Business Planning Manager

Westfield Secondary School; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking an experienced Business Planning Manager to lead the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and support long-term financial sustainability of Housing services.

You will use financial modelling, forecasting and scenario analysis to advise senior leaders and elected members on risks, options and investment choices, coordinating with Housing services and Strategic Finance. Deputising for senior roles may be required.

Qualifications

• Detailed knowledge of local authority housing finance and 30-year HRA business planning.
• Experience in business planning, financial planning or strategic planning in a public housing environment.
• Experience with complex financial modelling, scenario analysis and sensitivity testing.
• Knowledge of housing policy and regulatory framework including Rent Standard.
• Ability to analyse complex financial, operational and policy information and produce clear recommendations.
• Experience producing reports, business cases and briefings for senior managers or governance forums.
• Strong communication, stakeholder-management and influencing skills to coordinate cross-team work and meet deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, delivery and review of the 30-year Housing Revenue Account Business Plan.
• Coordinate evidence, assumptions and inputs to maintain a robust plan.
• Use financial models, forecasts and scenario analysis to inform decisions and manage risk.
• Provide options appraisals, recommendations and briefings for senior leaders and governance bodies.
• Ensure the plan meets legislative, regulatory and financial requirements including the HRA ring-fence and Rent Standard.
• Monitor delivery, performance and key risks and update the plan as circumstances change.
• Align financial planning with operational priorities, asset investment and service delivery.
• Involve tenant, resident and leaseholder feedback in budget setting and investment decisions.

Skills

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Degree or professional qualification

Job description

Sheffield City Council is one of the UK's largest social landlords, responsible for nearly 40,000 council homes and delivering services that make a real difference to tenants and residents across the city.

As part of our Housing transformation, we are strengthening strategic planning, governance and regulatory assurance. We are seeking an experienced Business Planning Manager to lead our Housing Revenue Account Business Plan and support the long-term financial sustainability of Housing services.

About the Role

Reporting to the Regulation and Governance Service Manager you will lead the development, delivery and review of the Housing Revenue Account Business Plan, ensuring it is sustainable, evidence-based and aligned with Housing priorities and statutory responsibilities.

You will use financial modelling, forecasting and scenario analysis to advise senior leaders and elected members on risks, options and investment choices. Working closely with Housing services, Strategic Finance and Finance Business Partnering, you will connect financial planning with operational priorities, asset investment and service delivery.

The role has no direct line-management responsibility but requires strong professional leadership, collaboration and influence across organisational boundaries. You will be part of our senior management team and you will be expected at times to deputise for the Service Manager and Assistant Director

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading the development, delivery and review of the 30-year Housing Revenue Account Business Plan.
• Coordinating evidence, assumptions and service inputs to maintain a robust and credible plan.
• Using complex financial models, forecasts, scenario analysis and sensitivity testing to inform decisions and manage risk.
• Providing options appraisals, recommendations and briefings for senior leaders, elected members and governance forums.
• Ensuring the plan meets legislative, regulatory and financial requirements, including the HRA ring-fence and Rent Standard.
• Monitoring delivery, financial performance and key risks, and updating the plan when circumstances change.
• Aligning financial planning with operational priorities, asset investment, service delivery and value for money.
• Ensuring business planning, budget setting and investment decisions are informed by tenant, resident and leaseholder feedback
• Work across the Housing service to ensure the needs and investment requirements of all departments are understood and influence budget setting
• Work closely with our Finance Business Partner to ensure alignment between the practices of the Council and the Housing Service
• Support with maximising the value received from the HRA through detailed assessments of the income and expenditure, to ensure we achieve value for money for tenants and residents.

Who We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced business-planning professional who can demonstrate:

• Detailed knowledge of local authority housing finance and 30-year HRA business planning, including rents, service charges, the HRA ring-fence and revenue and capital planning.
• Substantial experience of business planning, financial planning, policy or strategic planning in a complex public-service or housing environment.
• Experience of complex financial modelling, scenario analysis and sensitivity testing to support decision-making.
• Knowledge of the policy and regulatory framework for council housing, including the Rent Standard.
• The ability to analyse complex financial, operational and policy information and turn it into clear recommendations.
• Experience of producing reports, business cases and briefings for senior managers, elected members, boards or governance forums.
• Strong communication, stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the ability to coordinate work across multiple teams and deliver to deadlines.
• A relevant degree or professional qualification with appropriate experience, or equivalent relevant experience.

Why Join Us?

This is a unique opportunity to influence the long-term sustainability and investment priorities of one of the country's largest local authority housing services. Your work will support responsible investment, effective use of resources and better outcomes for tenants and residents.

Interested?

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Nick Beasley, Assistant Director - Strategy & Regulation

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.