The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.
We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.
Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.
Innovation and progress are at the heart of our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. And we’re dedicated to becoming a leading, inclusive employer both in the external market and throughout the Civil Service. Our strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces.
Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.
The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.
To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
The role covers client financial reporting. The Senior Client Finance Manager is responsible for all aspects of financial services delivery for existing and prospective Clients including budgets, forecasts and Client liaison; managing a small team to do so.
Key deliverables are: Producing high quality forecasts and reports for clients and securing timely receipt of income from GPA’s clients – £870m in 2023/24 rising to over £1bn by 2024/25.
This will be achieved by ensuring timely and accurate forecasting, regular monthly scrutiny of income, costs & billing, reconciliations, client meetings and management of Client expectations.
Key Responsibilities:
Responsibility for delivery of budget & forecasts by Client, Property and tenancy, using complex data from MRI Horizon general ledger and using Power BI and Excel tools. This will include leading staff in producing accurate income & expenditure budgets for our services for clients.
Setting a forward budget in liaison with Clients taking into account service and affordability. Ensuring income and costs are correctly accounted for.
* Take accountability for financial control over property services accounting to ensure accurate cost allocation, billing and full cost recovery. This impacts the bottom line as all costs need to be recovered including fees for services. Client satisfaction is directly impacted by accurate forecasting, explanations and billing.
* Direct, plan, coordinate, and establish new systems and processes for quarterly financial reporting to customers that ensures they understand their costs and bills. Deliver an ongoing client reporting service that meets client expectations.
* Lead the interface with senior finance & property staff in Client meetings, for prospective and existing Clients. Understand customer needs and translate into action. Lead in preparing briefing and explaining financial reports clearly and succinctly. Be proactive in problem solving, resolving issues and finding solutions. Take responsibility for providing excellent client service.
* Lead and influence long term change through setting up new systems and processes and create high performing teams and continuous improvement.
* Lead in managing the service delivery with others in the team and 1-2 management accountants reporting to them. Managing the growth, matching resources to client demand. Integrate the efforts of others to support the implementation of improved financial systems to simplify and automate. Developing those systems.
Key Activities and Tasks:
Budgeting and Forecasting – Provide each client with forecasts on rent and services charges for the financial year:
- In August, for the following financial year, enabling clients to prepare their budgets.
- Quarterly through the financial year, enabling clients to understand the impact of any changes to the
August budget. The August budget is critical to enabling Clients to budget and inform their SR bid or supplementary estimate.
- In January to provide updates to forecast and year end accrual estimates.
- Forecasts to include: operating costs; projects; and dilapidations provisions.
- Timely forecasts to comply with government accounting standards, showing the correct allocation to fiscal RDEL, non-fiscal RDEL, AME and CDEL.
Oversee and ensure Financial Control discipline over Client property income & expenditure:
- Work with GPA teams to ensure no costs are incurred unless there is a client order in place (a signed occupation agreement or a purchase order); and escalate where this is not the case.
- Supervise the preparation of ad hoc invoices for clients with explanation.
- Support stringent control of invoice authorization and payment.
- Direct, oversee and quality assure Monthly review and quarterly reconciliation of GPA property expenditure and matching client income across the dimensions of cost category, Property/lease and Client/tenant.
- Providing a “true-up” account in the quarter following year end to cover any variances between invoiced amounts and actual costs with commentary.
- Comprehensive credit control ensuring timely collection of all income, engaging with all parties as needed, including our outsourced transaction team.
- Support in managing the financial services performance of the outsourced transaction team.
Client Financial Reporting:
- Quarterly for each client, prepare statements of income vs expenditure (operating costs, projects, dilapidations), GPA fees and any aged debts.
- Reports to be split according to government accounting standards, showing the correct allocation to fiscal RDEL, non-fiscal RDEL, AME and CDEL.
- Provide briefing documents on each Client from a financial perspective.
Client Liaison
- Personally engage with client’s finance and property teams, to ensure they are confident our forecast and invoices are accurate; and any issues are resolved swiftly.
- Respond to client requests for advice on GPA charges and other financial matters as appropriate.
- Engage with clients on credit control to ensure prompt payment of invoices.
- Work with Client Solutions Asset Management and Workplace Services teams in GPA in meeting clients and resolving queries. Ensuring KPIs around Salesforce are enforced and managed effectively.
Leadership of management accounting staff with indirect leadership of management accounting and project accounting finance staff to ensure accurate and timely property accounting. Staff responsibility expected to grow over time:
- Take personal responsibility for client finance, billing and securing GPA’s income.
- Oversee financial due diligence and provide advice on prospective Clients.
- Create great relationships with client finance and asset management teams – supporting a culture of mutual trust, high performance, delivery and proactive problem solving.
- Give direction to GPA’s wider finance team, motivating them and adding to the team expertise in client-side property finance.
-. Contribute to the overall development of the GPA as a professional commercial property organisation.
Service delivery and Transformation:
- Take the lead in financial management systems development.
- Support the future development of GPA, so our people understand how much the things they do cost and who is paying for them.
The post holder may be required to undertake additional responsibilities as expected in relation to the role and grade.
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