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London Borough of Sutton and the Royal Borough of Kingston Councils have a number of Shared Services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one Council than the other. We are recruiting a Strategic Finance Business Partner (SFBP) focused on the Royal Borough of Kingston, whilst being a part of the broader Shared Finance Service.

As a wider team, the option to work flexibly in both Sutton and Kingston offices is available, although this role is primarily Kingston based.

There are some really exciting things happening in both Sutton and Kingston. We are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. We are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in Kingston, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.

Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as RIchmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor kings and queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a corporate plan “Making Kingston Better Together” that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London.

Strategic Finance Business Partner (SFBP) - Corporate (0.6 FTE) Job share

Grade 10 - £52,929 - £61,491 (£63,684 unconsolidated maximum) (pro-rata for part time)

Reporting to the Corporate Head of Financial Planning and Business Partnering, we have a great opportunity for a fully qualified / suitably experienced finance professional to support the Corporate service area at the Royal Borough of Kingston.

This is a job-share role and is a Financial Planning centred role that involves various work streams; one of the most prominent is working on the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) working towards a balanced budget by influencing, modelling and updating all the financial elements behind the MTFS. This includes savings, growth, inflation, council tax, business rates, collection fund and grants. This is done by responding to, and collating, information from other Strategic Finance Business Partners, the Services, the Section 151 and other colleagues. It is also achieved through keeping abreast of the overall financial climate, government announcements related to local government funding and joining all these elements together.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support the development of the Medium-Term Financial Plan and take responsibility for ensuring the MTFP is underpinned by robust and accurate working papers
• Lead and co-ordinate the creation of detailed budget estimates ensuring these are implemented on 1 April and aligned to the published MTFP
• Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to prepare budget reports, analysis, and budget options for consideration by senior officers, Members and Council committees
• Provide detailed analysis of grant settlements and other funding announcements, ensuring financial impact on the Council is assessed and communicated clearly to senior officers
• Respond to consultations and assess the financial impact of new legislation as required
• Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to align financial plans to other corporate policies and strategies including the corporate plan, and to develop a strong understanding of the Council’s financial position and associated challenges across the Council and external stakeholders
• Line management of one member of staff (Senior Finance Lead)

Further information is set out in the Role Profile. For any further questions about the role contact Greg Pike, Corporate Head of Financial Planning and Business Partnering ([email protected])

We expect the successful candidate to demonstrate the following competences:

• Qualified accountant (CCAB, CIPFA preferred) or have demonstrable equivalent experience of operating at that level.
• Experience of working within a business partnering model and/or the ability to demonstrate an awareness of what is required to deliver the outcomes of the model.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering strategic finance advice within a large and complex organisation and providing advice and challenge to budget holders, managers and finance colleagues.
• Experience of working in a strategic finance role, i.e. on the full budgetary cycle and consolidating in-year monitoring reports is desirable.

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Car parking scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.