Job Description

Job Title:

Head of Finance

Salary

Salary range £50,000 to £55,000

Location

Liverpool Vision, Capital Building, 39 Old Hall Street, Liverpool L3 9PP

Main Purpose of the Job

To lead the financial management of Liverpool Vision with the opportunity to have a tangible impact upon the commercial direction of the organisation.

To oversee the financial controls of bothpublic & privatelyfunded projects ensuring compliance with audit requirements. To ensure grant funded projects comply with the terms and conditions of the relevant funding bodies.

To oversee the procurementand contract management of public funds and Liverpool Vision’s role as accountable body for public funding.

To oversee the company’s IT function, ensuring it is fit for purpose and functioning in line with staff requirements.

Directly Responsible To:

Director of Operations

Directly Responsible For:

  • Finance and Programmes Officer
  • Finance Assistant
  • Procurement & Contracts Manager
  • ERDF Assistant
  • IT Manager

Main Areas of Responsibility:

  • To oversee an integrated finance system, ensuring compliance with all relevant financial regulations.
  • To ensure that Companies House and CIC Regulator records continue to meet statutory requirements.
  • To ensure the accurate and timely production of company accounts, year-end financial statements and financial monitoring information.
  • To maintain a robust financial reporting package to include themonitoring of actuals against budget and forecast and to present to the Senior Management Team (SMT) on a monthly and annual basis.
  • To maintain cash flow forecasting processes and implement strategies to enable effective financial control, including cost management systems and trends analysis with clear audit trails.
  • To oversee the payroll process, ensuring all relevant changes are processed and statutory obligations are met.
  • To act as first point of contact for Merseyside Pension Scheme.
  • To act as first point of contact for HMRC.
  • To liaise with internal, external and grant auditors on all financial matters.
  • To assist with the development and implementation of new projects and programmes, ensuring that effective financial procedures are established and reasonable estimates of costs and in place.
  • To form an effective relationship with the company’s corporate and business planning process, supporting the development of long term strategic initiatives and business plans, producing and interpreting relevant financial data through sound Financial Analysis and planning.
  • To provide a medium term funding outlook for the company lending, the aim to diversify operational and programme income and increase commercial funding for activity.
  • To oversee the procurement and contract management of public funds and Liverpool Vision’s role as accountable body for public funding.
  • To provide commercial input through supporting the negotiation process of new and existing contracts, prepare tender documents and agree relevant contract terms.
  • To develop new funding initiatives and support bid developments undertaken by the company’s business planning function.
  • To oversee the preparation of ERDF grant claims and invoices on monthly and quarterly cycles as appropriate.
  • To monitor project budgets, investigating and reporting variances along with proposed solutions.
  • To maintain files which meet with grant and other external funders audit requirements and minimise risk to the company. Grant funding involves ERDF.
  • The responsibility for all company IT including management of outsourced IT contracts.
  • To establish and maintain software support to enable high level financial, project management and co-ordination.
  • To manage the company’s financial ledger system, currently IRIS Exchequer.
  • To lead on the achievement of savings targets over the foreseeable future.
  • To lead on the financial consolidation of information when working on multi-partner projects.
  • To manage a small team establishing work priorities and monitoring performance.
  • The responsibility for Liverpool Vision’s insurance contracts.
  • To manage and support change activity to ensure robust processes and controls are in place to minimise risk.

Core Skills, Knowledge and Experience Required:

Qualifications/Training:

CCAB qualified (Cipfa, ACMA, ACCA or ACA)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Demonstrable track record of successfully managing the finances limited company.
  • Demonstrable experience of robustly managing company finances within a tightly controlled and decreasing budgetary environment;
  • Thorough understanding of current commercial accountancy practice.
  • Experience in both public and private sector environments desirable;
  • Demonstrable experience of managing a programme of activity, establishing and managing a process of project appraisal, delivery and evaluation.
  • Experience of close liaison with a Local Authority regarding the definition and management of a regeneration programme preferred.
  • An understanding of the principal sources of public regeneration funding.
  • Demonstrable experience of managing the financial, audit and evaluation aspects of EFDF funded claims.
  • Experience of multi-funded, multi-partner programmes.
  • Ability to design and put in place financial arrangements across Liverpool Vision’s operation.
  • Tenacity and drive and the ability to maintain focus and exercise sound judgement under complex and competing conditions.
  • An excellent communication style and the credibility to gain the relevant buy-in from internal and external stakeholders.
  • Commercially focussed with an attention to detail.
  • Strong internal and external stakeholder management.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • High standard of report writing, numeracy and attention to detail.
  • Ability to develop and maintain excellent working relationships.
  • A high level of competence with standard finance and office software applications.
  • High degree of IT literacy and in particular MS Office. Advanced user of MS Excel.
  • Resilience and an ability to work well under pressure and prioritise a heavy workload, working both reactively and pro-actively.
  • A high degree of integrity, tact, diplomacy and corporate spirit.
  • An influential style and the credibility to gain the relevant buy-in from internal and external stakeholders.
  • Excellent interpersonal gravitas, communication skills and the ability to change approach in different contexts and to different audiences.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and a track record of building relationships across a diverse group of cross-functional teams with the ability to create and manage the right tensions in order to deliver target performance to deadlines.
  • Demonstrable leadership skills to lead and organise the work of a small team, establishing priorities, motivating and developing staff to deliver optimum service.

This job description is not intended to be either prescriptive or exhaustive. It is an outline of the main responsibilities for this role. The jobholder may be required to undertake reasonable additional duties as requested by their Line Manager.

This job description is not contractual.

July 2014