Finance Business Partner

Connect2Luton are excited to recruit a Finance Business Partner on behalf of Luton Borough Council.

Main purpose of position:

As strategic finance business partner for delegated Council departments, you will work with Corporate and Service Directors and their staff to help formulate their strategies and actions to enable their successful service delivery within an approved financial envelope. As a key member of the Management Teams for these departments, contribute to the development of the departments and the achievement of their aims and objectives in the context of ongoing constraints in financial resources.

To lead manage and ensure the successful delivery of financial services for partner departments, while working corporately as a key part of the corporate finance service to ensure that the accounts are accurate, timely and consistent with corporate financial policy and practice, best professional practice and all pertinent legislation and financial regulations.

Contribute, through the Finance management team, to the development of the Council's financial management, and the achievement of its aims and operational objectives.

You will be responsible to:

• Provision of strategic financial advice to departmental management teams and other senior managers within the departments for which the post holder has responsibility, in order to enable the successful developments of innovative and sound service strategies that can deliver excellent services for the people of Luton within budgets that continue to be constrained.
• Take prime responsibility for ensuring the proper administration of financial affairs in all activities of the partner departments, as part of the Service Director Finance and Audit statutory responsibility for the proper financial administration of the Council as a whole.
• Ensure that the team manage and report on revenue, capital and balance sheet accounts effectively in accordance with accounting standards and Corporate Finance instructions and timescales, and that the team work seamlessly with Corporate Finance.
• Ensure that the Service Director Finance & Audit and Internal Audit are advised immediately of any suspected fraud or irregularity in the service or partner departments. Provide information to and work co-operatively with internal and external auditors as required.
• Develop and maintain systems and processes for setting, maintaining and reporting statutory and operational performance indicators and targets and take early action to remedy deviations in performance, including responding to resolve complaints.
• As a member of the partner department Management Teams, contribute to the development and implementation of the Division/Department policies and plans.
• Ensure that all pertinent legislation and developments in professional practice are monitored and that early action is taken to interpret and analyse the impact of such matters for Luton Borough Council.

Skills and Experience:

• Substantial management experience
• Experience of working in a Local Authority or large organisation context
• Substantial experience of preparing, profiling and monitoring budgets
• Experience of assessing and developing complex financial models and business cases
• Able to lead, motivate and develop employees in a pressurised environment
• Strategic and operational planning skills
• Able to develop effective approaches to delivering services to customers/clients of the Directorate
• Membership of a recognised accountancy body (CCAB or CIMA) or studying toward qualification
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Able to attend meetings out of normal office hours - frequently

About Us

Luton Borough Council have partnered with Kent County Council to create Connect2Luton, a recruitment managed service for all contingent temporary agency, contract, and interim roles at the Council.

Our heritage and being local government owned which means we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise within the public sector, with many of our employees having previously worked for the Council or have supplied previously into the Council, for several years.

We are an equal opportunities employment agency and business that positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

Connect2Luton is a trading style of Luton & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Luton Borough Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Luton is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.