Financial Strategy Lead in Leeds

Is this the next step in your career? Find out if you are the right candidate by reading through the complete overview below.

£65,714 per annum (pay award pending) - Grade 11

Leeds / Hybrid Full time - 37 hours per week

Closing date – 22 February 2026 at 11:55pm

Please note that the Combined Authority will consider requests for part-time working and/or job share.

We currently have a vacancy for a Financial Strategy Lead to join our Finance Team. The Financial Strategy Lead is a pivotal leadership role responsible for setting the strategic direction of our financial planning, reporting and resource allocation. Leading a team of two, you will provide insightful challenge and expert advice to senior leaders, ensuring that financial strategy is robust, evidence based and aligned to long term organisational priorities. You will oversee the full budgeting, forecasting and management accounts cycle, shape the effective use of complex multi-year funding streams, and support sound decision making across both operational and capital programmes.

This role offers an exceptional opportunity to make a meaningful impact in an organisation committed to driving prosperity, sustainability and inclusion across West Yorkshire. As a member of the Finance Management Team, you will help influence organisation wide direction, champion continuous improvement, and play a visible role in shaping how we work in partnership with Directors, Members, and external stakeholders. With significant scope to innovate, develop your team and strengthen financial capability across the organisation, this is a career defining opportunity for a confident, strategic finance leader who is passionate about collaboration, performance, and delivering value for our region.

Our Offer

• Work your way – From flexible and agile working options, including a generous flexi-time scheme to help you balance your personal life and career.
• Time to recharge – Enjoy 28 days of annual leave (with increases based on length of service), plus all Bank Holidays.
• Free greener travel across West Yorkshire – Cover your commute sustainably with unlimited free bus and rail travel using the MCard (Zones 1–5).
• Secure your future – Benefit from a highly competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Investing in you – Take advantage of fully funded professional development, regular training, and up to 3 paid volunteering days per year.
• Grow with us – Incremental salary progression for most roles and annual cost of living increases.
• Family first – We offer enhanced parental and bereavement leave, plus other family-friendly policies to support you when it matters most.
• Your wellbeing, our priority – Access 24/7 free confidential counselling services and the Headspace app for you and up to 5 family or friends.
• Modern workspace in a prime location – Work in bright, contemporary offices just a 2-minute walk from Leeds Train Station, fully equipped with the latest tech.

This post is subject to vetting clearance. Due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement that the successful applicant will be subject to relevant vetting checks at the appropriate level and any job offer will be conditional subject to successful vetting clearance. Applicants should be aware that it is not possible to make meaningful vetting enquiries in many jurisdictions outside the UK. Vetting clearance cannot therefore be granted if the applicant has not been resident in the UK for the relevant minimum period and comparable vetting enquiries cannot be made in jurisdictions where the individual has been residing. The relevant periods are three years for NPPV 1&2 and five years for NPPV3.

The Role

• Lead the organisation’s medium‑term financial strategy, providing expert insight and strategic guidance to senior leaders to support effective resource allocation and long‑term planning.
• Oversee the full budgeting, forecasting and management accounts cycle, ensuring high‑quality financial reporting and meaningful insight that drives performance and accountability.
• Inspire, develop and lead a high‑performing finance team, championing collaboration, strong governance and a culture of continuous improvement.

About You

• Qualified accountant (CCAB or CIMA) with a relevant degree‑level qualification and substantial experience in financial strategy, budgeting, forecasting, and management reporting within a complex, multi‑year environment.
• Proven leadership experience managing and developing multi‑functional finance teams, driving performance, and leading change.
• Strong strategic, analytical and communication skills, capable of translating complex financial information into clear advice for senior leaders and political stakeholders.
• Expert knowledge of financial governance, capital and revenue budgeting, and statutory reporting, with experience supporting audit and ensuring compliance with regulations.
• Collaborative and influential approach, with the ability to build strong relationships, constructively challenge, and model organisational values including a commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

To Apply

If this sounds like your next role, please complete the application form and tell us within the supporting statement why you would be a great fit for our role and how your skills, knowledge and experience align with the requirements under the ‘About You’ section of the advert and criteria within the Role Profile. Please visit our Advice for Candidates webpage and review the guidance on this page for support in completing your application form.

Further Information

The Combined Authority is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better outcomes. We welcome applications irrespective of people's age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro divergent.

Under the Disability Confident Scheme, applicants with a disability are guaranteed an interview, subject to the minimum criteria being met. Please note that whilst it is our policy to recruit at SP1 for all appointments, which is the salary stated above, each role includes career salary progression, with incremental increases applicable in most cases on an annual basis.