Are you ready to lead and shape the future of SEN finance services? We're looking for a driven SEN Finance Co-Ordinator to head our specialist team, delivering a high-performing, customer-focused finance function that supports children with Special Educational Needs.
In this pivotal role, you'll:
Need to develop, plan, deliver, review, improve and quality assure, a focussed and integrated SEN Payments Finance function:
- Maintain a body of appropriate legislative and regulatory knowledge that is relevant and impact on the financial support services provided and ensure that it is reflected within the services provided by the Finance teams.
- Develop efficient, dependable, and strong partnership working with Service area and care pathway representatives, agencies, independent providers as well as other Council departments and services.
- Engage and communicate effectively and timely with Service area and care pathway representatives, Providers and other Agencies through visits, phone, email, or post.
- Lead or participate in departmental and partner agency projects and ensure that new developments are reflected in policies, practice, and operational procedures.
- Represent the service as appropriate, in corporate, departmental meetings, including those with partner agencies across the statutory, independent, and voluntary sector.
Effectively develop and integrate resources (people, contracts, and technology) with performance management processes and practices to deliver quality, cost effective services which comply with council policies and values, national regulations, and finance best practice:
- Set staff performance targets that link to the effective delivery of team and departmental priorities.
- Take an overview of the performance of the service and external providers. Analyse and display team performance against targets and ensure effective action is taken that drives change and achieves agreed outcomes.
- Ensure that recruitment, deployment and development of staff, and the application of grievance and disciplinary procedures support effective service delivery.
- Promote effective communication within the team by means of staff meetings, written and verbal reports and encourage openness at all levels.
- Exercise robust control over delegated cost centre(s) to effectively set and manage budgets, staffing structures and posts.
Provide oversight, governance, and leadership to deliver a safe, efficient, cost effective, customer-focused multi-disciplinary SEN Payments finance function that delivers services to meet the needs of both internal and external customers by ensuring that:
- Management and professional leadership is provided to staff within the span of line management in order that they lead and manage their teams effectively.
- Every member of the team is given clear frameworks and timely decisions as to priorities when dealing with competing demands.
- Staff have the skills and knowledge to enable them to manage and support multi-disciplinary finance functions and advocate good practice in line with Corporate Policy and Procedure.
- A range of quantitative and qualitative information is used to understand how services and contracts are performing, thus providing information, analysis, advice and guidance to Corporate Resources and the service department to support contract compliance and effective decision making.
- There is effective internal control over financial information, data quality and performance by contributing to the development of system solutions and value added processes.
- Maintain financial integrity of the general ledger, through regular and effective reconciliations with line of business systems, implementing and reviewing internal controls within processes.
- Complex concerns and complaints, FOIs and data breaches are investigated, responded to, and are addressed by making appropriate changes to existing practices.
- Responsible for protecting and managing information securely and reporting breaches or suspected information security breaches, in line with Council policies. Ensuring that accurate information is held (on data management systems such as Oracle/Synergy/Mosaic) outlook and paper files and communicated safely and securely.
- Business continuity arrangements are developed and maintained.
Experience Required:
- Educated to degree level, or Part CCAB or AAT qualification.Appropriate professional / management qualification, or Equivalent management experience.
- Delivering a financial service through the management of a large team, including performance management, supervision & appraisal experience
- Resolving financial problems, particularly efficiency, with sound workable solutions.
- Developing effective working relationships with senior and operational managers within service departments; other finance professionals, and stakeholders.
- Developing links between financial and operational information to ensure business objectives and financial objectives are met.
- Experience of working in cross functional teams.
- Communicating financial, system and process information to non-finance specialists in an easily understandable way, both in written form and face to face.
- Identifying and supporting the implementation of improvements in a Finance function.