Commissioning & Procurement Finance Lead

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee assistance programme

Mental Health First Aiders

Pension Scheme

Discounts on Cafés/restaurants/shops

Gym discounts

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council is seeking a Commissioning & Procurement Finance Lead to provide strategic financial advice and lead improvement initiatives across the commissioning hub. You will analyse complex data, support decision-making, and strengthen financial governance across placement activity.

The role blends financial expertise with stakeholder engagement, process improvement and value-for-money delivery in a large local government setting. Flexible/hybrid working is supported.

Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent essential.
• Professional qualification relevant to finance/ procurement advantageous.
• Experience in a large, complex organisation with governance and risk management.
• Knowledge of local government, health, social care, commissioning or procurement environments is valuable.
• Ability to translate analysis into practical improvements across commissioning and placement activity.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex financial analysis, modelling, benchmarking and reporting.
• Develop and improve financial processes, policies and guidance.
• Provide expert financial advice on commissioning, contracting and invoicing.
• Assess provider financial sustainability and risk for commissioners.
• Build relationships with internal teams, partners and providers to drive solutions.
• Streamline provider payment arrangements for accuracy and efficiency.

Skills

Financial analysis

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Problem solving

Education

Degree-level qualification (or equivalent)

Professional qualification (relevant)

Job description

We're looking for a Commissioning & Procurement Finance Lead to join our strategic commissioning and procurement team. In this varied and high-impact role, you'll provide expert financial advice, lead and deliver improvement initiatives and help ensure robust financial management across commissioned services. Working closely with colleagues, partners and providers, you'll play an important part in delivering value for money while supporting the delivery of high-quality services., The Commissioning & Procurement Finance Lead role is a great opportunity to combine financial expertise, strategic insight and attention to process detail. We're looking for someone who can see the bigger picture, join the dots across complex systems and partnerships, and translate that understanding into practical improvements that strengthen financial management and service delivery. Based within the Commissioning and Procurement Hub, you'll play a key role in improving financial processes, supporting decision-making and ensuring robust financial governance and value for money across commissioned services. As our Commissioning & Procurement Finance Lead, you'll be at the heart of driving financial excellence across the Commissioning and Procurement Hub. This is a role where no two days are the same. One day you could be analysing complex financial data and market trends, and the next you could be collaborating with commissioning teams, finance colleagues and service providers to improve processes and solve challenges. The focus of the role will be providing dedicated financial expertise across commissioning and placement activity, helping to strengthen financial governance and deliver value for money. Working closely with commissioning, operational and finance colleagues, you'll undertake detailed financial analysis to review placement and provider costs, identify opportunities for efficiencies and support evidence-based decision-making. You'll also lead work to help streamline provider payment arrangements to improve accuracy and efficiency. Through this combination of detailed analytical work and system-wide improvement, you'll play an important role in delivering financial sustainability across commissioned services.,

• Leading complex financial analysis, modelling, benchmarking and reporting to support strategic decision-making.
• Developing and improving financial processes, policies and guidance that strengthen financial controls, risk management and efficiency across the Commissioning and Procurement Hub.
• Providing expert financial advice on complex commissioning, contracting and invoicing matters.
• Developing approaches that help commissioners assess provider financial sustainability and risk.
• Building strong working relationships with internal teams, partners and commissioned providers to drive collaborative solutions.

The Strategic Commissioning and Procurement Service brings together strategic commissioning, including Quality and Placements, alongside procurement colleagues. By combining our skills, experience and lessons learned, we ensure the most effective approach to supporting all stages of the commissioning cycle, complementing other Council teams to maximise both outcomes and value for money for our residents.

At the heart of the Commissioning & Procurement Hub, the Programme Delivery and Implementation Team provides the coordination, insight and oversight needed to turn strategic priorities into delivery. The team works across services to provide governance, assurance and strategic support, helping to ensure commissioning and procurement activity delivers value for money, sustainable outcomes and alignment with corporate priorities

Are you a finance professional who enjoys solving complex challenges, influencing change and making a real difference through your work? If so, this could be the perfect next step in your career.

As an 'any-desk' worker, you'll need a desk, screen a keyboard to get your job done. You'll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

We're looking for someone who combines strong financial expertise with excellent relationship-building skills. You'll be naturally curious, analytical and solution-focused, with the confidence to challenge existing ways of working and identify opportunities for improvement. You will enjoy collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders and be comfortable communicating complex financial information to both finance and non-finance audiences. To be successful in this role, you'll bring significant experience gained within a large and complex organisation, alongside expert financial knowledge and a strong understanding of governance, risk and financial management practices. You'll have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, experience of developing processes and driving improvements, and the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels. A degree-level qualification (or equivalent) is essential, and a relevant professional qualification would be beneficial. Experience within local government, health, social care, commissioning or procurement environments would be particularly valuable. We're seeking someone who shares our values, takes pride in delivering high-quality work, embraces collaboration and is motivated to make a positive impact through continuous improvement. For full person specification details, please refer to the job description.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled 'Exceptions Order').

Our values We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are - Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy. By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation. From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it's important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments. We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That's why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.