Programme Director of Medium-Term Financial Strategy Development

London Borough of Tower Hamlets; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is seeking a senior public sector finance specialist for a six-month assignment to support its budget-setting process and strengthen financial sustainability.

The role requires extensive experience in MTFS, savings delivery and transformation programmes within local government or similar public sector environments, with the ability to operate credibly at Executive and Member level and across multiple directorates.

Qualifications

• Senior local government, public sector or consultancy professional with experience leading large-scale financial transformation.
• Strong track record in savings delivery programmes and organisational improvement.
• Experience operating credibly at Executive and Member level across multiple directorates.

Responsibilities

• Undertaking due diligence on the reliability and deliverability of existing savings and budget assumptions.
• Developing options and recommendations for strengthening the Council’s budget-setting approach, including methodologies such as Outcome-Based Budgeting (OBB) and Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB).
• Establishing robust financial forecasting, modelling, appraisal and benefits realisation frameworks.
• Providing strategic oversight and challenge to MTFS development, savings delivery and transformation activity across the organisation.

Job description

This is a six-month assignment required urgently to support the Council’s budget-setting process and strengthen its approach to financial sustainability. The successful candidate will be a senior local government, public sector or consultancy professional with a strong track record of leading large-scale financial transformation, savings delivery programmes and organisational improvement. They will need to operate credibly at Executive and Member level, challenge existing assumptions and work across multiple directorates to identify, evaluate and implement sustainable financial solutions.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Undertaking due diligence on the reliability and deliverability of existing savings and budget assumptions.
• Developing options and recommendations for strengthening the Council’s budget-setting approach, including consideration of methodologies such as Outcome-Based Budgeting (OBB), Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) and other best-practice models.
• Establishing more robust financial forecasting, modelling, appraisal and benefits realisation frameworks.
• Providing strategic oversight and challenge to MTFS development, savings delivery and transformation activity across the organisation.

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate significant experience leading complex MTFS, financial recovery, savings or transformation programmes within local government or a similarly complex public sector environment.

This is a specialist, project-focused assignment rather than a substantive leadership post, with clearly defined deliverables and outcomes.

Duration: 6 months