employees are required to attend the office 2 days/week

Flexible working: Variety of flexible work patterns subject to line manager discretion e.g. Compressed 9-day fortnight.

Reports to: Lead Finance Manager (Finance Operations)

Deadline Note: We reserve the right to close the advert before the advertised deadline if there are a high volume of applications.

Role Summary

The Finance Business Partner reports into the Lead Finance Manager (Finance Operations) within the Finance Operations side of the team.

To oversee planning and budgeting processes within LCCC and ESC. The role will work closely with the Finance Reporting Manager and stakeholders throughout the business and externally to ensure that LCCC has appropriate funding to meet its objectives. In the last two years, LCCC has established a large technology hub and this role will work closely with other internal teams to ensure the team maximise.

The Finance & Procurement department is responsible for settlement operations, managing the settlement service provider, monthly reporting to management and DESNZ, the annual report and accounts in IFRS and is part of DESNZ’s consolidation. In addition, the Finance department provides regular updated forecasts, forecast cash flows for HM Treasury, an annual budget which is subject to public consultation and is a key contributor into the companies’ long term strategic planning process, and also oversees that all procurement activity is compatible with Managing Public Money guidelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and document forecasting process and financial models which are driven by funding source providing the business tools for assessing new business and strategic opportunities and that agreed funding is sufficient for work plan.
• Preparation of the annual forecasts (opex and capex) used for company KPI's for LCCC and ESC.
• Business partnering with HoT and budget holders on financial planning and presenting actuals as required by individual teams.
• Deliver effective management reporting to the management and the Board (including quarterly report) on financial performance with insights regarding variances to forecast, causes and future trends.
• Manage the budget cycle for preparing multi-year levy budgets and all consultation documents.
• Develop and manage a rolling 2 year rolling forecast process and longer term financial outlook.
• Manage relationship with Strategy and Business Development teams to ensure alignment and efficiently support the annual business plan process and scheme impact assessments.
• Work with Talent Acquisition team and People team on resource plans and Finance approvals of new roles.
• Lead relationship with DESNZ Policy and Finance teams around future funding.
• Work with the Reporting Manager on overhead charging key to ensure forecasts remain reflective of actual observations.
• Collaborate with the Finance Reporting Manager on developing an overhead charging key ensuring alignment with process of posting actuals.
• Manage the forecast submission to DESNZ.
• Provide insight and input into the financial reporting commentary included in monthly reports.
• Work with internal tech Teams and Sage provider to implement automation and efficiencies in forecasting process.
• Support and deputise for the Reporting Manager when required.
• Ad hoc work arising within the team.
• Strategic workforce planning - Finance representation on the development and then running of strategic workforce planning.

Skills Knowledge and Expertise

Essential:

• A fully qualified accountant with recognised body with significant years PQE.
• Advanced Excel skills with experience of financial model building with multiple dimensions (e.g. cost centres and “business units”/schemes or similar).
• Experience and demonstratable management and collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience of delivering improvements to a forecasting process through use of technology and documenting all processes.
• Good influencing skills and stakeholder management (able to keep all relevant parties informed of objectives and plans and get their input and buy- in.)
• Proactive and will be able to supervise and coach more junior members of staff if required.
• Extensive working knowledge of an ERP system.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of a backend coding language (e.g. Python or R).
• Experience of visualisation tool (e.g. SQL, PowerBI, etc)