King’s College London offers an intellectually stimulating environment, where staff are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and learning in the service of society. We are a multi-faculty institution, providing high-quality research, education and innovation across the social sciences, humanities, health, law, dentistry, and sciences. As a member of the Russell Group, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in research and education.
The Finance, Procurement, Strategic Planning and Analytics directorate, led by the Chief Financial Officer / VP (Finance), comprises c.150 roles located across our campuses in central London. The Finance department of c.100 roles provides various accounting, assurance, advisory, decision support and financial processing functions for the whole university.
The Director of Finance Business Partnering (Operations) is a critical role within the Financial Strategy, Planning & Performance division that will lead, develop and deliver high quality finance business partnering and decision support to all the central services of the university, including providing financial planning, reporting and insight across revenue and capital funded activity.
You will support the senior Director of the Financial Strategy, Planning & Performance function in development and improvement projects. Examples include the development of a professional competencies framework to support career progression and performance at all levels, supported by learning and development opportunities, improving key processes, resource allocation and financial planning methodologies, and reporting on financial performance.
As part of the function’s senior management team, this role will lead a team of finance business partners who will provide outstanding partnering services to our central services including large functions such as Estates and Facilities, IT, Students & Education, Research Management and on other crucial ‘head office’ activities. Working closely with the corporate reporting team on the provision of management accounts, you will lead on financial performance support in-year and across our three-year financial planning framework. You will also undertake and provide professional support to your team on business partnering skills, financial modelling, business case development and financial appraisals. You will play a wider role as a senior member of the finance leadership team on cross-college initiatives and be asked to deputise for the senior Director of the division or their peers.
It is an exciting time to join the university as we are making a step change in our support and advice, particularly to directorate heads and our Senior Vice Principal (Operations), and onwards through the leadership roles across the central service directorates where financial and operational decisions are made.
This is a full time post (36 Hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract. We work in a hybrid way and there is an expectation of being able to work at least three days a week in our offices to help facilitate a collaborative working culture.
To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:
Essential criteria
1. Professional Accountancy Qualification
2. Highly resilient with the ability to run multiple objectives, large senior teams and complex political processes concurrently
3. Exceptional understanding of running and leading financial planning, monitoring, forecasting and business partnering in a complex and large organisation
4. Exceptional leadership skills and a service approach in your professional work
5. Ability to operate and deliver change and improvements in a complex organisational environment
6. Exceptional business case financial appraisal and modelling skills
7. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in the written word and in person in a variety of formats including committee presentations and policy documentation
8. Numerate and IT literate with the ability to use the standard suite of office software together with excellent knowledge of one or more corporate finance/ERP and reporting systems
9. Significant recent experience of leading business partnering, financial support and advice functions and services
10. Experience of designing, delivering and improving capital planning and reporting processes
11. Leading teams to achieve complex and competing objectives over a variety of time horizons in partnership with other technical leads and partnered areas.
12. Ability to build and manage internal and external relationships
13. Self-management and ability to work independently to meet deadlines
14. Attention to detail and working to a high-level of accuracy
Desirable criteria
1. Degree level qualification
2. Leadership of technical / professional staff who manage their own work and activities
3. Experience of having worked in or with the university sector
We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.
We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's. We have a strong equality, diversity and inclusion agenda and would expect the post holder to demonstrate these values.
We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. The deadline for applications is Sunday 19th May 2024. If you would like to discuss the role, please get in touch with Bryony Thomas via the Allen Lane agency website.
Shortlisting will complete late May and may include an initial conversation with Allen Lane, our recruitment partner for this role. First stage interviews with King’s College London are planned for early June.
We are not able to offer sponsorship for candidates for this role who do not currently possess the right to work in the UK.
Educational Grants & Relationships Manager
The Merchant Taylors' Company is looking for an exceptional person to lead on its educational grant-making and its education-related relationships. The grant-making is delivered primarily through the Merchant Taylors' Foundation. It’s partly about schools but also potentially any setting in which education improves lives – for example, offender rehabilitation, or our Early Years joint programme with the Leathersellers’ Company.
You’ll sustain vibrant relationships between the Company and schools throughout England and Northern Ireland with which it has close links. Some are state-maintained, some in the independent sector, and you’ll love both types.
You’ll lead on education-related volunteering opportunities for the Company’s membership, a vibrant community of people whose birth decades span the early 2000s back to the 1930s.
You’ll also lead on relationships with all the stakeholders affecting our education-related work. You’ll ensure those relationships are flourishing and mutually advantageous, and you’ll lead on identifying and building new ones to increase our impact.
You’ll support fundraising work for the Foundation, for example through creating compelling pieces for social media and hard copy publications.
You’re a fast learner and clearly very able. You are clever, proactive, pragmatic and financially astute. Your influencing and diplomatic skills are strong. Your social skills are brilliant with people of all ages and walks of life. Your oral and written communication skills are excellent, and you’ll need them for working with Merchant Taylors’ boards and committees and communicating with the Company’s membership. You’re not afraid of taking responsibility, or being accountable. You are a strategic thinker. You’re great on the big picture as well as the detail. You’re confident with figures and financial information. You’re also confident with IT and, given we’re a small team, you’ll love using IT applications to help us work efficiently.
You don’t need a professional background in education. The qualities above are much more important. This job could suit someone with great potential who is looking for the next step up, or someone who can already demonstrate experience of everything from their career to date. Either way, the selection process may include skills tests.
For more information including how to submit a valid application, please see the instructions in the Candidate Information Pack.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.