ROLE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Provide the full financial support function for revenue and/or capital as appropriate, for the designated team/service areas/ school, including preparing estimates, closing tasks, and relevant financial advice including over the best use of financial systems to support sound financial management and reporting across the organisation, in accordance with relevant accounting standards and within agreed deadlines.
2. Facilitate a sound Budget Monitoring reporting process, for revenue and/or capital as appropriate working in collaboration with budget holders within the designated service area, including schools, setting up/ maintaining spreadsheets and tables to enhance financial monitoring and reporting, and coordination of Service responses on forecasts and performance statistics within agreed timescales and deadlines.
3. Promote the required use of the core financial systems and support the proper application and adherence to necessary financial controls and standards and to undertake all work in a way that demonstrates the journey towards achieving Council and Divisional values and objectives and evidence of adherence to professional standards.
4. Support the delivery of the Medium-Term Finance Strategy (MTFS) for revenue and capital as appropriate, to help ensure it reflects Corporate and service objectives and priorities.
5. Act as a single point of contact for the financial management support of Directors, Service Managers and Budget Holders and Head Teachers as appropriate.
6. Develop a thorough understanding of a specific Service Area’s business, particularly in relation to the measurement and management of the activities that drive costs and advise on the optimisation of income in accordance with Council policies.
7. Lead on creating and implementing relevant and accurate financial models across a range of cost drivers, ensuring models and any assumptions are agreed and owned by the directorate.
8. Support the budget planning and all processes across services including the allocation of the Dedicated Schools Grant, as appropriate, ensuring they are accurate and timely within required deadlines and reflect the requirements of that service area, undertaking the necessary analysis (including running the schools resourcing formula) to support this.
9. Contribute to the presentation/ reporting to Directors / Schools forum as required.
10. Work with accountants across the finance function to share learning and best practice across the teams.
11. Support the Finance Management Team to deliver a proactive finance service to directorates that ensures Directors/ Head Teachers / Budget Managers develop their financial knowledge, skills and capabilities.
12. In conjunction with the Senior Accountant, develop the Council’s medium term financial plan for the designated area and ensure financial risks and opportunities for the future are properly reflected in short, medium and long term sustainable financial planning using option appraisal, scenario building and sensitivity testing for both revenue and capital and represent ‘one version of the truth’.
13. Work in partnership with Directors, Head Teachers, Service Managers and Budget Managers in the analysis of costs in relation to performance to reveal opportunities for policy or process change, participating in any subsequent business case development and review of the financial impact of previous policy decisions to learn lessons and assess relative cost benefits.
14. Provide financial support to Directors, Head Teachers, Service Managers and Budget Managers in monitoring budget plans, expenditure and income against these, and in forecasting both in year and future year income and expenditure, ensuring these are accurate, appropriate and are supported through activity and performance analysis.
15. For Schools support the Senior Accountant in the annual review of the LA’s statutory scheme for financing schools and in the implementation and maintenance of a clear framework for the evaluation and monitoring of schools’ surplus balance expenditure plans.
16. Work in partnership with service areas, including schools, to identify opportunities to improve value for money and link financial information with activity-based information.
17. Support the Senior Accountants and contribute to the preparation of financial reports to Corporate Directors, Directors, Head Teachers, Schools Forum, Service Managers and Members, as appropriate.
18. Deputise for senior finance staff at meetings with senior managers as and when directed. Represent the Council at external events, including for schools, and attend Committees/ Member meetings as required.
19. Maintain the Council’s medium term financial plan for revenue and capital and income and expenditure and ensure that it reflects all known financial pressures, opportunities and major projects and programmes across designated service areas including schools. Where appropriate make recommendations on how the plan can be approved.
20. Research and understand economic and demographic drivers that will impact on the Council and work with Senior Accountants and other members of the Strategic Finance team to understand how these could affect the medium-term financial planning of the Council. Where necessary write impact statements for consideration by relevant stakeholders.
21. Maintain and monitor schedules of sources of funding available to the Council and ensure that strategies are in place for optimising income in accordance with Council policies and priorities. Ensure that the Council’s budgets accurately reflect the funding available, and plans are in place to maximise outcomes within the funding available.
22. Support the production of the Council’s financial accounts, for the designated service area/ schools for revenue and/or capital, as appropriate, with the completion of all associated returns and templates as relevant, exercising the required care and due diligence to minimise/avoid inaccuracies and error, preparing these to meet Audit standards in accordance with Financial Reporting Standards, Regulations and codes of Practice meeting the statutory timetable, including those for the Council’s Pension Fund, Group Accounts and Whole Government Accounts.
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