Opus People Solutions on behalf of West Northampton County Council are recruiting for a Finance Business Partner join their team on a temporary contract for 6 months, starting as soon as possible.

If you are looking for your next exciting challenge assisting in establishing processes and completing capital accounts closure for a newly formed local authority, then please apply now!.This is a fulltime position, 37 per week. remote work.

The role of the Finance Business Partner is to lead and manage the provision of high quality financial support to Directors, Heads of Service and Service Managers. This is a high profile role and requires good management skills to ensure finance services provided are professional and customer focused.

Ideal candidate will have advanced and varied technical and business partnering experience within Local Authorities, specifically in the areas of Capital and Adult Social Care. We require a finance professional to assist in establishing processes and completing capital accounts closure for a newly formed local authority, created from four sovereign District, Borough and County Councils. We also require someone to review balances, establish and standardise processes, roles and responsibilities in respect of section 106 and community infrastructure levy funding. Finally they will provide financial support on the implementation of Social Care Reform and a number of Adult Social Care transformation projects.

Main Responsibiliti:

Support budget holders in financial planning and budget modelling for different scenarios.

• Work with budget holders to ensure accurate and timely budget monitoring including risk appraisals
• Develop financial systems and processes to ensure robust governance whilst also bringing in new methods of working through the use of business and operational process improvements.
• Ensure that services perform their duties and functions in fulfilment of their financial statutory obligations, keeping abreast of the Councils changing legal obligations, mandates and responsible for ensuring relevant compliance with the Council's Financial Procedure Rules and SORPs
• Advise budget managers on financial analysis on revenue, capital and cash issues and projects. Assist in the assessment of business options, including interpreting/analysing complex financial and non-financial information
• Support the production of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and Capital Strategy
• Manage, motivate and develop staff within the team, providing support to ensure that priorities are identified, objectives achieved and to enhance the overall level of performance and morale.
• Support the development of improved financial awareness of budget managers and staff through the development and delivery of management training.
• Support and train budget holders in the use of the Council's e-Business suite including the Council's ERP Gold Agresso platform.
• Deliver Customer Satisfaction levels to support the Finance Business Partner business plan and deliverables.
• Support the closedown of the accounts schedule by reviewing processes and timescales to enable deadlines to be met. 12. Support the Council to deliver its strategies with an understanding and inputting into the analysis of changes to accounting and reporting requirements.

Qualifications/Experience Needed:

• A recognised professional accounting qualification
• Proven experience in the areas of Financial Planning, Control and Reporting
• Experience in the development of Financial Processes
• Proven experience of communicating effectively with professional and technical finance staff and operational managers. Ability to negotiate and influence at a high level
• Understanding of how local government works, including the specific complexities of local government finance, and the major influences and challenges it faces
• Have up to date knowledge of accounting policy such as IFRS, CIPFA codes of practice and Taxation
• Demonstrated direct experience of working in partnership with private, public and voluntary sector
• Ability to analyse and address complex issues including the need to deliver different support to different service elements.
• Ability to apply innovative and creative thinking to complex service challenges E
• Enthusiastic, not easily deterred and able to convey enthusiasm to others
• Demonstrate the ability to communicate, both written and oral, complex financial issues to non-financial managers, senior managers and external organisations
• Well developed IT skills (spreadsheet, powerpoint, general ledger packages including reporting)
• Ability to constructively challenge budget holders to take a corporate approach to finance issues
• Ability to work with others to reach a common goal E * Ability to provide professional leadership to colleagues

Requirements:

Ability to travel to all areas of the County