Finance Business Partner

About The role: The postholder will provide short‑term, senior financial business partner support to the Council’s wholly owned companies. The role is required on an interim basis to complete a defined package of work over a 3‑month period, focused on strengthening financial planning, commercial assurance and governance arrangements.

• Refreshing and updating the energy company’s medium‑term financial business plan, including financial forecasts, assumptions and supporting narrative. This will include reviewing and challenging the financial model underpinning the business plan, identifying key risks, sensitivities and mitigation actions, and clearly articulating implications for the company and the shareholder.
• Undertaking a full end‑to‑end review of the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the Council’s companies and Gateshead Council, assessing scope, cost allocation, charging mechanisms and value for money.
• The role will require significant autonomy, strong commercial and financial judgement, and experience of operating at a senior business partner level within complex organisational or commercial environments.

Business Partner/Group Accountant. Overall provision of professional, financial advice and information to relevant Group and Service management teams, senior management groups and officers to support the strategic financial planning process and enable Services to demonstrate financial sustainability and effective management of financial resources.

• Understanding of a public sector financial and non-financial control, assurance and governance environment.
• Strong awareness of political sensitivity and diplomacy.
• CCAB qualification or equivalent.

• Experience with in either a public sector financial environment or assurance and governance environment such as Internal Audit and Risk Management.
• Ability to work with minimum supervision and manage own workload effectively.
• Ability to manage and prioritise heavy workloads within tight deadlines.
• Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with a wide variety of internal and external clients.
• A strong track record of providing positive leadership, clear direction, training and support to staff to optimise their performance.
• Presenting of complex financial information to a variety of stakeholders.

• Ability to provide professional financial advice to a range of stakeholders.
• Clear presentation of complex financial information.
• Effective report writing.
• Effective communication skills.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of using office based software packages (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Email applications).
• Demonstrating effective leadership and management skills.