Finance Business Partner x3

At Walsall Council, we’re transforming, and so are our Financial Services. We’re changing the way the council works so that we can provide an even better customer experience, increase staff satisfaction, and improve our service performance. It’s all about achieving the very best for our colleagues, customers and communities.

We are looking to recruit into 3x Finance Business Partner roles, to continue to support this transformation journey. The team support the organisation’s key directorates: Adult Social Care, Children’s Services, Economy, Environment & Communities and Resources & Transformation along with a separate Capital team. Each Finance Business Partner role will be supporting our service managers and directors to become a proactive and trusted financial adviser. Everything you do will help to improve the service and its outcomes.

The organisation:

Walsall is situated within the West Midlands and is one of four Local Authorities comprising the Black Country. It contains six urban district centres: Walsall Town Centre lies at the heart of the Borough, surrounded by Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Darlaston and Willenhall. The Borough covers 40sq miles and is bisected by the M6 motorway.

In addition, we provide an attractive employment package that includes a generous annual leave entitlement of up to 29 days (which rises to 34 days after 5 years continuous local government service), a flexible working scheme that allows up to a further 12 days leave per year, working from home opportunities (minimum of 1 day per week required on site) with emphasis on an optimum work life balance arrangement and a career average pension scheme.  We are committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements.

The key duties of the role are as follows:

• Provide high level strategic financial advice in liaison with senior finance colleagues and service managers.
• Build and maintain strong productive relationships with the business and within finance / commercial.
• Provide advice and financial input into the Council’s financial planning processes including input and guidance into business plans and service improvement reviews.
• Identify and report upon any financial risks resulting from changes in political, operational, technological or environmental factors
• Co-ordinate the preparation and submission of the Council’s year end Statutory Accounts for your directorate.
• Drive forward efficiencies by continuously adapting, designing, monitoring and reviewing working practices, procedures and systems.
• Co-ordinate the preparation and submission of the monthly/quarter finance and performance monitoring budgetary control process.
• Actively contribute and participate in budget setting and monitoring and forecasting processes.

The successful candidate will have:

• A full CCAB / CIMA accountancy qualification or be actively studying for one.
• Ideally, a background working in the public sector but this is by no means essential.
• Experience of excellent business partnering support to customers and being able to adapt to differing customer needs.
• Experience in the use of financial modelling and options appraisal techniques, particularly the use of spreadsheets and business intelligence tools (desirable).
• Experience of providing business intelligence that enables managers to take soundly based policy and operational decisions.
• Awareness of potential risks / opportunities / changes in legislation and experience of supporting budget holders through mitigating these risks and embracing opportunities.
• Evidence of operating in a commercial and proactive manner.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 19^th November, with first stage interviews due to take place the week commencing 27^th November.

Applications will be under continuous review before the closing date, so please submit your CV to walsallcouncil@robertsonbell.co.uk ASAP to avoid disappointment.