Finance Business Partner

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is looking for a Finance Business Partner to take responsibility for supporting its Resources and Chief Executive’s directorates, while also playing a key role in the financial oversight of its partnership with Achieving for Children.

It’s a varied role that goes beyond traditional finance business partnering. You’ll work closely with senior leaders across areas including HR, Legal, Libraries and Registration Services, helping them understand their financial position. Alongside this, you’ll act as the Council’s client-side finance representative for their Achieving for Children contract, building a strong relationship with its finance team and ensuring effective financial management of the commissioned services it delivers.

The role:
Reporting to the Head of Finance Business Partnering, you’ll take ownership of relationships across the Resources and Chief Executive directorates, providing the insight and challenge needed to ensure effective financial management.
Your responsibilities will include:

• Lead on budget setting, financial planning, forecasting and monitoring across the Resources and the Chief Executive’s directorates.
• Work closely with senior stakeholders, providing financial advice and challenging assumptions that support decision making.
• Acting as the Council’s finance representative for the Achieving for Children contract, developing an effective relationship with its finance team and ensuring financial assumptions and forecasts are understood and robust.
•  Identifying financial risks and opportunities, providing clear analysis and highlighting areas requiring management attention.
• Managing and supporting a small finance team, helping less experienced colleagues develop while ensuring high standards of financial management and delivery.
• Contributing to the ongoing development of the Council’s finance function and its approach to financial planning and forecasting.

What are we looking for?
You’ll be a fully qualified accountant (CCAB or equivalent) with experience in a finance business partnering or similar role.

We’re interested in people who can demonstrate:

• Strong financial forecasting and budget management experience, with the ability to understand the underlying drivers behind the numbers and communicate them with key stakeholders.
• Capable of constructively challenging senior stakeholders on financial assumptions.
• Proven ability in developing others, providing direction, guidance and coaching.
• The ability to communicate financial information in a way that helps non-finance colleagues understand their position and make better decisions.

Local government experience would be great, particularly an understanding of the financial challenges facing councils, but it isn’t essential. We’re open to candidates from other sectors who can demonstrate strong forecasting, business partnering and people management experience. Just as importantly, we’d like someone who has taken the time to understand the council, what we’re trying to achieve and how they can contribute.

For more information on this role please contact Chris Macdonald at Ivy Rock Partners on chrismacdonald@ivyrockpartners.com or 07418 349 910.