Finance Manager

Sheffield City Council HQ; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

Sheffield City Council is seeking a Finance Delivery & Improvement Manager to steer the finance function through transformation and improved effectiveness.

You will lead cross‑functional collaboration across Accounting and Finance to embed modern practices, enhance forecasting, reporting and governance, and deliver sustainable processes for the city.

Qualifications

• Strong financial management and leadership experience.
• Track record of improving services, processes or systems.
• Experience managing complex programmes of work and delivering through others.
• Excellent organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence, engage and bring people through change.
• Passion for developing individuals, teams and organisational capability.
• Interest in technology, automation, data and modern finance systems.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination and continuous improvement of key corporate finance activities.
• Improve reporting, strengthen controls, simplify processes and reduce reliance on individuals.
• Support implementation and embedding Mercur in the organisation.
• Develop data usage and technology for more efficient finance processes.
• Foster capability development and knowledge sharing across the team.

Skills

Financial leadership

Process improvement

Stakeholder management

Change management

Automation & data

Strategic thinking

Tools

Mercur FP&A

Job description

Finance Delivery & Improvement Manager

Help drive the next chapter of finance in Sheffield

This is an exciting opportunity to join Sheffield City Council at a pivotal point in the development of our finance function.

We're looking for an experienced and ambitious finance leader who can help us strengthen the way we coordinate, deliver and continuously improve finance services across the organisation. As councils face increasing financial complexity and growing demands for better insight, efficiency and accountability, finance has never been more important. This role will be at the centre of that challenge.

Working across the Accounting Team and wider Finance function, you will help shape how key finance activities are managed, coordinated and delivered. You'll play a leading role in improving processes, increasing organisational resilience, supporting our people and embedding modern ways of working that help the service operate more effectively and efficiently.

Most importantly, you'll have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on how finance supports decision‑making, stewardship of public funds and delivery of services to Sheffield's residents.

The Role

This is not a traditional finance management role.

We are looking for someone who can combine strong financial management skills with a passion for improvement, systems, people development and organisational change.

The role will lead the coordination and continuous improvement of key corporate finance activities, helping ensure critical processes are delivered consistently, efficiently and to a high standard. You will work closely with managers and teams across Finance to improve reporting, strengthen controls, simplify processes and reduce reliance on individual postholders for key areas of work.

A major focus will be supporting the implementation and embedding Mercur, Sheffield's new Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) system. This is a rare opportunity to help shape how a modern finance system is adopted across a large and complex organisation, ensuring the benefits of improved forecasting, reporting, workflow management and management information are fully realised.

You will help teams embrace new ways of working, identify opportunities for automation, improve the use of data and technology, and support the development of more efficient and sustainable finance processes. Working across service boundaries, you'll bring people together around a shared goal of delivering a modern, resilient and high‑performing finance function.

Alongside this, you will support capability development across the team, strengthen knowledge sharing, improve documentation and help create an environment where continuous improvement becomes part of everyday practice.

What We're Looking For

We're seeking someone who enjoys making things better.

Whatever your background and current finance specialism, you'll be someone who can see the bigger picture whilst also driving practical improvements that make a real difference.

• Strong financial management and leadership experience.
• A track record of improving services, processes or systems.
• Experience managing complex programmes of work and delivering through others.
• Excellent organisational, communication and stakeholder management skills.
• The ability to influence, engage and bring people with you through change.
• A passion for developing individuals, teams and organisational capability.
• An interest in technology, automation, data and modern finance systems.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery.

Most importantly, you'll be someone who thrives on challenge, enjoys solving problems and is motivated by delivering better outcomes for the organisation and the communities we serve.

Why Join Us?

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of finance at Sheffield City Council.

You’ll work on high‑profile transformation activity, help embed one of the most significant changes to our finance systems in recent years and play a leading role in improving how finance supports the organisation. You’ll collaborate with experienced professionals across a wide range of services and gain exposure to strategic, operational and technical aspects of local government finance.

In return, you will have the opportunity to develop your leadership skills, broaden your professional experience and make a tangible contribution to public value.

Lead Improvement. Deliver Change. Shape the Future of Finance in Sheffield.

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.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we’ll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full‑time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our Sheff news page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.