Title: Location: Finance & Contracts Manager Office Base - Stratford, London; Area London and the East Reward band: XZN Reporting to: Operations Manager London and the East Job purpose: 1. To provide innovative, high quality financial management which enable the achievement of The Children s Society s objectives in line with its corporate responsibilities. 2. Responsible for managing a portfolio of funding streams and other areas within London and the East working collaboratively with the management team, enabling them to manage their budgets and interpret financial information effectively. 3. Responsible for leading on procurement and contract arrangements including oversight of partnership work. Also supporting negotiations of SLAs and contracts with internal divisions and external agencies. 4. To establish suitable finance systems across the area to ensure that an overview view of all finance can be presented to the Area Director and Senior team at least quarterly. 5. Responsible for the production of management reports, the issuing of sales invoices, corrections, costing and forecasting, coordinating and monitoring the budgeting process and reporting on all financial matters to internal management and external funders for the London area and supporting this in the East by enabling staff to use similar systems and processes. Key activities: 1. Contribute to The London and the East management team by providing financial management oversight, support and
direction to the team, leading on all aspects of the budgets. 2. Contribute to identifying, building and securing new business opportunities by supporting bid processes and sign off of budgets working alongside the Operations Manager, Management Accountant and Business Development Lead. 3. Monitor financial results using Budget Base [BB] and Budget Base Monitoring [BBM] and other bespoke systems associated with the organisation and area. 4. Lead on identifying and managing financial risks for London and the East and ensuring that the risk of budget overspend and under-recovery of income is communicated to the Operations Manager, Management Accountant & Area Director. 5. Establish and lead effective and on-going procurement processes for sub-contracting services, ensuring high quality and value for money. 6. Co-ordinate and lead on London and the East quarterly variance and forecasting reporting with input from all relevant programme managers, and discuss analysis/results with Management Accountant, Area Director and Operations Manager. 7. Ensure that up to date financial information is accurate and available for Funder reports and ensure that the reports are signed and submitted in required formats. 8. Responsible for ensuring that appropriate robust Internal financial controls are in place for London and the East including GPC, Petty Cash, Invoicing and Reporting. 9. Collaboratively work with the central finance team to
ensure that financial information on The Children Society s system is accurate and all Purchase Orders are raised correctly to maintain The Children s Society s Credit rating. 10. Lead on Year End accounting processes ensuring all tasks contained in year-end procedures/guidance are followed i.e. Carry forward income forms, expenditure accruals/prepayments, within the set deadlines, in consultation with Management Accountant and Finance team 11. Line manage the finance officer roles. Attainments: Experience A solid understanding of accounting principles and processes applicable to any organisation and demonstrated with relevant experience. Substantial experience of working effectively to achieve best value and efficiency within available resources Substantial experience of working with financial systems and processes including excel and bespoke systems. Supervising, coaching and leading staff (performance management). Budget management including financial planning, analysis and systems maintenance; production of financial information to the value of at least 1m. Skills Ability to analyse, report and manage financial information Self-motivated, highly organised, independent, can work with minimal supervision (Essential) Financial management skills with the ability to develop, monitor and coordinate systems (Essential) Performance and contract management skills (desirable) Clear and effective communication skills with the ability to liaise with managers and staff at all levels both internally and externally (Essential) Leading and supporting others, including those where no direct line management relationship exists (Essential)
Up-to-date IT knowledge (essential) Confident presentation facilitation skills (Desirable) Planning, time management skills (Essential) Innovative, persistent and resilient in the face of challenge and change (Essential) Very good or advanced Excel skills (Essential) Work Based Knowledge Experience in the management and delivery of a diverse range of financial reporting and finance tasks (Essential) particularly within a contracting environment (Desirable). Experience in developing systems which increase and enhance maximum efficiency (Desirable) Knowledge of working within complex, multi-stakeholder environments (Essential) Possess knowledge of value for money/unit costing and subsequent monitoring and evaluation (Desirable) Behaviours In order to be successful in this role you will be able to demonstrate that you have the ability to: Leaders We must lead the sector, setting new standards for excellence and inspiring others through our innovation and initiative. Strive for and deliver excellence in own work. Be relied on as a Subject Matter Expect in own field. Lead teams and/or discrete pieces of work. Develop creative solutions to day-to-day issues. Set clear objectives, and direction. Coach teams to achieve these. Authentic We are known for speaking the truth and keeping our Have open discussions which are clear, respectful and honest in order to resolve issues which may be impeding success. Actively ensure that a culture of trust is built and maintained through openness to constructive criticism.
promises. We are dependable, transparent and eager to stand up for what we believe in. Be reliable and dependable always ensuring that appropriate action is taken to keep issues on track, escalating where this is appropriate. Build and manage teams against clear objectives and targets and ensure delivery of what we promised. Accountable Our decisions are based on facts not opinions. We hold ourselves to account for our decisions and we monitor and evaluate our work, always focussed on taking action to improve the lives of children and young people. Collaborative We are generous and inclusive in the way that we work together with both each other and our partners. We are joined up both internally by working across the organisation and externally by working in partnership; always listening, understanding and Proactively lead on the monitoring and evaluation of work and gathering of meaningful data. Support the development of evidence bases for decisions and/or new pieces of work. Be impact-oriented, evidence-based and resultsfocussed in own work, considering the difference actions will make. Be actively responsible for ensuring all team work is delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard, taking difficult decisions where necessary. Work effectively with colleagues across the organisation and wider team members to contribute to team goals and wider organisational outcomes. Engage in and manage partnerships ensuring these are constructive and productive. Manage in an inclusive and respectful manner ensuring that others are consulted on key issues which impact them and their work. Embed organisational culture and proactively ensure staff model and are regularly measured against the agreed organisational behaviours. Investigate presenting issues and work with others to co-create and co-produce effective solutions.
engaging. Committed We are tenacious and driven, making hard choices for long term benefits. We have consistently dedicated ourselves to exceeding our best through our determination and resilience. Demonstrate dedication to organisation goals rather than individual gain. Manage tasks/projects through to full completion. Demonstrate sound decision-making, including seeking advice where appropriate and being adaptable to changing circumstances. Overcomes challenges and obstacles and is resilient. Challengers We push ourselves to do more, working outside our comfort zones; we challenge perceptions, behaviours and attitudes Enable people to reach their true potential through objective-setting, development and support. Constructively challenge negative attitudes internally and externally. Be open to constructive feedback and personal improvement. Recognise and celebrate team and individual successes. Enterprising We see opportunity in all areas of life and we are skilled enough, confident enough, creative enough and disciplined enough to go after it and seize it. We are Empower staff to generate ideas and opportunities for new ways of working/thinking. Ensure there are detailed plans to embed new ways of working with performance clearly monitored against these requirements. Actively seeking opportunities to build networks and be an ambassador for children. Engage with confidence in positive conversations about the work that we do.
constantly looking for advantages and opportunities that will make a difference. Always seeing the future in the present, always with the courage to lead the way. Special job circumstances: Occasional travel across a wide geographical area (Oxford, Essex, Bedfordshire). (Please note: if you have difficulty meeting these conditions because of a disability or family circumstances the appointing manager will discuss it with you in order to consider reasonable adjustments to the job or working conditions) Relevant personal characteristics: An understanding and acceptance of the principles and values of the organisation. A commitment to personal and professional integrity. At all times to carry out your responsibilities with due regard to The Children s Society s commitment to keeping children and young people safe. A commitment to diversity and equality in working relationships and practice. Flexibility, adaptability and the ability to cope with changing priorities and ambiguity. Effective team working skills. Self-motivation, determination to succeed and the ability to inspire and manage those around you. To maintain confidentiality in all aspects of work.
This job description is a guide to the work you will be required to undertake. It may be changed from time to time to meet changing circumstances. It does not form part of your Contract of Employment. Signature: Date: Position: Signature: Date: Position: