Finance Manager

Job Purpose

To support the Finance Manager in providing accurate and insightful financial reporting on the programme to the Group Exec, Executives and all levels of Programme Management. This will include ensuring all information produced for the programme is concise, automated and as free from error as can be. The role will need to improve our current reporting models, tools and processes, as well as increasing the speed with which information is available to improve decision making.

Working closely with both central finance and the programme team, this role will support the programme and individual projects with month end, forecast and budget process. Supporting the roll out of best practice/improved processes; from detailed project tracking, through to improved final asset accounting (in conjunction with the financial accounting team). It will be pivotal to providing a consolidated view of the programme's current and expected expenditure, and where relevant, to work with the Benefits Manager to provide an overall return on investment.

The role will also assist the Finance Manager in ensuring the programme and its financials are embedded in all business as usual cost management, by working closely alongside the Management Accounts team. It will drive alignment with, and support to, the Commercial Finance team to ensure consistent benefit realisation templates, approach to presentation, and reporting.

Scope

This is a new role created to support the next phase of the programme as expenditure increases.

The role encompasses elements of Management Accounting, Management Information Reporting, commercial understanding as well as Project Accounting. It requires being able to work with finance professionals of all levels, while requiring an ability & desire to improve/simplify processes and models.

This role will need to be able to work across multiple stakeholders:

- Working closely with the Workstream Finance Managers, helping to ensure they have accurate month end information to drive Workstream decision making.
- To understand detail of projects and be able to both challenge the project teams and provide insightful analysis to senior stakeholeders. This includes project spend to date, expected forecast versus approved investment signed off, plus additional narrative on status/timescales/other.
- Working closely with the Workstream Finance Managers and the Project Managers, to ensure all projects are using the standardised Project Finance Tracker, allowing consolidation of all in-flight project financials and highlight Management Insight to be gained from these.
- Working closely with the Management Accounts Team & Commercial Finance Teams to ensure information for Budget and Forecast is provided timely, accurately and in the required templates for Exec reporting.

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Key Responsibilities

- Production of the monthly consolidation of Programme Spend from the Workstream Dashboard submissions, providing the relevant overviews to the Programme Finance Manager and Director of Finance.
- Support with the relevant monthly reports such as Workstream Steerco Slides, FTE reporting or Contingency Management.
- Help develop the project cost tracking process and schedules with the Finance Manager and Workstream Finance Managers, to develop a standard way or working and tracking costs.
- Co-ordinate the consolidation of In Flight Project Reporting, designing and providing the relevant Management Information from these.
- Support the ongoing roll out and training of correct Project Accounting, the use of the Project Finance Tracker and timesheet information.
- To assist project and programme managers with onwards project forecast in key categories of spend, ensuring both effort (man days) and rate is monitored, so variance to approved budgets are understood in terms of both volume and price
- To understand detail of projects and be able to both challenge the project teams and provide insightful analysis to senior stakeholeders. This includes project spend to date, expected forecast versus approved investment signed off, plus additional narrative on status/timescales/other.
- Using information from across the programme, benchmark projects against each other (time, scale, complexity) to ensure appropriate challenge on costs.
- Work with the Finance Manager to improve processes around timesheeting, purchase order information and hence actualization of project costs.
- To regularly review and update procedures, policies and process documentation relating to this area.

Customer Service

- To build good working relationships with the varied matrix of stakeholders this role with interact with, ensuring transparency and accuracy in all communications.
- Being a best practice and process champion; helping to educate the business on how to manage their budgets and project costs effectively through appropriate tools, training, guides.

Key skills

- Ideally have a recognised accountancy qualification, but Final stage studiers of ACCA or CIMA considered
- Good Excel Skills needed - ability to use complex formulae but also able to design with end user in mind and so not over complicate models
- Good Powerpoint skills
- Receptive to change with a desire to continuously improve processes and outputs
- Ability to work to a high standard of accuracy with excellent attention to detail
- Highly organized and efficient
- Ability to work under pressure, managing a diverse and varying workload
- Knowledge and experience in project accounts desired but not essential; but a willingness to learn.
- Good communication/ interpersonal and influencing skills
- Proactive, self starter