Finance Manager

Job Description

Job title: Finance Manager

Bristol grade: BG15

Managed by: Business Partner

Responsible for: Group Accountants and Teams

Directorate: Resources

Service area: Finance

To provide financial advice and guidance to managers to improve business performance and the delivery of the corporate vision, priorities, and values. To take a proactive approach in managing and delivering timely financial and management accounting services including budgeting, medium- and long-term financial planning, project support, forecasting, in-year financial reporting (including the closure of the annual accounts) and control. Be an integral member of the finance management team, identifying, developing, and supporting opportunities and supporting opportunities and initiatives to transform the delivery of financial services across the Council including debt management and governance.

Provide a key consultative role in the strategic and operational development of wide-ranging services, drawing on the post holder's specialist expertise and provide confident and clear management to ensure the successful delivery of agreed objectives.

• To identify, develop and support opportunities and initiatives to transform the delivery of financial services across the council.
• To assist in the preparation of information for officers, elected members and the public in relation to financial issues and collaborate with external partners and agencies as required.
• To progress all the key internal and external financial documents for your respective area of the portfolio; in accordance with council procedures and delegated level of financial authority, having regard to recommended and mandatory professional accounting practices.
• To undertake appropriate development work as required in response to changing financial regimes, new government legislation and initiatives and to determine the financial implications of policy changes/decisions.
• To manage and motivate staff assigned to the post, ensuring robust management and supervisory practices are undertaken, learning and development proactively supported and to provide coaching and mentoring as appropriate.
• To be part of the finance management team, collectively finding solutions to ensure all matters arising are addressed satisfactorily and actions agreed to address any issues.
• Support and embedding culture of budget holder empowerment and delivery of value for money, including application of benchmarking.
• Leading teams on delivery of appropriate training and organisation-wide financial awareness and development.
• Provision of insightful predictive analytics, utilising, economic, social, and demographic data and commercial acumen to support business development and income improvements across the organisation.
• To lead on the co-ordination and production of the in-year monitoring reports, ensuring key monthly financial monitoring tasks assigned are achieved to a high quality, consolidating service finance business partner reports on a monthly basis and producing clear, high quality, easy to read corporate financial positions reports (both on a monthly exception and quarterly detailed basis).
• To lead on the collation of detailed revenue budgets including growth and transformation cost / efficiency programmes for inclusion within the council's budget and in line with the council's MTFP.
• To update and publish the annual budget monitoring timetable each year, briefing all service finance business partnering teams and ensuring service managers and director sign-off is achieved.
• To be responsible for the close management, support and development of junior staff across the team, which includes staff apprentices requiring coaching/mentoring.
• To be responsible for the management of resource allocation, maintaining the ability to plan for external support as needed such that any peaks and troughs of resource usage can be proactively managed.
• To work collaboratively with Business Partners and a range of accountants in the review and refresh of service based financial policies and plans (for example commuted sums) ensuring alignment with the financial framework, strategic objectives and at the same time promoting continuous improvement.

• Develop and support on the detailed revenue and/or capital budgets for inclusion within BCC's budget, in liaison with Heads of Service and Business Partners, and in line with the MTFP, Capital Strategy and transformation, efficiency programmes. Ensuring service managers/directors have a thorough understanding and acceptance of their detailed budgets through workshops and other similar processes.
• To acquire and maintain comprehensive service specific knowledge to support policy development as appropriate, working within and reinforcing the need for corporate governance and financial management best practice.

• To contribute to…