Head of Strategic Finance - Health and Adult Social Care

Job Description

Head of Strategic Finance - Health and Adult Social Care
London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Service: Finance Audit & Procurement
Responsible for: Up to 5 direct reports depending on service area.
Salary: £79,000 - £87,000

Closing date: 12th May

Job Summary

Do you want to lead on the strategic resource planning for an ambitious local authority? The London Borough of Tower Hamlets are in a period of stability and now need to shape the leadership and ensure we maximise the impact of outcomes on service delivery. We are recruiting x3 Heads of Finance posts within the Adults, Children’s, and Communities directorates.

The Head of Strategic Finance Health and Adult Social Care leads the finance business partnering team that support the health and adult social care services including public health. The post will work directly with the relevant Corporate Director and attend the service’s Directorate Leadership Team meetings to provide financial advice. Ensuring proper accounting for grants including social care and public health is essential as well as undertaking financial modelling of demand such as demographic pressures. The role also oversees the Client Affairs Team who act as custodians of resident money.

You will be a key member of the financial leadership team representing the Director as necessary and take responsibility for the development of a sector leading, highly performing and respected finance team, leading on a continuous programme of activities to maintain a committed and motivated workforce that promotes financial skills throughout the authority. Lead on providing high-quality financial accounting, management accounting advice and support to designated service areas (including areas for such as HRA, Schools as required) to influence and inform decision making, embed sound financial management and underpin service delivery and performance.

Role Requirements

You will build strong networks to maximise insight and innovation, influence corporate directors’ decision making on financial and wider performance whilst supporting the S151 responsibility to achieve value for money.
Ensuring effective governance and risk management strategies are in place to enable excellent financial management. Ensuring highest standards or probity and compliance for your designated services area
Play a key role in wider collaboration, working closely with regional finance groups, CIPFA and relevant bodies to assess national policy decisions.
Represent the Corporate Director of Resources as Section 151 Officer, ensuring thorough administration of financial affairs.
Working strategically with the Section 151/Deputy S151 Officer on all financial risks, managing solutions and escalating concerns in a timely manner.
Lead and manage the financial advice and support to Members and Officers and encourage finance staff, to drive performance improvements in financial management within directorates, by building effective relationships to ensure a high level of financial literacy across the organisation.
Support the Directorate in conducting financial negotiations with contractors and partners, ensuring the best financial solution without compromising on quality of service.
Build strong working relationships with Corporate Directors and Directors to ensure Finance have an influential seat at the top table at SLTs and beyond, and are able to challenge, influence and inform decisions made, to achieve positive financial solutions.
Oversee the delivery of a proactive financial management function; ensuring delivery meets the directorates’ expectations. Provide necessary advice, support, scrutiny, and challenge as a Critical Friend to services to embed sound financial management, monitoring and forecasting across the year.
Ensure all reports presented by a directorate contain comprehensive financial information that accurately reflects the financial implications of the options under consideration and are fully understood by the directorate.
Support the delivery of the Strategic Finance functions activities, including the development of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy for both revenue and capital across the Council, work collaboratively with finance colleagues.
Oversee and contribute to the closure of accounts process for the designated service areas.
Provide relevant comprehensive input or commentary on the financial implications to all reports produced for the Leadership Team, Members or for external bodies as required, working with Financial Strategy colleagues ensuring financial interests are reflected.
Work collaboratively with the Chief Accountant and Strategic Heads of Finance to ensure delivery of a comprehensive programme of financial monitoring reports to allow effective monitoring and planning by managers at both a strategic and operational level.

Person Specification

Qualified CCAB or CIMA with significant post qualification experience.
Expert knowledge and understanding of strategic financial management and financial regulatory frameworks in a public sector setting.
Track record of forging highly motivated and performing teams from diverse backgrounds with the ability to lead and influence multi-disciplinary senior managers in achieving their objective’s.
Evidence of engaging and working with Members, senior leaderships teams and key stakeholders promoting good financial management practice.
Experience of delivering improvement in a financial setting with a strong delivery focus.
You will have the ability to plan and monitor projects in line with agreed timescales and outputs with both internal and external stakeholders.
Ability to present complex issues clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Your full application will be inclusive of a CV and supporting statement.

Closing date: 12th May

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets are working in partnership with Hammond Clarke Group for the successful appointment of the Head of Strategic Finance - Health and Adult Social Care role. For further information regarding these posts, please contact Chris Macdonald – Head of Permanent Recruitment, Public Sector at Hammond Clarke – [email protected]