Head of Finance – Innovate UK Major Programmes

Innovate UK; Swindon; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading innovation agency in the UK seeks a Head of Finance responsible for financial forecasts, stakeholder management, and budget oversight. The ideal candidate will hold a CCAB/CIMA qualification and have a proven record in finance management. This role requires excellent analytical and communication skills, with a strong emphasis on strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. This position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional growth.

Qualifications

• Proven record of successful management of a finance function.
• Experience in preparation of budgets and financial plans.
• Management of teams within a fast-paced service delivery environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide financial oversight for Innovate UK.
• Lead budget preparation, management and monitoring.
• Develop an effective business-partnering model.

Skills

Strong technical skills in accounting

Proven team working skills

Strong analytical skills

Effective communication skills

Financial accounting qualification

Education

CCAB/CIMA qualified accountant

Job description

Location

Swindon

About the job

Job summary

The Head of Finance will be responsible for the accurate, reliable and timely preparation of Innovate UK’s financial forecasts and models and will manage Finance Business Partners covering a range of activities predominantly in management reporting and business partnering.

The postholder will need to map and prioritise stakeholders effectively, build trust quickly and keep engagement plans current as contexts change. They will need to communicate with precision, adapting tone and channel for executives, boards, partners and frontline teams translating complex issues into clear options with benefits, costs and risks.

Using data, user insight and prototypes, the Head of Finance will champion inclusion, accessibility and user impact so outcomes are understood, adopted and sustained.

Job description

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Provide financial oversight for Innovate UK (IUK), developing and implementing a programme of activity, with the associated revisions to process, to ensure that the organisation discharges its funding remit and financial responsibilities effectively, as delegated by UKRI.
• Lead Innovate UK budget preparation, management and monitoring, as allocated by UKRI, undertaking variance analysis as required.
• Work alongside the Director of Finance to prepare other financial submissions to UKRI (and other government departments) as necessary and manage Innovate UK financial processes to ensure effective integration with UKRI.
• Develop an effective business-partnering model, where coaching and support are given to Finance Business Partners and budget holders to achieve best value for money and accountability, ensuring compliance with Managing Public Money principles.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders linked to the Finance function (UKRI, other Research Councils, DSIT, Other Government Departments, NAO, Treasury, internal audit etc.) ensuring alignment with the organisation’s strategic aims, prepare and support implementation of processes which support this delivery.
• Work with the business to match delivery mechanisms to the goals and objectives of the technological area and Innovate UK and UKRI as a whole with consideration of the Strategic Delivery Plan and Spending Review plans, including support for the IUK Director of Finance in delivering new funding models and approaches.
• Work with the Senior Leadership team and individual Executive Directors to ensure sound financial management of a domain and/or a portfolio of programmes including: effective Innovate UK finance business partnering, portfolio management of programme budgets, and reporting one version of the truth to Innovate UK Leadership team, UKRI and external stakeholders.
• Maintain responsibility for financial systems and finance services provided by any external partners or organisations; specifically overall management of the Workday finance system, and integration of the finance system into the Grant Funding System and UKRI.
• Direct, develop and modify existing processes to match the changing organisational needs to deliver improved efficiencies, clarity and ease of process utilising the developing IT infrastructures.
• Support the transition of statutory accounting requirements into the UKRI Financial Control function including:
  1. IUK Interim and year-end close-down activity as necessary;
  2. Provision of financial submissions to UKRI for consolidation.
• Ensure compliance across the Finance function with all relevant legislation, reviewing, revising and updating financial regulations, policies, procedures, and controls as appropriate and ensuring that this knowledge is reflected across all teams.
• Represent Innovate UK at meetings, conferences, workshops, regional events and similar activities to help integration with UKRI, develop and publicise the work of Innovate UK.

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• CCAB/CIMA qualified accountant.

Desirable

• Continued professional development advantageous.
• Recognised project management qualification.

Experience

Essential

• Proven record of successful management of a finance function, covering a range of activities from transaction processing to strategic planning. In particular the:
• preparation of budgets and financial plans;
• facilitation of the preparation of statutory accounts and reports;
• timely completion of the month end management accounts in line with strict accounting deadlines.
• Proven abilities to support the rest of the organisation in developing their understanding and management of finance.
• Evidence of having critically and continuously examined how to gain optimum value from finite resources and developed innovative ways to improve performance.
• Management of teams within a fast-paced service delivery/operational environment.
• Direct management experience in a process intensive service-oriented/operational environment (e.g. competitive procurement or service delivery).
• Proven ability to work within the constraints of time and cost to the required quality.
• Direct experience of business process improvement/re-engineering and associated systems design and implementation.
• A track-record of delivery to an exceptional standard against rigorous governance and due diligence processes with a clear consideration of public accountability.

Desirable

• Financial management experience in budgeting, forecasting and cost control within a Public Sector context.
• Understanding of structure of and relationships with government and key Innovate UK partner organisations such as the Research Councils and the Devolved Administrations.
• A working knowledge of EU Framework processes and State Aid rules.
• Systems development.

Skills

• Strong technical skills developed in the accounting profession and an in-depth understanding of relevant extant financial reporting principles.
• Proven team working and project management skills.
• Proven people management skills – in particular, developing teams to achieve their full potential and recognising the changing needs of the business.
• Able to act and think strategically, developing practical, innovative and creative solutions to strategic issues and complex problems.
• Self-organisation skills and a demonstrable ability to manage and prioritise a workload to meet tight deadlines.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to quickly understand new and complex issues and to develop/propose solutions.
• Good presentation skills and a professional and engaging style.
• Highly-effective communication (both written and oral) skills and the ability to produce clear, concise and accurate presentations and written documents.
• Strong IT skills including process and control development, managing data and maintaining audit trail and data integrity.
• Ability to manage often conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of the documented processes.
• Ability and willingness to thrive in a changing environment, working proactively on new product ideas and processes.
• The ability to respond calmly under pressure and to make impartial and well-considered judgments in complex situations as and when required.
• The capability and gravitas to engage effectively with senior representatives from business, academia and government.
• Developed negotiating and influencing skills.
• Financial accounting qualification (eg: ACCA; ACA; CCAB; CIMA).
• Ability to analyse complex financial information and produce accurate/intelligent forecasts and plans.
• Confident in building and maintaining strong effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels, credibly advising and challenging at the most senior levels in a professional manner.
• Experience of leading, motivating and inspiring teams with excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise and delegate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to seek out, manage and influence opportunities for continuous improvement and change.

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