Leadership
Strategic Finance Directors provide strong leadership for financial management, planning and partnering across the Department with a focus on maximising the efficiency of delivery.
Strategic Finance Directors provide strong leadership for financial management, planning and partnering across the Department with a relentless focus on maximising the efficiency of delivery.
They lead on financial planning and strategy for their Department, ensuring appropriate and robust forecasts are established and agreed to enable effective delivery and seeking efficiencies where appropriate.
They lead work on Fiscal Events and lead and manage the relationship with HM Treasury.
They lead on financial reporting to the Departmental Executive Committee and Board providing analysis and insight on key issues. They typically provide overarching financial advice to Ministers on handling HMT commissions.
From Inside Finance
This role may be suitable for individuals at SCS1 or SCS2 with strong relationship building, numeracy and analytical skills and strategic thinking.
From outside Finance
This role is not suitable for non-finance professionals.
Essential:
In addition to the tasks that all Finance Directors are expected to perform, Strategic Finance Directors also have the following responsibilities.
| Subheadings | Tasks |
|---|---|
| Financial strategy, business planning and investment analysis | Leading work on spending and efficiency reviews and other fiscal events in partnership with Directors across the Department |
Developing and operating an effective medium-term business planning process as a basis for prioritising and allocating resources. | |
Ensuring resources are aligned to delivery plans, and that long and short-term implications of changes to plans are anticipated and addressed in good time. | |
Ensuring robust investment appraisals and return on investment reports are developed for all significant project / programmes to maximise impact of change portfolio. | |
Ensuring there is robust efficiency and benefit management strategy. | |
Owns Departmental relationships with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. |
For details of Behaviours read the Success Profiles guidance on GOV.UK.
Leadership
Seeing the Big Picture
Communicating and Influencing
Making effective decisions
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Developing self and others
Changing & Improving
Ability to confidently, clearly and credibly influence strategic planning and at pace, making an impact at senior levels through building and maintaining broad diverse networks and relationships, especially across Government with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office.
Demonstrates ability to lead and influence a collaborative and empathetic approach to problem solving across the Department. Objectively considering options and scenarios through multiple lenses, with clearly outlined risk to achieve effective outcomes and put finance at the heart of decision making.
Also see person specification required of all Finance Director roles.
Key for Levels of Professional Skills
A = Awareness
W = Working
P = Practitioner
E = Expert
The skills below are required in addition to the skills required of allFinance Directors.
| Subheadings | Skills | Level | Learning Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Data and analytics interpretation | E | |
| Influencing Senior Leaders and Ministers (including drafting skills) | E | ||
| The Budgeting Framework | E | ||
| Proactive problem resolution | E | ||
| Understanding the role of the NAO | E | ||
| Negotiating with Pragmatism | E | ||
| Support the PAC Agenda | E | ||
| Government Financial Reporting and governance requirements | E | ||
| Useful | Budgeting, Forecasting and Costing | E | |
| Risk Management and fraud | P | ||
| Taxation | W | ||
| Performance and risk management | E | ||
| Commercial acumen | E | ||
| Investment appraisal and evaluation | E |
| Subheadings | Qualifications |
|---|---|
| Essential | |
A substantial track record of success in a senior finance leadership role in a fast-moving finance area in a highly complex, customer focused organisation. This should include a highly effective track record of interpreting financial information to help shape and influence organisational strategy |
This role may be suitable for individuals at SCS1 or SCS2 with strong relationship building, numeracy and analytical skills and strategic thinking.
This role is not suitable for non-finance professionals.
Staff in this role typically move into other SCS2 senior finance roles, Director General Finance roles or COO roles in smaller organisations.