Senior Finance Business Partner

Context and Background

The Finance function has responsibility to ensure the accurate recording of all income and expenditure of the NSPCC and its associated companies; the collation and presentation of budget/forecast; monitoring of both consolidated income and expenditure against budget/forecast; and the preparation of statutory annual accounts, tax compliance and associated returns. It is also responsible for the payment of all invoices, collection of monies due, the payment of staff and the provision of advice on financial matters throughout the organisation.

The Senior Finance Business Partner role sits within the Finance & Technology Directorate and reports to the Head of Finance Business Partnering. The role is responsible for the delivery of all aspects of operational financial management within each directorate area or sub-area it supports, through the provision of high-quality financial management and advice, together with comprehensive reporting and analysis, to both inform and aid decision making. The role is expected to operate at both a strategic and operational level, building strong relationships with internal and external partners, and be a key and active member of the Directorate’s senior management teams.

The role may be required to deputise for the Head of Finance Business Partnering and there may also be a requirement to support other Directorates.

The postholder will have line management responsibilities.

Job purpose

The Senior Finance Business Partner will report to the Head of Finance Business Partnering and will work closely with assigned Directorates. You will ensure the delivery of a high performing, customer facing, finance service with the responsibility for the overall delivery of financial operational management and financial reporting within assigned Directorates and sub-divisions it supports.

The post holder will develop and deliver a comprehensive financial service, ensuring the provision of high-quality advice, information, analysis and interpretation to the director and their senior management teams, to underpin and enable effective decision making, meaningful performance management and to meet statutory and internal requirements.

You will achieve high customer satisfaction levels making a real and demonstrable difference to the delivery of the Directorate’s business. You will do this by providing specialist and forward-thinking advice and support on financial strategy and planning to the Directorate through the business partner model.

You will act as a primary contact for matters relating to operational financial control and the provision of information within the Directorates the role supports, working collaboratively with the Head of Finance Business Partnering and across the organisation, promoting the Society's financial polices where appropriate and ensuring adherence to them.

You will work closely with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to provide strategic financial support as required, providing financial evaluation, management and controls.

Key relationships - Internal

•   ‘Heads of’ Finance Business Partnering and finance colleagues

•   Directorate stakeholders including Senior Management, budget holders and administrative staff

•   Business Planning

•   Project Management Office

•   Fundraising Information & Bid Co-ordination Teams

•   Procurement, Legal, and Internal Audit

  Key relationships - External

•   External Auditors

•   Project consultants on an ad-hoc basis

•   External stakeholders and partners such as funders

  Main duties and responsibilities

  Your responsibilities will include the following, but are not limited to:

  Business Partnering

 Business partner with Senior Management Team members to develop an in-depth knowledge of their Directorates and to assist with strategic budget and forecast preparation and advice.

•   Ensure effective relationships with Senior Managers and Leaders across the organisation.

•   Support the Head of Finance Business Partnering in working collaboratively with the Directorate senior leaders in both the development of the strategic direction of their functions and achievement of strategic objectives.

•   Act as the primary contact for matters relating to operational financial control and the provision of information within the Directorate, working collaboratively across the organisation.

•   Take on a value-added role, acting as a trusted advisor, demonstrating the ability to constructively challenge ideas and plans.

•   Be involved in business and planning meetings in partnership with the Directorate senior leaders and negotiate with key stakeholders and support staff to ensure agreed outcomes and timescales are achieved.

•   As part of the finance team improve communication, business protocols and business efficiency throughout the team and to share specialist knowledge as appropriate.

•   Be the finance subject matter expert in the Directorates the role supports, with the ability to evaluate information in context of wider Directorate knowledge. Proactively think about how decisions would affect the wider organisation and Directorate plans in both the present and future, making recommendations to senior leaders as appropriate.

•   Explain complex financial issues to key stakeholders, developing their understanding of financial information to improve overall effectiveness; empowering them to take full responsibility for the financial management of the budgets they govern.

•   Promote a culture which empowers budget holders and supports the delivery of value for money services, including reporting on benchmark information and key cost drivers where appropriate.

•   Where appropriate, work with the Fundraising Information team to support funding applications by providing high quality financial data that accurately portrays our work/activities/services to potential donors, including supporting the follow up reporting required to maintain these relationships.

  Budget, Planning, Forecasting and Financial Management

•   Produce, collate and ensure timely delivery of accurate departmental and Directorate budget and forecasts for the areas the role supports. Ensure relevant budget assumptions are followed; phased budget/forecast templates are completed; along with the production of detailed analysis and commentary backing up the budget and forecasts.

•   Provide timely, accurate information and advice to budget holders to allow effective management of their budgets and assist them in carrying out their financial duties, constructively challenging them where appropriate.

•   Highlight potential opportunities and risks; supporting the formulation and implementation of mitigation plans where necessary.

•   Propose and develop appropriate cost drivers and key performance measures to accurately monitor directorate performance.

•   Ensure all income and expenditure (both revenue and capital) is correctly accounted for and monitored, commenting on variances to budget/forecast and the effect on outcomes and objectives; assisting budget holders and senior leaders to interpret the information presented. In addition, working with them to take any necessary corrective action arising from the reviews.

•   Manage the delivery of Directorate month end processing and variance analysis, adhering to timelines set by the Central Finance team. This will include responsibility for month-end data cleansing, journal production and authorisation, which could include prepayments, income & expenditure accruals, income deferrals, recharge journals, restricted and designated fund journals and other general journals.

•   Prepare and deliver accurate consolidated financial monthly, quarterly, annual and ad-hoc operational performance reporting packs to defined deadlines, with no material errors, omissions or miscoding. To include Directorate monthly operational review and quarterly business review packs.

•   Present Directorate financial reporting as required.

•   Analyse, interpret and communicate financial and performance data, and provide financial advice in the form of operational performance and management reports.

•   Complete financial returns and questionnaires as required.

•   Prepare revenue and capital project reporting.

•   Work alongside the Head of Finance Business Partnering to prepare financial models to support the evaluation of any proposed business changes, investment appraisals and subsequent implementation, supporting our stakeholders to prepare robust business cases from a financial perspective, identifying and quantifying associated costs, benefits, risks and funding solutions, in a timely manner.

•   Own restricted and designated fund reporting, alongside monitoring of appropriate allocation of costs to funds. Accountable for understanding and considering the future implications of pledged and committed funds; escalating concerns and proposing mitigations as appropriate.

•   Extract information from the integrated financial system and other systems or information sources; developing models and commentary for monthly presentations to budget holders and other audiences as necessary.

•   Co-ordinate the delivery of information to support the production of the Society’s statutory annual accounts as requested and in accordance with the agreed timetable.

•   Ensure the Directorates use the organisation’s financial systems (e.g. Proactis for procurement) appropriately and effectively.

•   Ensure the financial management of the Directorates is as efficient as possible. Implement improvements and developments to reporting, processes and procedures; ensuring changes are documented.

•   Prepare ad hoc reports for key stakeholders.

Internal Controls and Compliance

•   Ensure the effective development, implementation and maintenance of financial controls, processes and procedures. Work with both the Directorate’s and with other members of finance to ensure best practice is applied across systems and processes.

•   Promote and abide with the Society's financial policies, ensuring Directorate compliance at all times.

•   Maintain the integrity of the Directorate’s finances ensuring compliance with appropriate accounting standards, financial regulations and internal procedures. In addition, ensure audit trails are transparent and complete.

•   Train staff in the application of statutory regulations, internal control procedures and standards and to provide regular follow-up training.

•   Provide accurate timely information for internal and external auditors and to take follow-up action on reports issued as required.

•   Keep up to date with local or national legislation and reporting requirements and to advise of these additional regulations and ensure they are complied with. This might for example include Charity Reporting requirements in Northern Ireland/Scotland.

  Training

•   Identify requirements and train key stakeholders and other relevant staff in matters relating to financial management, compliance and processes. Provide verbal advice, written procedures (working with other finance staff) and financial training, to enable budgetary control and decision making on the effective use of resources, along with contribution to the production of financial information and transparent financial management.

•   Ensure training materials are fit-for-purpose, considering improvements and developments that can be made to improve our overall service offering.

  Staff Management

•   Manage, supervise and develop direct reports.

•   Accountable and responsible for the work produced by direct reports. This will include performing day-to-day finance functions, such as reviewing transactions, preparing and authorising month-end journals, variance analysis and commentary, headcount and FTE reporting, alongside other ad-hoc reporting.

•   Recruit within business partnering teams and induct new starters.

  Other

•   Provide financial and other information for project managers, stakeholders and senior leaders as required.

•   Lead and undertake specific projects, effectively communicating project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion, making analytical decisions to ensure the delivery dates are met and the work is of a high quality.

•   Provide technical support and advice on a number of topics including VAT, Gift Aid, Corporation Tax, etc.

•   Deputise for the Head of Finance Business Partnering at Directorate management meetings and to provide financial input to papers and documents.

•   Collaborate with peers across the Finance & Technology Directorate; sharing ideas, solutions and improvements for the greater benefit of the Society.

•   Take collective ownership of Directorates with shared financial management, alongside providing cover within each Business Partnering team.

  Responsibilities for all Staff within Finance and Technology Directorate

•   A commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people

•   Actively participate in regular department and team meetings, contributing to strategy, discussions and decisions which will be beneficial to NSPCC’s activities.

•   Maintain an awareness of own and others’ Health and Safety and comply with the NSPCC’s Health and Safety policy and procedures.

•   Take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with NSPCC work to end cruelty to children, including securing updates on project and service developments and general NSPCC news.

•   Constantly review opportunities for your personal development.

  Person specification

•   Qualified Accountant (CCAB or equivalent) with extensive experience of working within a management accounts or business partnering function of a complex organisation. Knowledge of Charity accounting (SORP) desirable.

•   Substantial experience in the preparation of financial management information including production and monitoring of budgets, forecasts, financial models and delivery of associated financial management reporting, analysis and commentary.

•   Highly numerate with ability to analyse numbers critically and extract pertinent information for management, with a proactive approach to creative problem solving and implementing financial controls.

•   Strong attention to detail and the ability to enforce adherence to rules and standards.

•   Highly self-motivated with good organisational skills, able to work under pressure with conflicting priorities, meeting tight deadlines and demonstrating resilience.

•   Strong and effective written and verbal communicator, with the ability to convey complex financial information to non-finance staff in a clear and concise manner.

•   Ability to understand a wide range of stakeholder needs, adapting approach where necessary and being confident to challenge and influence stakeholders.

•   Strong IT literacy with considerable experience in using information systems including accounting packages and analytical tools. Well-developed Excel and data manipulation skills are key, and experience of SUN systems and TM1 Cognos would be desirable.

•   Ability to manage projects within corporate timetables, delivering finance related projects and planning processes, ensuring stakeholders are involved and informed, whilst ensuring the best possible organisational outcome is reached.

•   Experience of managing, developing and motivating staff.

  Safer Recruitment

  As an organisation, we are committed to creating and fostering a culture that promotes safeguarding and the welfare of all children and adults at risk. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining, collating, analysing and evaluating information from and about candidates to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work with our children and adults.

  The recruitment and selection of our people will be conducted in a professional, timely and responsive manner and in compliance with current employment legislation, and relevant safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance.

  Our principles:

  •   Always seek to recruit the best candidate for the role based on merit including their skills, experience, motivation and competencies. Our robust recruitment and selection process should ensure the identification of the person best suited to the role and the organisation.

  •   Committed to diversity and equality of opportunity and will interview all applicants (internal and external) who self-declare at application as having a disability and who meet the minimum requirements in the person specification of the vacancy they are applying for.

  •   We will make reasonable adjustments at all stages of the recruitment process in order to enable successful candidates who declare disabilities to start working or volunteering their time with us.

  •   Any current member of staff or volunteer who wishes to apply for vacancies and is suitably qualified will be considered and addressed fairly and objectively based on their merit.

  •   As an organisation committed to safeguarding, we will ensure all under 18’s joining the organisation will have ongoing risk assessments to ensure their role and activities are safe and appropriate.

  •   All documentation relating to candidates will be treated confidentially in accordance with the GDPR legislation.