Director of Finance (S151)

Salary: Up to £130,000 per annum pro rata

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 2nd June 2024

To find out more and to apply, visit www.shapingcentralbeds.co.uk 

Help us drive growth and improve the lives of people in Central Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire Council has been on an incredible journey since its formation in 2009. Alongside enviable service improvements we have become a leaner and more efficient organisation, with an agile and empowered workforce. We’ve built and grown sustainably and put the Council on a firm and stable footing, which will allow our communities, businesses, and people to thrive. Our strategic plan reaffirms our values and focus, and we are now seeking three inspirational leaders who share our ambition.

There has never been a greater need for us to work corporately across the council, with other local authorities, wider partnerships, and with our communities. As a wider council we are implementing a bold plan to reset how we operate internally and how we engage with our customers, making the best use of technology to free up our skilled workforce to focus on what they do best; making a real difference. We’ve also made a lot of exciting capital investments, and been very successful in bringing external funding which is opening up a diverse set of opportunities and which will help to define our future growth.

About the role

This is a new and exciting role to Central Bedfordshire’s corporate management team. Given the continuing need for strong financial oversight, a new Director of Finance (s151) has been created which will play a crucial part in shaping and leading the ongoing success of the Council. 

The current financial health of the Council is strong with expected revenue earmarked reserves of £54M at the end of 2023/24 and a General Fund Reserve of £26M. 

We’ve not only maintained our frontline services like libraries, leisure centres and roads, we’ve been investing in them too. We have an ambitious capital programme with a plan to invest up to £531M (gross), £327M (net), over the four years from 2024/25 to deliver key infrastructure projects including roads, schools, care homes, new leisure centres and much more.

We have a robust approach to budget monitoring and processes to manage underspends and overspends. We work collaboratively as one council and each month the Corporate Management Team receives an update on the financial performance of the Council covering revenue, capital and the Housing Revenue Account. We report to the Council’s Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Committees on a quarterly basis.

You’ll monitor standards of financial management across the Council, keeping the Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team and Elected Members with an up to date, accurate financial position.

In addition to this you will be responsible for leading the Council’s procurement service, ensuring the best financial opportunities are delivered in line with our social value ambitions as well as manage internal audit and risk.

About you

As our new Director of Finance (S151), you will have an opportunity to pave the way for strong financial management and continue on the journey of delivering better outcomes for our place and our people.

You will be an experienced finance leader with a good understanding of local government and, with a relatively new administration, high political acumen is crucial. Beyond your technical skill set, you will bring a positive leadership style - building relationships and working together as one council. You’ll work closely and collaboratively with all directorates across the organisation to coordinate the preparation of our accounts and financial reports, as well as lead on the development of the Council’s revenue and capital planning, producing the Budget and the short-, medium-, and long-term Financial Planning Strategy.

This is a brilliant new opportunity where you can make your mark and make a positive difference to the council and residents of Central Bedfordshire. You will be joining an ambitious council, with a friendly and collegiate culture, who have been successful in delivering innovation and different ways of working. If you share our ambition to truly put Central Bedfordshire on the map, then we would love to hear from you.

To find out more and to apply, visit www.shapingcentralbeds.co.uk or, for a confidential conversation, call our retained consultants at Tile Hill, Anita Denton on 07725 554802 or Chantelle Wooldridge on 07557 018320.