At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial strategy and provide insights to drive efficiency and value for money.
- Company: Dynamic local government organisation focused on community development.
- Benefits: Competitive daily rate, professional growth opportunities, and impactful work.
- Other info: Join a collaborative team dedicated to making a difference in public service.
- Why this job: Shape financial decisions that directly benefit neighbourhoods and communities.
- Qualifications: Strong financial management experience and ability to influence senior leaders.
The predicted salary is between 49500 - 60500 £ per year.
Reports to: Director of Neighbourhoods
Location: London
Experience dependant: £550–£700 per day inside IR35
Role Purpose
To provide strategic business, financial and commercial leadership across the Neighbourhoods directorate, ensuring resources are effectively managed and aligned to Council priorities.
The postholder will act as a trusted adviser to the Director, providing strong financial insight and challenge, coordinating business planning and performance, and driving savings, transformation and value for money.
The role will work closely with Corporate Finance and Finance Business Partners while ensuring financial management is embedded in operational decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic financial and commercial advice to the Director and Neighbourhoods leadership team.
- Maintain oversight of revenue and capital budgets, forecasts, income, savings, pressures and financial risks, working closely with Finance Business Partners.
- Challenge financial assumptions, expenditure and forecasts and ensure emerging pressures are identified and addressed early.
- Lead and coordinate the directorates savings and efficiency programme, identifying opportunities for cost reduction, income generation and improved productivity.
- Develop and critically assess business cases, options appraisals and financial models for investment, transformation and service change.
- Bring together strong finance, performance and operational information to give the Director a clear view of directorate performance, risks and priorities.
- Coordinate directorate business planning, ensuring resources and service plans are aligned with Council priorities and the Medium Term Financial Strategy.
- Provide commercial challenge on contracts, commissioning, procurement and service delivery to secure value for money.
- Maintain oversight of key business and financial risks, governance requirements and delivery of agreed actions.
- Support and challenge Heads of Service to improve financial management, performance and accountability.
- Work collaboratively with Finance, Procurement, Legal, HR, Transformation and other corporate teams on cross-cutting priorities.
- Act on behalf of the Director on agreed business, financial and performance matters and ensure key decisions and actions are followed through.
Person Specification
The successful candidate will have:
- Significant experience of financial management, budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis in a complex organisation.
- Strong financial acumen, with the ability to interrogate financial information, challenge assumptions and identify risks and opportunities.
- Experience of developing business cases, financial models and options appraisals.
- A strong track record of identifying and delivering savings, efficiencies, income or service improvements.
- Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of value for money.
- The ability to translate complex financial and operational information into clear recommendations for senior leaders.
- Strong influencing skills and the confidence to provide constructive challenge at senior level.
- Experience of business planning, performance management, transformation and/or service improvement.
- Strong political and organisational awareness, ideally gained within local government or the wider public sector.
Desirable: A recognised professional accountancy qualification (CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA or ACA), or equivalent substantial senior financial management experience.
Key Outcome
A financially sustainable, commercially focused and well-managed Neighbourhoods directorate, with the Director and leadership team receiving clear financial insight, robust challenge and high-quality business information to support effective decision-making.
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