Finance and Data Officer

Cornwall Council Jobs and Careers; Truro; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornwall Council is seeking a finance-focused role within the Inclusion and Belonging Service to lead financial analysis, budgeting and monitoring. The post is based at New County Hall, Truro, with a hybrid working model and a two-year fixed-term contract.

You will work with service managers and the Corporate Finance team, applying advanced Excel and data management practices to ensure compliance, value for money, and robust financial input into continuous service improvement.

Qualifications

• Advanced Excel skills essential for budgeting and financial reporting.
• Ability to work with complex datasets and produce clear management information.
• Experience in public sector or government-financed services is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead on financial analysis and planning to support budget development.
• Provide financial input into service improvement and governance.
• Monitor budgets and highlight variances to managers.
• Support data management and reporting across trackers and systems.
• Assist with Home for Ukraine payments, Supplier payments and related financial tasks.
• Collaborate with managers and colleagues to meet service objectives.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Collaboration

Attention to detail

Education

Undergraduate degree (Level 6) or equivalent

Tools

Budget monitoring software

Job description

About the Service

The post holder will work closely with service managers, commissioners and the Corporate Finance team to ensure financial sustainability, compliance, and value for money in the delivery of the Inclusion and Belonging Service.

About the Role

As part of this role, you will lead on high-quality financial analysis and planning, to contribute to robust budget development and financial input into the service's culture of continuous improvement.

This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.

This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.

Your main areas of work will include:

• Requisitions, Purchasing & Payments
• Supplier Due Diligence & Compliance
• Financial Monitoring & Budgetary Control
• Crisis & Care and Payments
• Grant Funding, Reporting & Income Forecasting
• Education & Partner Payments
• Contributing towards Data Management & Government Returns
• Homes for Ukraine Host Payments & Record Keeping
• Other finance and data related projects in accordance with the service evolution and grade.

Working arrangements

This is a 2-year fixed-term, full-time position with a hybrid working model.

Office base: New County Hall, Truro

We work flexibly to most effectively support the people, services and organisations that under the remit of Inclusion and Belonging Service.

There is a requirement to work in a variety of locations and settings, including at home, in the office, site visits and community settings.

What you’ll need to succeed

• A recognised undergraduate degree (Level 6) or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area.
• Equivalent qualifications may include:

• A higher education diploma or certificate at an equivalent level
• Significant professional experience demonstrating knowledge and capability at degree level

• Advanced Excel skills, which will form part of the assessment for shortlisted candidates.
• Able to work sensitively and respectfully in a trauma informed service supporting vulnerable people and displaced families.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver service objectives, alongside the confidence and judgement to work independently, prioritise tasks, and use own initiative to resolve issues.
• Proactive and solution-focused, with a willingness to learn and adapt to changing government guidance, service demand and changing priorities
• Methodical, reliable, and accountable, with a high level of professional integrity
• Knowledge of local authority financial procedures, including requisitioning, purchase orders, invoice processing, BACS payments, and budget monitoring
• Understanding of financial controls, audit requirements, and the importance of maintaining clear and accurate audit trails
• Knowledge of government funded resettlement schemes, including the need for compliance, eligibility checking, and evidence retention
• Working knowledge of financial monitoring and reporting, including reviewing income and expenditure reports, identifying discrepancies, and escalating issues appropriately.
• Ability to maintain accurate, well-structured datasets across multiple trackers and systems, ensuring consistency between finance, casework, service user and statutory reporting data.
• Skilled in validating data, identifying gaps, duplicates, or inconsistencies, and taking corrective action to maintain data integrity.
• Ability to analyse financial and service data to identify trends, variances, anomalies, and risks, and to explain findings clearly to managers and non-technical colleagues.Which will form part of the assessment for shortlisted candidates.

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.
• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions
• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.
• A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme
• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.

Additional Information

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

The full role profile is attached here

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact: [e-mail]