Job info	Job info details
Job title	Head of Corporate Finance
Strategic team/Directorate	Finance
Service	Financial Services
Business unit	Corporate Finance
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Director of Finance
Accountable to (line manager)	Director of Finance
Salary grade	£65,000 to £69,999

1. Key purpose of job

• To deputise for the Director of Finance and Deputy Director of Finance as necessary, jointly sharing the deputy S151 Officer responsibility.
• To represent Finance at a senior level at meetings with partners, suppliers, subsidiary companies, council meetings, council working parties and the Council’s senior leadership team. At these meetings to provide constructive and robust challenge as required.
• Working as part of a Finance Leadership team, develop a robust and realistic rolling three-year balanced budget for the Council supported by business plans.
• To be responsible for overseeing technical and budgetary accountancy across the organisation, ensuring that financial advice and support services are provided to a diverse range of Council services.
• To lead and manage, on behalf of the Council, technical accountancy and Local Government finance issues such as statutory reporting, IFRS, VAT, treasury management, capital accounting, collection fund and Council funding such as NNDR and Council Tax..
• To provide strategic direction and leadership for the Council’s Council Tax processing and debt recovery functions and high level leadership of effective financial system support and development.
• To provide strategic recommendations to Members, Directors and the Senior Leadership Team on a range of financial decisions.
• To manage a team of Principal Accountants and Senior Finance staff ensuring that services are delivered to a high standard, are well co-ordinated and appropriately respond to service demands.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• The Council sets, and monitors, a robust revenue and capital budget that meets the strategic objectives of the Council as well as the long term financial viability of the Council.
• Council services, Members and senior managers are supported with accurate financial advice to ensure that they make informed decisions as to service delivery.
• The Council complies with legislation, appropriate codes of practice, central government requirements and financial best practice.
• Council complies with all its statutory reporting requirements such as statement of accounts, reporting to central government departments, HMRC re VAT and treasury management.
• Ensure corporate compliance with the six principles of good financial management as set out in the CIPFA Financial Management Code: organisational leadership, accountancy, transparency, professional standards, assurance, and long-term sustainability
• Implementation of robust and effective financial regulations and procedures that will ensure and embed financial stewardship throughout the council to minimise the risk of fraud or error.
• Provide an effective Treasury Management service, maintaining an appropriate portfolio of long term debt and investments which balance risk whilst optimising revenue benefits where possible. Ensure Cash flow for the Council is managed appropriately, in accordance with regulations and guidelines.’
• Ensure financial systems are robust and developed so they remain fit for purpose
• Oversee Corporate debt, ensuring NNDR and council tax collection rates are optimised with improvements made where possible. Complaints relating to NNDR and Council tax are responded to within acceptable timescales

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• Closure of statutory annual accounts in accordance with the statutory deadlines.
• To support the Director and Deputy Director in providing high level strategic financial analysis and support to Members, Directors and the Senior Leadership Team.
• To monitor and report on the Council’s overall financial position in relation to Revenue and Capital budgets – gross expenditure and income of £300m.
• To produce accurate timely and understandable financial reports and information for senior management, central government, Members and the public.
• To ensure effective arrangements for the Council’s Treasury Management function. To manage the Council’s borrowing and investments (currently debt of £385m and investments of £90m) to maximise returns to Council whilst maintaining appropriate security and liquidity.
• Ensuring compliance with the Council’s financial regulations and constitution, making recommendations to client departments ensuring compliance.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory returns and deadlines.
• Provision of support and advice to external customers.
• To manage all finance staff involved with the Technical Finance function and finance staff providing financial support and advice to services.
• To be the principal contact for the Council’s external auditor and maintain an effective relationship with the Council’s Internal Auditors.
• To be responsible for the co-ordination of the Council’s annual budget cycle and budget setting for both Revenue and Capital Budgets, including Council Tax setting.
• To maintain and update the Council’s medium term financial plan.
• To ensure effective arrangements for VAT compliance.
• To manage the financial reporting and forecasting associated with the Council’s collection fund.
• To manage the financial reporting and forecasting associated with the Council’s balance Sheet.
• 3.16 To lead on the provision of complex financial information used to support strategic organisational decisions, for example, for any significant organisational change, ensuring there is a detailed financial appraisal of options and financial risks and rewards, accurate financial data to
• support decision making, and apply financial sensitivity analysis to ensure all financial
• aspects are accurate and affordable.
• 3.17 Ensuring robust and effective corporate governance, financial,
• performance and risk and assurance systems and processes are in place
• across the Finance and Procurement service
• 3.18 To be an effective member of the Finance and Procurement Leadership Team – contributing to service and improvement planning across the service.
• 3.19 As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• To monitor and report on the Council’s overall financial position in relation to Revenue and Capital budgets – gross expenditure and income of £300m.
• To manage day to day borrowing and investments decisions in relation to the Council’s borrowing (£385m) and investments (£90m).

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• Direct management of Principal Accountants dealing with a range of financial support.
• Oversee the management of the wider team including Senior Finance Officers and Finance Assistants

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working environment

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical effort

8. Specific resources used by the post

• Normal resources

9. Key contacts and relationships

External

• Auditors - Grant Thornton, Devon Audit Partnership
• Health Colleagues i.e. NHS, ICO, CCG
• Government departments and their officials: DCLG, Department for Education, Education Funding Agency.
• Members of the Public
• HMRC
• Borrowing and Investment Counterparties.
• Schools and Academies
• Police
• Council Subsidiary and Associate Companies (e.g. TDA, etc)
• Other Public Bodies
• Treasury Advisors
• Bank Manager
• Fraud Manager

Internal

• Members
• Directors
• Divisional Directors
• Heads of Service
• Service Managers and their teams
• Finance Director/ Deputy Director of Finance and Finance staff

10. Other duties

To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

N/A

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Head of Corporate Finance
Strategic team/Directorate	Finance
Service	Financial Services
Business unit	Corporate Finance

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Excellent interpersonal skills to ensure effective relationships can be built with Members and Senior Officers.
• The ability to communicate effectively with Members and Senior Officers and ability to articulate complex financial issues both orally and in writing.
• Ability to manage and motivate staff to ensure key objective and targets are met.
• High level of written and numerical skills.
• Ability to provide advice and recommendations taking into account political sensitivities.
• Ability to find creative solutions to ensure that the Council meets its priorities and statutory requirements.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and meet conflicting demands.
• Effective presentation skills in front of Members and Officers.
• Ability to co-ordinate a wide range of conflicting service priorities and deliver high quality services.
• As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016 (part 7), the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Ability to be able to lead on, and deliver, tangible service improvement.

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• Detailed working and up to date knowledge of current legislation relating to Local Authority Accounting, including IFRS and CIPFA Codes of Practice.
• Working knowledge of windows based software and finance systems.
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills via use of Powerpoint.
• Knowledge of Capital accounting and Financing.
• Knowledge of Treasury Management Code of Practice, including Prudential Code.
• Detailed knowledge of Council funding including collection fund, NNR retention schemes and national funding formula and allocations.

Desirable knowledge

• Treasury Management Code of Practice

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Experience of annual closure of accounts.
• Experience of annual budget process, including Council Tax setting.
• Experience of making financial decisions which may commit the Council to a particular decision.
• Experience of managing complex financial projects.
• Experience of managing staff in a financial environment.
• Experience of working with Senior Staff.
• Ability to write reports and present to Members at Committee and to the Senior Leadership Team.
• Experience of working in partnership with external agencies.

Desirable experience and achievements

• Experience of high performing within a financial management team

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Educated to degree level standard (including HND, professional/enhanced skill qualification) or equivalent or demonstratable work-related experience in appropriate areas.
• Fully qualified CCAB accountant and member of one of the major accounting bodies.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

N/A

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours
• Ability to accommodate occasional home-working