Job Title: Head of Finance Business Partnering (Housing)

Directorate: Finance

Responsible to: Director of Finance

Salary: £75,312 - 87,032

We are delighted to be supporting Thurrock Council to continue to build their Finance function, with the appointment of a Head of Finance Business Partnering (Housing).

Reporting to the Director of Finance, this role will support the Housing directorate covering both HRA and General Fund. The successful candidate will be expected to build relationships with senior stakeholders in the service, providing challenge where needed and helping the service drive through savings and efficiencies; and supporting them to improve.

The role is integral to the development of the HRA Business Plan and financial modelling, produce associated Cabinet and Committee reports, and own the right to buy model. As a member of the council’s senior management team, to contribute proactively to the collective leadership for the council, working collaboratively with Members, services across the council, partners and stakeholders to deliver the council’s objectives and priorities.

Values & Accountabilities

Key Service Accountabilities:

• Oversee and deliver a comprehensive, high quality and professional finance business partnering service with assigned service department(s) or other agencies.
• Lead on the closure of accounts for the relevant service, ensuring that income and expenditure accounts are accurate, all balance sheet items are reconciled, and all holding accounts are cleared on a regular and timely basis.
• Ensure achievement of full monthly or quarterly closedowns of relevant areas.
• Ensure production and presentation of financial management information, budget monitoring, trading reports, financial models, etc. which are accurate and timely, appropriate to the audience.
• Foster a high-performance culture including carrying out internal service reviews to improve value for money, efficiency, and ensure the service is at the leading edge of service delivery and development.
• Deliver an efficiency savings target for their service to be determined by the Director of Finance’s Management team annually.
• Lead on developing complex financial projects with service departments.
• Negotiate with a wide variety of external contractors, partners, government departments, suppliers, investment banks, brokers, and other organizations’ financial advisers as required.
• Lead on developing complex financial models, commercial agreements on multi-million pound contracts securing funding for the Council.
• Investigate innovative financing and funding methodologies and represent the Council on national working groups.
• Be an effective lead on finance improvement projects including leading a team of staff, developing a project initiation document, and a project plan ensuring projects deliver agreed outcomes successfully and on time.
• Drive a planning and programme and project management culture and lead on post-implementation reviews.
• Rapidly assess the implications of all emerging and potential issues/new policies and ensure the Chief Finance Officer is promptly and fully briefed.
• Undertake any other duties within the team commensurate to the post, as required, and be rotated to other posts within the department as required in line with the business needs of the department.